Written questions by Cartlidge.

Whether the Army Officer Internship has replaced the Gap Year Commission.

Since 2021, the Gap Year Commission has been integrated into the Army Internship Programme, which has provided individuals with the opportunity to experience a challenging and rewarding year with the Army in the role of an Army Officer for 12 months before, during or after University. The Army offers up to 30 places per year on the Internship programme. 52 different opportunities are provided to allow applicants their choice of role. Whilst we do not hold data for the entire period requested, below are the number of completions for each academic year since 2017-18. Courses start in September and conclude the following year. YearInternship completions2017-2018112018-2019142019-2020142020-2021162021-2022102022-2023102023-202411 There are currently fewer than 10 active Service personnel enrolled on an internship for the 2024-25 scheme. Those awarded an internship are paid a spot rate at Pre-Career officer rates and are non-pensionable. These rates are reviewed annually on the recommendations of the Armed Forces Pay Review Body. Internship officers are also provided with an accommodation solution in accordance with Joint Service Policy. Furthermore, any internship officers who become ill or are injured are eligible to receive benefits from the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme. There have been no recent discussions or proposed changes to the Internship scheme.

With reference to the Spring Statement on 26 March 2025, how the £2.2bn for financial year 2025-26 will be spent by his Department.

The £2.2 billion will support the Government in building a modern and resilient Armed Forces, including by enhancing the UK’s programme of joint exercises with NATO allies, allowing investment in advanced technology such as Directed Energy Weapons, and refurbishing the defence estate to provide our military families with the homes they deserve. We will also establish the UK Defence Innovation, to help secure competitive advantage whilst driving wider growth.

Whether he plans to expedite the publication of the Strategic Defence Review in the context of proposals to send a British peacekeeping force to Ukraine.

As the Prime Minister reported in his Statement on Defence and Security in the House of Commons, the Strategic Defence Review is advanced, and he will lay it in Parliament as soon as he can. The Report, which will be published in the Spring, will help set the path for Britain’s defence for the next decade.

With reference to the oral Answer to the hon. Member for Dumfries and Galloway of 24 March 2025, Official Report, Column 632, if he will list all British candidates he has met with regarding a Jet Trainer replacement since 5th July 2024.

Ministers and officials from the Ministry of Defence regularly meet for routine discussions with a range of defence sector aerospace companies, including those who produce jet trainer aircraft. The UK’s Hawk T1 aircraft is scheduled to remain in service until 2030 and the Hawk T2 aircraft out-of-service date is in 2040. A decision on the production, sustainment and replacement of the aircraft will not be taken until after the Strategic Defence Review is completed.

With reference to the oral Answer to the hon. Member for Dumfries and Galloway of 24 March 2025, Official Report, Column 632, if he will list all the candidates he has met with regarding a Jet Trainer replacement from the (a) United Kingdom, (b) United States and (c) any other nation since 5 July 2024.

Ministers and officials from the Ministry of Defence regularly meet for routine discussions with a range of defence sector aerospace companies, including those who produce jet trainer aircraft. The UK’s Hawk T1 aircraft is scheduled to remain in service until 2030 and the Hawk T2 aircraft out-of-service date is in 2040. A decision on the production, sustainment and replacement of the aircraft will not be taken until after the Strategic Defence Review is completed.

What steps he is taking to avoid potential late diagnosis of ADHD for patients in South Suffolk.

It is the responsibility of the integrated care boards (ICBs) in England to make available appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, including assessments for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), in line with relevant National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines.NHS England has established an ADHD taskforce which is working to bring together those with lived experience with experts from the National Health Service, education, charity, and justice sectors. The taskforce is working to get a better understanding of the challenges affecting those with ADHD, including timely and equitable access to services and support, with the final report expected in the summer of 2025.In conjunction with the taskforce, NHS England has carried out detailed work to develop an ADHD data improvement plan to inform future service planning. NHS England has also captured examples from ICBs who are trialling innovative ways of delivering ADHD services, and is using this information to support systems to tackle ADHD waiting lists and provide support to address people’s needs.

How many Substitute Service Single Accommodation properties are in use.

As at 25 March 2025, 4,551 Service personnel live in Substitute Service Single Accommodation (SSSA). This figure is based on Regular and Reserve Personnel. 2,792 properties are used as SSSA to house Service personnel.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of his Department’s stockpile levels in the context of proposals to send a British peacekeeping force to Ukraine.

The Ministry of Defence remains fully engaged with industry, allies and partners to ensure that stockpile levels are sufficient to support current and future operations. Defence stockpile levels are classified and therefore any further commentary would be inappropriate.

What the annual cost to the public purse is of substitute service single accommodation.

The total cost to the public purse for Substitute Single Service Accommodation for Financial Year 2024-25 is £75,240,044. This figure includes rent, monthly service fees and utilities costs. However, utilities data for March 2025 is not yet available.

What steps his Department is taking to help prevent service personnel working in the bomb disposal portfolio from contracting medical diseases.

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is committed to the health and safety of our people and we have robust policies and processes in place to ensure Defence activities are conducted in a safe manner. We will keep the evidence base for associations between military occupational exposures and bladder cancers under review, consulting with independent external medical experts as required to determine if there are any risks to Explosive Ordnance Disposal and Ammunitions personnel which need to be addressed. All activities across Defence, including bomb disposal, must be conducted within the elements of a Safe System of Work (SSW). A SSW is a method of work which puts in place control measures arising from a risk assessment, in order to manage identified hazards. In accordance with the Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992, the MOD ensures it supplies its people with suitable PPE, and training, to ensure they are protected against risks to their health and safety for the activity they are undertaking. Additionally, Defence ensures it has procedures in place for the testing, inspection, maintenance and storage of PPE. For bomb disposal, Defence has the UK’s in-house experts in chemical, biological, and radiological threats. These experts are employed in the Defence Science and Technology Laboratories (DSTL) which provide constant operational support and advice to the bomb disposal community and wider Defence. When faced with unknown substances, new threats or known contamination, DSTL are there to provide expert guidance and advice.

If he will launch an investigation into the potential medical impact of work in the bomb disposal portfolio on service personnel.

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is committed to the health and safety of our people and we have robust policies and processes in place to ensure Defence activities are conducted in a safe manner. We will keep the evidence base for associations between military occupational exposures and bladder cancers under review, consulting with independent external medical experts as required to determine if there are any risks to Explosive Ordnance Disposal and Ammunitions personnel which need to be addressed. All activities across Defence, including bomb disposal, must be conducted within the elements of a Safe System of Work (SSW). A SSW is a method of work which puts in place control measures arising from a risk assessment, in order to manage identified hazards. In accordance with the Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992, the MOD ensures it supplies its people with suitable PPE, and training, to ensure they are protected against risks to their health and safety for the activity they are undertaking. Additionally, Defence ensures it has procedures in place for the testing, inspection, maintenance and storage of PPE. For bomb disposal, Defence has the UK’s in-house experts in chemical, biological, and radiological threats. These experts are employed in the Defence Science and Technology Laboratories (DSTL) which provide constant operational support and advice to the bomb disposal community and wider Defence. When faced with unknown substances, new threats or known contamination, DSTL are there to provide expert guidance and advice.

What the annual cost to the public purse is of substitute service single accommodation broken down by region.

The information is not held in the format requested. The total number of Substitute Service Single Accommodation is not held by region.

How many service personnel live in Substitute Service Single Accommodation as of 25 March 2025.

As at 25 March 2025, 4,551 Service personnel live in Substitute Service Single Accommodation (SSSA). This figure is based on Regular and Reserve Personnel. 2,792 properties are used as SSSA to house Service personnel.

If he will list the other countries in the coalition of the willing that have committed in principle to deploy troops to Ukraine in a peacekeeping or reassurance capacity.

With France, the UK is leading plans to put together a Coalition of the Willing. 31 nations joined a planning meeting last week at the Permanent Joint Headquarters, with over 200 military planners convening this week for further meetings focused on how we keep the skies, the seas and the border safe, looking across the full range of European military capabilities including aircraft, tanks, troops, intelligence and logistics.We can not provide a list of the countries that have committed in principle to deploy troops to Ukraine. That is a matter for those countries to provide details on.

Whether his Department has had discussions on the rules of engagement for a potential UK peacekeeping or reassurance force in Ukraine.

The UK is playing a leading role in accelerating work on security guarantees for Ukraine. Operational planning continues but it is long-standing Government policy not to comment on Rules of Engagement. The only person who would benefit from that is Putin.

What assessment she has made of the adequacy of SEND funding in South Suffolk.

This government’s ambition is that all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life.Following the Autumn Budget 2024, the department is providing an increase of £1 billion for high needs budgets in England in the 2025/26 financial year. Together with additional funding for schools’ increased National Insurance contributions costs announced recently, this brings total high needs funding for children and young people with complex SEND to over £12 billion. Of that total, Suffolk County Council is being allocated over £124 million through the high needs funding block of the dedicated schools grant (DSG), an increase of £10.3 million on the 2024/25 DSG high needs block, calculated using the high needs national funding formula (NFF). This NFF allocation is an 9% increase per head of their 2 to 18 year-old population, on their equivalent 2024/25 NFF allocation.In addition to the DSG, local authorities will also receive a separate core schools budget grant (CSBG) in the 2025/26 financial year. This CSBG continues the separate grants payable in 2024/25, which are to help special schools and alternative provision with the costs of teachers’ pay and pension increases and other staff pay increases, as well as the additional funding in respect of the increase in employers’ National Insurance contributions. The department plans to publish individual local authorities’ allocations of this funding for 2025/26 in May 2025.

Whether he plans to order additional A400M aircraft this Parliament.

All capability requirements, including those for tactical airlift, are being considered as part of the Strategic Defence Review process.

What discussions he has has with his US counterpart on a security guarantee in the event of a UK peacekeeping or reassurance force in Ukraine.

The Defence Secretary regularly speaks with his US and international counterparts, including on our collective support to Ukraine’s armed forces. The UK, along with a number of allies and partners, held further discussions this week at the Permanent Joint Headquarters to consider in detail how best to ensure Ukraine can defend itself from future Russian aggression. We will continue to keep the US informed on that planning process.

What the entitlement requirements for an application to live in Substitute Service Single Accommodation.

Individuals are permitted to occupy Substitute Service Single Accommodation (SSSA) up to two working days prior to the date of posting to a new place of duty subject to the following criteria: a. Single Living Accommodation (SLA) is not available (at the time of requirement) up to 45 minutes travelling time by public transport (or up to a 10 miles radius when there is no viable public transport at the discretion of the Local Service Commander) of the duty station (60 mins for London only). b. They should expect to occupy SSSA for a minimum of six months and spend not less than four nights each week in the accommodation. c. They are single or Serving unaccompanied; they must either be separated from their family who are residing in Service Family Accommodation (SFA), Substitute Service Family Accommodation (SSFA) or their own property which is more than 50 miles or 1½ hours travelling time (by public transport) from their duty station. If the Commanding Officer considers that due to exceptional circumstances these limits should be reduced, a case is to be submitted through the chain of command to the Ministry of Defence Project Manager. Where the Service Person’s (SP) family occupy surplus SFA and the SP is Serving unaccompanied at the duty station, and Notice to Quit has been served, the SP will be required to Serve accompanied. d. Where both spouse/civil partner are Serving members of the Armed Forces and are Serving unaccompanied at different duty stations, where no SLA exists both have an entitlement to SSSA; they are awaiting allocation of SFA, where no SLA exists providing the waiting period is likely to exceed six months. However, entitlement to SSSA will cease when individuals are allocated SFA at the permanent duty station. e. They are awaiting allocation of SFA, where no SLA exists providing the waiting period is likely to exceed six months. However, entitlement to SSSA will cease when individuals are allocated SFA at the permanent duty station. The full entitlement requirements for Substitute Service Single Accommodation are set out in Joint Service Publication 464 (Tri-Service Accommodation Regulations), Volume 2, Part 1, Chapter 8, Para 8.200; and Annex A to Section 2, Chapter 8 sets out the levels of accommodation entitlement, which differs depending on rank. This information can be found at the following website: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/jsp-464-tri-service-accommodation-regulations-tsars

What plans her Department has to tackle persistent absences in secondary schools in South Suffolk.

This government is determined to tackle the generational challenge of school absence. Missing school regularly is harmful to a child’s attainment, safety and physical and mental health, which limits their opportunity to succeed. There is evidence that more students are attending school this year compared to last, thanks to the sector’s efforts, although 1.6 million children remain persistently absent, missing 10% or more of lessons.The department has a national approach to supporting all schools to tackle absence, including those in the South Suffolk constituency. Central to this approach is stronger expectations of local authorities and schools, as set out in the ‘Working together to improve school attendance’ guidance which was made statutory on 19 August 2024 and can be accessed here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/66bf300da44f1c4c23e5bd1b/Working_together_to_improve_school_attendance_-_August_2024.pdf. The guidance promotes a 'support first' approach, encouraging schools, trusts and local authorities to work with families in addressing attendance barriers.Every state school in England should now be sharing their daily attendance register data with the department, local authorities and trusts. These bodies can access this data through a secure, interactive dashboard which is maintained by the department, allowing them to target attendance interventions more effectively.The department recognises the importance of creating opportunities within the sector to share existing best practice on how to improve attendance. This is why the government set up a network of 31 attendance hubs, who have offered support to 2,000 schools and shared their strategies and resources for improving attendance.In addition to this work, the department is improving the existing evidence on which interventions work to improve attendance. Over £17 million is being invested across two mentoring projects that will support at least 12,000 pupils in 15 areas. These programmes will be evaluated and the effective practice shared with schools and local authorities nationally.The department recently announced that new regional improvement for standards and excellence (RISE) teams will support all state schools by facilitating networking, sharing best practice across areas, and empowering schools to better access support and learn from one another. Improving school attendance is one of four national priorities for RISE teams.School attendance is also supported by broader investments, such as funded breakfast clubs across all primary schools to ensure children start their day ready to learn.The department will provide access to specialist mental health professionals in every school, new Young Futures hubs, including access to mental health support workers, and an additional 8,500 new mental health staff to treat children and adults.Schools can also allocate pupil premium funding, which has now increased to over £2.9 billion for the 2024/25 financial year, to support pupils with identified needs to attend school regularly.