Written questions by Cartlidge.

With reference to his Department's press release entitled Cutting-edge drone degree to train military forces of the future unveiled, published on 21 January 2025, whether the undergraduate drone degree will involve participation in any military exercises.

The undergraduate drone degree is designed to equip students with the technical skills required to build, upgrade and sustain drone systems, rather than to train them in their operational use. Some elements of the programme will involve students working with industry and defence partners on practical problem solving projects, which may include challenges linked to the operational employment of drones in combat settings. Students on the programme will not participate in military exercises. However, having Army personnel learning alongside civilian students, supported by academic staff and defence contractors, will provide valuable insight into the realities of operating drones in contested environments and supports a collaborative approach to innovation. The course does not provide training in how to operate drones; this is delivered separately through the Army’s existing small Uncrewed Aircraft Systems training pathways. Instead, the degree focuses on ensuring personnel have the technical knowledge and engineering expertise to sustain and adapt drone systems at the pace required by rapidly evolving operational demands, as seen in Ukraine

If he will make an assessment of the potential impact of his timetable for publishing the Defence Investment Plan on his Department's expenditure plans for the Global Combat Air programme's (a) un-crewed and autonomous collaborative platform elements and (b) related system-of-systems software and digital development.

Defence continues to manage its capabilities and programmes to ensure they are not unnecessarily impacted or delayed whilst the upcoming Defence Investment Plan (DIP) is developed. The Department is working flat out to deliver the DIP, which will be published as soon as possible. The DIP is the first time in 18 years Defence has completed a single, comprehensive review of programmes and is backed by the Government’s largest sustained increase in defence investment since the end of the Cold War, spending £270 billion on defence in this Parliament alone.

If he will make an assessment of the potential impact of his timetable for publishing the Defence Investment Plan on the delivery of uncrewed systems for the armed forces.

Defence continues to manage its capabilities and programmes to ensure they are not unnecessarily impacted or delayed whilst the upcoming Defence Investment Plan (DIP) is developed. The Department is working flat out to deliver the DIP, which will be published as soon as possible. The DIP is the first time in 18 years Defence has completed a single, comprehensive review of programmes and is backed by the Government’s largest sustained increase in defence investment since the end of the Cold War, spending £270 billion on defence in this Parliament alone.

With reference to his Department's press release entitled Cutting-edge drone degree to train military forces of the future unveiled, published on 21 January 2026, what the total cost is of delivering the undergraduate drone degree.

The Army has provided a one-off payment of £240,000 to the New Model Institute for Technology and Engineering (NMITE) to initiate development of the undergraduate drone degree. This funding enabled NMITE to recruit academic staff and design the course which will offer students the opportunity to learn cutting-edge drones technology driven by lessons from Ukraine. On current plans, the Army intends to sponsor serving-military personnel on the three year degree and multiple personnel on shorter modular courses. These costs will be met through existing Defence personnel development budgets, in line with routine investment in our people through training and apprenticeships. The Army will continue to support personnel undertaking this degree as long as the course remains relevant and no suitable alternative exists elsewhere in the UK. This supports the Army’s wider ambition to upskill hundreds of personnel in drone technology over time. Longer term, the vision is to replicate this model in additional UK locations where there is a strong cluster of military, academia, and the drone industry. NMITE, as the accredited provider, is responsible for funding and delivering the course, including any future cohorts. As NMITE is an independent higher education provider, the Ministry of Defence does not hold details of NMITE’s own operating or delivery costs.

Pursuant to the Answer of 19 January 2025 to Question 104851 on Ukraine: Defence Equipment, if he will list the new counter-drone protection that will be upgraded.

This Government has allocated £200 million to prepare the UK Armed Forces to deploy as part of the Multinational Force Ukraine. Planning continues at pace; however, it would not be appropriate to provide mission specific detail in relation to any future UK Armed Forces deployment, for reasons of operational security.

Pursuant to the Answer of 19 January 2025 to Question 104851 on Ukraine: Defence Equipment, if he will list the vehicles that will be upgraded.

This Government has allocated £200 million to prepare the UK Armed Forces to deploy as part of the Multinational Force Ukraine. Planning continues at pace; however, it would not be appropriate to provide mission specific detail in relation to any future UK Armed Forces deployment, for reasons of operational security.

Pursuant to the Answer of 19 January 2025 to Question 104851 on Ukraine: Defence Equipment, if he will list the additional force-protection equipment that will be upgraded.

This Government has allocated £200 million to prepare the UK Armed Forces to deploy as part of the Multinational Force Ukraine. Planning continues at pace; however, it would not be appropriate to provide mission specific detail in relation to any future UK Armed Forces deployment, for reasons of operational security.

Pursuant to the Answer of 19 January 2025 to Question 104851 on Ukraine: Defence Equipment, if he will list the communication systems that will be upgraded.

This Government has allocated £200 million to prepare the UK Armed Forces to deploy as part of the Multinational Force Ukraine. Planning continues at pace; however, it would not be appropriate to provide mission specific detail in relation to any future UK Armed Forces deployment, for reasons of operational security.

Whether (a) he or (b) his ministerial colleagues have met with representatives from Leonardo UK since 1 November 2025.

Leonardo is one of Defence’s key suppliers and therefore the Defence Secretary and I continually meet with representatives from the company. Most recently, I met with Leonardo UK CEO, Clive Higgins, on 12 January 2026, and the Secretary of State was due to meet Leonardo on 22 January. The Department continues to have conversations regarding current programmes and wider business interests across the UK.

How many training exercises will take place at the British Army Training Unit Suffield in (a) the current financial year and (b) the next financial year.

BATUS continues to be used for both training and experimentation activity. Below are the numbers of training exercises that have taken place at BATUS in each of the last 10 financial years, including the current financial year. 18 Training exercises have taken place in total. Financial YearNumber of Training Exercises2016-1732017-1832018-1922019-2022020-2102021-2202022-2322023-2422024-2522025-262 There is one further training exercise currently scheduled to take place next financial year 2027-27. Future use of BATUS is dependent upon the outcome of the Defence Investment Plan.

How many training exercises have taken place at the British Army Training Unit Suffield in each of the last 10 financial years.

BATUS continues to be used for both training and experimentation activity. Below are the numbers of training exercises that have taken place at BATUS in each of the last 10 financial years, including the current financial year. 18 Training exercises have taken place in total. Financial YearNumber of Training Exercises2016-1732017-1832018-1922019-2022020-2102021-2202022-2322023-2422024-2522025-262 There is one further training exercise currently scheduled to take place next financial year 2027-27. Future use of BATUS is dependent upon the outcome of the Defence Investment Plan.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the significance of a remoteness factor adjustment in the Fair Funding Review for rural areas.

The government published the Local government finance policy statement 2026-27 to 2028-29 and response to the Fair Funding Review 2.0 on Thursday 20 November, which set out the government's plans to introduce a fairer and evidence-led funding system. The government also published the Provisional Local Government Finance Settlement 2026-2027 to 2028-2029 on Wednesday 17 December 2025. The government is committed to continuing to work closely with the sector. We have now consulted four times on our proposals for reform and we are grateful for the high-quality and constructive responses received from local authorities and sector groups. The government is committed to tackling the issues that matter to rural communities. Our updates will account for local circumstances, including the variation in cost of delivering services, such as between rural and urban areas. More detail can be found in the consultation response document here. As part of this, the government is including a remoteness adjustment within the adult social care formula, as the best evidence we have heard indicates that distance from a major market has an impact on the cost of delivering social care services. We are also including a journey times adjustment, which is within the area cost adjustment applied to all our funding formulas, which accounts for the impact on the cost of labour of the difference in travel times to provide services; and increasing the cap within the home to school transport formula from 20 miles to 50 miles, in recognition that the original distance cap would unfairly penalise authorities who have no choice but to place children further from home. The government is considering the responses received following the consultation of the Provisional Local Government Finance Settlement 2026 to 2027 and will set out a position when the final Settlement is published in early February.

With reference to his Department's press release Britain's fighter jet fleet strengthened in £205 million boost for British jobs, published on 19 January 2026, when he plans to deliver the European Common Radar System Mk2.

On Monday 19 January 2026 the Ministry for Defence (MOD) announced that they had signed a £205 million, five-year contract extension with the British company QinetiQ. This agreement will deliver essential, specialist technical and engineering support to the UK’s Typhoon fleet and ensure that the Royal Air Force’s primary fighter jet is safe, airworthy, and ready to protect the UK and our NATO allies for years to come. This agreement also includes support that will help the MOD deliver into service the new cutting-edge European Common Radar System (ECRS) Mk2 on RAF Typhoons by the end of this decade.

Whether he plans to increase the British Army's use of the British Army Training Unit Suffield in the (a) current and (b) next Parliament.

BATUS continues to be used for both training and experimentation activity. Below are the numbers of training exercises that have taken place at BATUS in each of the last 10 financial years, including the current financial year. 18 Training exercises have taken place in total. Financial YearNumber of Training Exercises2016-1732017-1832018-1922019-2022020-2102021-2202022-2322023-2422024-2522025-262 There is one further training exercise currently scheduled to take place next financial year 2027-27. Future use of BATUS is dependent upon the outcome of the Defence Investment Plan.

If he will make an assessment of the potential impact of his timetable to publish the Defence Investment Plan on the procurement of a new mobile fires platform.

Defence continues to manage its capabilities and programmes to ensure they are not unnecessarily impacted or delayed whilst the upcoming Defence Investment Plan (DIP) is developed. The Department is working flat out to deliver the DIP, which will be published as soon as possible. The DIP is the first time in 18 years Defence has completed a single, comprehensive review of programmes and is backed by the Government’s largest sustained increase in defence investment since the end of the Cold War, spending £270 billion on defence in this Parliament alone.

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of extending to county councils the provisions of the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 on issuing closure notices in cases of illegal trading of tobacco and vaping products on the high street.

The closure power, under the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, enables police or local councils - including county councils where there is no district council - to close premises quickly which are being used to commit nuisance or disorder.The closure power, along with all the powers in the 2014 Act, is deliberately local in nature, and it is for local agencies to determine whether its use is appropriate and meets the legal test in the specific circumstances.The global supply of illicit tobacco is significant and the high profit margins continue to attract organised criminal networks. HMRC are fully aware of this threat and take robust, coordinated action in response. Working in close partnership across government, we target production at its source, intercept illicit products at the border and in retail environments, and pursue and prosecute those involved in the illicit tobacco trade.Stubbing out the problem: A new strategy to tackle illicit tobacco - GOV.UK sets out how HMRC, Border Force and partner agencies tackle illicit tobacco. It seeks to target loopholes at all stages of the supply chain, to keep ahead of the criminals. The strategy:sets out a new root and branch approach - which targets the demand for illicit trade (the consumers that criminals seek to exploit) as well as the supply (the criminals themselves).is supported by over £100 million new funding to boost HMRC and Border Force enforcement capability.establishes a new, cross-government Illicit Tobacco Taskforce – combining the operational, investigative and intelligence expertise of various agencies, and enhancing their ability to disrupt organised crime.National Trading Standards plays a key part in tackling illicit tobacco at a local level. It provides both a visible and tangible deterrent that organised criminality and anti-social behaviour surrounding the supply of illicit tobacco will not be tolerated. HMRC values the close working partnership it has with National Trading Standards through Operation CeCe and is committed to building on its success by increasing the level of funding available to Trading Standards. This means that we can have an even greater impact in tackling the illicit tobacco trade, undertaking more visits, creating more disruption, detecting and seizing more illicit product, tackling underage sales and reducing community harm.HMRC is progressing preparations for the 1 October 2026 introduction of Vaping Products Duty with a strong focus on compliance readiness and illicit market risk.

What assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the enforcement powers available to county council Trading Standards services on tackling the sale of illegal tobacco and vaping products on the high street.

I refer the hon member to the answer on 27 October 2025 to UIN 84365 Electronic Cigarettes and Tobacco: Smuggling. Operation CeCe is a joint UK-wide initiative between HMRC and Trading Standards to target the illicit tobacco trade. Since it began in January 2021, the operation has removed more than 74 million illicit cigarettes, 19,750kg of hand-rolling tobacco and almost 175kg of shisha products from sale [1]. In 2023 new sanctions were introduced to support the work that Trading Standards do at retail level. They allow Trading Standards to make a referral into HMRC in relation to their tobacco seizures. HMRC can then then investigate and issue civil sanctions, including penalties of up to £10,000. At Budget 2025, the Government set out its plans to tackle rogue retailers who breach tobacco and vape regulations, by taking the power in the Tobacco and Vapes Bill to introduce a licensing scheme for retailers to sell tobacco and vape products. This will strengthen enforcement and support legitimate businesses. The government is also legislating to introduce the Vaping Duty Stamps scheme from 1 October 2026, which requires all vaping products manufactured or imported into the UK to have a duty stamp on packaging so illicit products are immediately identifiable. [1] Over £1.4 million in penalties issued as crackdown on illegal tobacco accelerates

With reference to his Department's press release entitled Britain's fighter jet fleet strengthened in £205 million boost for British jobs, published on 19 January 2026, when the full-scale production of the European Common Radar System Mk2 will begin.

On 13 June 2025 the Chief Secretary to the Treasury confirmed, during a visit to Leonardo in Edinburgh, that the Ministry of Defence (MOD) had released over £200 million of funding towards the production and integration of the innovative European Common Radar System (ECRS) Mk2 radar for the RAF Typhoon. This commercial authority for Industry to start spending ahead of the full contract award was used to protect critical path activities whilst MOD and Industry negotiated the full contract. On 22 January 2026 the Secretary of State for Defence visited Leonardo in Edinburgh to confirm the award of the full production contract between the MOD and BAE Systems, Leonardo UK and Parker Meggitt, valued at £453 million. This contract is for the manufacture and delivery of 40 ECRS Mk2 Radars. Radar deliveries will support timescales to bring ECRS Mk2 into service with the RAF by the end of this decade.

If he will make an assessment of the potential impact of his timetable to publish the Defence Investment Plan on the delivery of the New Medium Helicopter programme.

Defence continues to manage its capabilities and programmes to ensure they are not unnecessarily impacted or delayed whilst the upcoming Defence Investment Plan (DIP) is developed. The Department is working flat out to deliver the DIP, which will be published as soon as possible. The DIP is the first time in 18 years Defence has completed a single, comprehensive review of programmes and is backed by the Government’s largest sustained increase in defence investment since the end of the Cold War, spending £270 billion on defence in this Parliament alone.

If he will make an assessment of the potential impact of his timetable to publish the Defence Investment Plan on the viability of UK defence SMEs.

Defence continues to manage its capabilities and programmes to ensure they are not unnecessarily impacted or delayed whilst the upcoming Defence Investment Plan (DIP) is developed. The Department is working flat out to deliver the DIP, which will be published as soon as possible. The DIP is the first time in 18 years Defence has completed a single, comprehensive review of programmes and is backed by the Government’s largest sustained increase in defence investment since the end of the Cold War, spending £270 billion on defence in this Parliament alone.