Written questions by Cartlidge.

Where he plans to locate the private office of the National Armaments Director.

The National Armaments Director (NAD) role will be a civil servant appointment. Private office arrangements are yet to be confirmed.

Whether he categorises the National Armaments Director role as a (a) civil servant or (b) military appointment.

The National Armaments Director (NAD) role will be a civil servant appointment. Private office arrangements are yet to be confirmed.

With reference to the guidance entitled Appointment of AUKUS Adviser and report: Terms of Reference, published on 29 August 2024, when he plans to publish Sir Stephen Lovegrove's report on AUKUS.

An extension has been provided to allow Sir Stephen Lovegrove to gather all the necessary information. He will now report to the Prime Minister, Defence Secretary, Foreign Secretary and Chancellor in November 2024.

With reference to the guidance entitled Appointment of AUKUS Adviser and report: Terms of Reference, published on 29 August 2024, whether Sir Stephen Lovegrove reported his findings on AUKUS before the end of Oct

An extension has been provided to allow Sir Stephen Lovegrove to gather all the necessary information. He will now report to the Prime Minister, Defence Secretary, Foreign Secretary and Chancellor in November 2024.

Whether the additional funding for Continuity of Education Allowance to compensate for introducing VAT on private school fees will come from the Ministry of Defence budget.

In line with how the Continuity of Education Allowance normally operates, the Ministry of Defence will continue to pay up to 90% of private school fees following the VAT changes on 1 January.

If he will make an estimate of the potential cost of funding pay rises for armed forces personnel in each of the next three financial years.

The cost of funding pay rises for Armed Forces personnel in future years will be subject to the recommendations of the Armed Forces Pay Review Board.

If he will provide a breakdown of the additional money he will release for munitions procurement as part of the £2.9bn defence spending announced in the Autumn Budget 2024, HC 295, published on 30 October 2024.

Future prioritisation will be determined in the usual way and in line with the findings of the Strategic Defence Review.

What is the cost of the Military Strategic Headquarters.

While the design and organisational structure of the future Military Strategic Head Quarters (MSHQ) is still in the development stage, it is expected that the creation of the MSHQ will be cost neutral and contained within the overall Defence budget.

When he plans that the GUARDIAN Air Command and Control system based in the Falklands will reach full operating capability.

The GUARDIAN Air Command and Control system based in the Falkland Islands reached Full Operating Capability in April 2024.

If he will make an assessment of the potential impact of his timetable for reaching 2.5% GDP of expenditure on engineer retention in the armed forces.

The Government is committed to setting a path to spending 2.5% of GDP on defence at a future fiscal event. Budget allocations will be set in the usual way and informed by the findings of the Strategic Defence Review.

When he plans that the GUARDIAN Air Command and Control system based in the UK will reach full operating capability.

The GUARDIAN Air Command and Control system based in the UK is expected to reach Full Operating Capability in 2026.

How many Research and Development programmes were listed under the Defence Sourcing Portal in the last twelve months.

There were 114 Invitation To Tender (ITTs) published on the Defence Sourcing Portal (DSP) in the last twelve months (01/11/2023 to 31/10/2024). These ITTs were listed under the category of Research and Development services.

Pursuant to the Answer of 28 October to Question 10454 on Strategic Defence Review, whether all submissions by Parliamentarians will be read in the first instance by human beings, before the use of artificial int

The Strategic Defence Review received a number of submissions from Parliamentarians, and all have been read by human beings.

If he will make an estimate of how many helicopter pilots at RAF Shawbury will be unable to complete their training on schedule this year.

There will be a limited short-term impact to the number of trainees completing UK Military Flying Training System (UKMFTS) Rotary Wing aircrew training at RAF Shawbury this year. However, this will not have an impact to the number of Tri-Service aircrew c...

Whether he plans to continue providing funding for NATO's Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic into 2025/26.

The UK remains committed to funding NATO's Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA), as part of its wider commitment to NATO.As the host of the European Regional Office of DIANA, the UK has been a champion of this initiative, addition...

What recent discussions he has had with the Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic.

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is fully engaged with NATO's Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA) programme across all areas in which the UK is supporting DIANA initiatives, including strategic direction, challenge formation and rap...

Whether he plans to (a) continue and (b) amend the Defence STEM Undergraduate scheme.

Defence is fully committed to encouraging and recruiting high quality STEM graduates. The Defence STEM Undergraduate Scheme (DSUS) is a key part of that, with enduring funding secured within the Departments Annual Budget Cycle (ABC) 24. Amendments to the ...

Whether he has made an assessment of the potential implications for his policies recommendation of the Haythornthwaite Review that the Armed Forces trial new total reward approaches for (a) engineers and (b) othe

The Government is prioritising its response to the Armed Forces recruitment and retention challenge, and has taken action already to modernise recruitment processes and award our Armed Forces the largest pay increase in over two decades. The Haythornthwai...

If he will make an assessment of the potential impact of his timetable for reaching 2.5% GDP of expenditure on helicopter pilot training in the armed forces.

The Government remains committed to setting a path to spending 2.5% of GDP at a future fiscal event. Budget allocations will be set in the usual way and informed by the findings of the Strategic Defence Review.

Whether the manufacture of large-calibre gun barrels as part of the Trinity House Agreement will exclusively use recycled British steel.

The Trinity House Agreement will drive investment into the UK, and pave the way for the way for a new artillery gun barrel factory to be opened in the UK. The opening of the Rheinmetall factory will see the UK manufacture artillery gun barrels for the fir...