Written questions by Cartlidge.

With reference to his statement of 20 November 2024 on Defence Programmes Developments, Official Report columns 287 to 289, what capabilities he plans to prioritise for the reinvestment of the forecast £150m of savings.

As the Secretary of State outlined in his statement of 20 November, we inherited significant financial pressures in the defence budget from the last government. The capability retirements announced will deliver better value for money and ensure we are in a better position to modernise and strengthen UK defence. Future capability decisions will be subject to the findings of the Strategic Defence Review.

What estimate he has made of the size of the (a) Regular Army, (b) RAF, (c) Royal Navy, (d) Royal Marines (e) Army Reserve, (f) RAF Reserve, (g) Royal Navy Reserve and (h) Royal Marines Reserve in 2029.

The Government is taking decisive action to tackle the long-term decline in Armed Forces numbers and renew the nation’s contract with those who serve, having inherited a recruitment and retention crisis - with targets missed every year for the past fourteen years. The purpose of the SDR is three-fold. We will establish the roles, capabilities and reforms required by UK Defence to meet the challenges, threats, and opportunities of the twenty-first century. The Reviewers will consider all aspects of Defence, including the approach to recruiting, educating, training and retaining the people needed for One Defence, including Regular, Reserve, Civil Service and industry. This is to include how Service life can be improved for those who commit to serve their country in uniform.

What estimate he has made of the cost of fixing the structural issues with HMS Northumberland.

The estimated costs for the repair of HMS Northumberland were at least £120 million, with the work anticipated to take over four years.

Whether he plans to support armed forces personnel who do not receive Continuity of Educational Allowance with the increase in the cost of private school fees arising from the introduction of VAT on such fees.

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) provides Continuity of Education Allowance to Service Personnel to minimise the disruption to their children’s education caused by Service commitments involving frequent moves of the family home. Their circumstances must fit within specific regulations as laid out in Joint Service Publication (JSP) 752, Chapter 14, especially around accompanied Service and family mobility. Where a Service Person does not meet the eligibility criteria as laid out in JSP 752 and has made a personal choice to use a private school for their child’s education, the MOD is not involved.

Whether the Pumas in use in Cyprus (a) only provide a firefighting function and (b) are used for (i) search and rescue and (ii) other operational purposes.

The Puma helicopters based in the Sovereign Base Areas (SBA) on Cyprus are used for a range of activities, including aerial firefighting across the island.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the retirement of 14 Chinook helicopters on the capability of the armed forces.

The phased retirement of the 14 oldest Chinook helicopters will not negatively impact the delivery of current Defence operational outputs, as these retirements will be synchronised with the delivery of replacement state-of-the-art Chinook H-47 (Extended Range) from 2027 onwards, maintaining our fleet number. A phased transition will see the old aircraft retired from service at the point they are due to enter into costly maintenance packages; ensure that we retain the necessary aircraft to cover operational commitments; and that engineers and pilots are available to transition onto the new H-47(ER) aircraft. H-47(ER) is a modern capability that will allow us to operate even closer with partner nations, including the US. This decision will allow greater efficiency within the maintenance cycles and better enable the transition process to the new aircraft.

What the potential implications of retiring 14 Chinook helicopters early are on the ability of (a) Joint Helicopter Command, (b) the Chief of Joint Operations, (c) 16 Air Assault Brigade Combat Team, (d) 16 Air Manoeuvre Task Force, (e) the Global Response Force, (f) the Army and (g) the RAF to deliver defence outputs.

The phased retirement of the 14 oldest Chinook helicopters will not negatively impact the delivery of current Defence operational outputs, as these retirements will be synchronised with the delivery of replacement state-of-the-art Chinook H-47 (Extended Range) from 2027 onwards, maintaining our fleet number. A phased transition will see the old aircraft retired from service at the point they are due to enter into costly maintenance packages; ensure that we retain the necessary aircraft to cover operational commitments; and that engineers and pilots are available to transition onto the new H-47(ER) aircraft. H-47(ER) is a modern capability that will allow us to operate even closer with partner nations, including the US. This decision will allow greater efficiency within the maintenance cycles and better enable the transition process to the new aircraft.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the removal of Watchkeeper Mk 1 on the 47th Regiment Royal Artillery.

The Army will procure a modern Land Tactical Deep Find (LTDF) capability to replace the 14 years old Watchkeeper Mk 1 capability following its retirement from March 2025. This procurement will leverage lessons from Ukraine and emerging technologies to deliver a capability direct to NATO’s front line. Plans currently identify that 47 Regiment Royal Artillery will continue to deliver the Army’s Deep Find capability by turning their skills and experience from Watchkeeper Mk 1 to lead on fielding the new Deep Find capability. Plans for the Watchkeeper capability following its phased withdrawal from service are in development.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the retirement of Watchkeeper Mk 1 on the capability of the armed forces.

The Army will procure a modern Land Tactical Deep Find (LTDF) capability to replace the 14 years old Watchkeeper Mk 1 capability following its retirement from March 2025. This procurement will leverage lessons from Ukraine and emerging technologies to deliver a capability direct to NATO’s front line. Plans currently identify that 47 Regiment Royal Artillery will continue to deliver the Army’s Deep Find capability by turning their skills and experience from Watchkeeper Mk 1 to lead on fielding the new Deep Find capability. Plans for the Watchkeeper capability following its phased withdrawal from service are in development.

What the potential operational implications are of retiring Watchkeeper Mk 1 in March 2025.

The Army will procure a modern Land Tactical Deep Find (LTDF) capability to replace the 14 years old Watchkeeper Mk 1 capability following its retirement from March 2025. This procurement will leverage lessons from Ukraine and emerging technologies to deliver a capability direct to NATO’s front line. Plans currently identify that 47 Regiment Royal Artillery will continue to deliver the Army’s Deep Find capability by turning their skills and experience from Watchkeeper Mk 1 to lead on fielding the new Deep Find capability. Plans for the Watchkeeper capability following its phased withdrawal from service are in development.

What the status is of the planned multi-role support ships.

The Muti Role Support Ships programme is in the concept phase and aims to deliver the first of class by 2033.

What estimate he has made of the cost of providing a (a) commercial and (b) military solution to alternative jungle training helicopter capability in Brunei.

The department will not comment on alternative options for jungle training due to operational sensitivity.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the retirement of HMS Northumberland on the capability of the armed forces prior to delivery of the first Type 26.

Current and planned force levels are continually assessed to ensure that they are optimised to deliver the tasks His Majesty's Government asks of it, now and in the future. The Royal Navy is carefully managing a Surface Fleet Transition Plan to ensure our highest priority outputs are maintained through the 2020s and into the next decade, as we replace ageing Type 23s with eight of the world’s most advanced anti-submarine warfare ships, the Type 26 frigates. They will be bolstered by five general purpose Type 31 frigates, providing opportunity to project power, support NATO operations and influence globally.

What estimate he has made of the cost of providing a (a) commercial and (b) military solution to provide an alternative firefighting helicopter capability in Cyprus.

The MOD is working at pace through various options to fulfil some short-term capability gaps on Cyprus before the introduction of H-145 from 2026. Capability options will be assessed to ensure that the MOD delivers value for money for the taxpayer.

What estimate he has made of the cost of a military solution of providing an alternative firefighting helicopter capability in Cyprus.

The MOD is working at pace through various options to fulfil some short-term capability gaps on Cyprus before the introduction of H-145 from 2026. Capability options will be assessed to ensure that the MOD delivers value for money for the taxpayer.

Whether the Pumas in use in Brunei (a) only provide a support to jungle training function and (b) are used for (i) search and rescue and (ii) other operational purposes.

The primary role of the Puma aircraft in Brunei is to provide search and rescue cover in support of operational training. Defence has taken measures to ensure continued output of operational training in the interim period before Puma's replacement, H145, enters service from 2026. Key Defence tasks will continue to be fulfilled.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of retiring Watchkeeper Mk 1 on the personnel of 47th Regiment Royal Artillery.

The Army will procure a modern Land Tactical Deep Find (LTDF) capability to replace the 14 years old Watchkeeper Mk 1 capability following its retirement from March 2025. This procurement will leverage lessons from Ukraine and emerging technologies to deliver a capability direct to NATO’s front line. Plans currently identify that 47 Regiment Royal Artillery will continue to deliver the Army’s Deep Find capability by turning their skills and experience from Watchkeeper Mk 1 to lead on fielding the new Deep Find capability. Plans for the Watchkeeper capability following its phased withdrawal from service are in development.

With reference to his statement of 20 November 2024 on Defence Programmes Developments, Official Report columns 287 to 289, whether he had discussions on military capability retirements with his US counterpart before that statement.

The UK and US enjoy a close relationship across a range of Defence matters, and our senior officials and military keep one another informed on important developments and decisions in a timely manner, which occurred ahead of this statement as a matter of course.

What the potential operational implications are of providing a military solution to alternative jungle training helicopter capability in Brunei.

The primary role of the Puma aircraft in Brunei is to provide search and rescue cover in support of operational training. Defence has taken measures to ensure continued output of operational training in the interim period before Puma's replacement, H145, enters service from 2026. Key Defence tasks will continue to be fulfilled.

What the potential operational implications are of retiring HMS Northumberland in March 2025.

The retiring of HMS NORTHUMBERLAND in March 2025 will have no impact on current operations. During her planned refit period, significant structural damage was discovered. This would have taken a major amount of time and financial resource to rectify and offered very limited operational return upon completion. As a result, her refit was judged to be uneconomical. HMS NORTHUMBERLAND and her sister Type 23 frigates will be succeeded by eight Type 26 Anti-Submarine Warfare and five Type 31 General Purpose Frigates. These are already in build and the first will be in service before the end of the decade.