Written questions by Cartlidge.

With reference to his Department's press release entitled UK jobs and air defences boost with purchase of new missile launchers, published on 22 August 2025, when will the Land Ceptor missile systems reach minimum deployable capability.

The press release of 22 August 2025 refers to an additional purchase of Land Ceptor launchers and support vehicles known as Medium Range Air Defence Capability Uplift Package one. This is currently working towards reaching Initial Operating Capability, which is scheduled for Q4 2026.

What proportion of his Department's equipment budget was spent on novel technologies in the last 12 months.

It is vital we utilise defence as an engine for innovation and growth, investing in novel technologies where it is possible to do so. We are committed to spend 10% of our equipment budget on novel technologies, such as autonomous, uncrewed and AI-assisted systems. What is in scope of this commitment and the pathway to achieving it are under consideration as part of the Defence Investment Plan, as such detail on what is included will be published in due course. Spending will be prioritised appropriately as part of the future Integrated Force and set out in the Defence Investment Plan to be published this year.

Whether he has held a trilateral meeting with his US and Australian counterpart since 5 July 2024.

The Secretary of State for Defence hosted the first UK-hosted AUKUS Defence Ministers' meeting on 26 September 2024 with Australia's Deputy Prime Minister, Richard Marles, and the then United States Secretary of Defense, The Honourable Lloyd J. Austin III, to review progress and discuss priorities for delivering across Pillars 1 and 2. The Defence Secretary has regular engagements with the US Secretary of War and the Australian Deputy Prime Minister, where they discuss a range of matters, including AUKUS. The UK continues to work closely with the US and Australia at all levels to maximise the benefits and opportunities that AUKUS presents for our three nations.

Pursuant to the Answer of 26 November to Question 93390 on Type 45 Destroyers: Lasers and with reference to his oral statement on UK Airstrike: Houthi Military Facility, Column 333, Official Report, 30 April 2025, whether it is his Department's policy to install DragonFire on four Royal Navy vessels in 2027.

The Ministry of Defence plans to install the first DragonFire system on a Royal Navy vessel in 2027. The installation of additional systems will be in accordance with the Defence Investment Plan.

With reference to his Department's press release entitled UK jobs and air defences boost with purchase of new missile launchers, published on 22 August 2025, what is the in service date for the Land Ceptor missile systems.

The Sky Sabre air defence missile system – which includes Land Ceptor – has been in service with the British Army since 2022. The press release of 22 August 2025 refers to an additional purchase of Land Ceptor launchers and support vehicles known as Medium Range Air Defence (MRAD) Capability Uplift Package one. Initial Operating Capability for MRAD is scheduled for Q4 2026.

With reference to the Prime Minister's press release entitled £4bn maritime deal with Indonesia set to boost British jobs and support Indo-Pacific security, published on 21 November 2025, what proportion of the production for the joint maritime capability for Indonesia's navy will take place in the United Kingdom.

The Partnership will enhance our shared commitment to stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific, upholding freedom of navigation and supporting a rules-based international order. It will also pave the way for greater interoperability and joint training between both navies. Due to commercial sensitivities, at this stage we are unable to release further information beyond what was shared in the press release of 21 November 2025.

With reference to the Prime Minister's press release entitled £4bn maritime deal with Indonesia set to boost British jobs and support Indo-Pacific security, published on 21 November 2025, what is the joint maritime capability that will be developed for Indonesia's navy.

The Partnership will enhance our shared commitment to stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific, upholding freedom of navigation and supporting a rules-based international order. It will also pave the way for greater interoperability and joint training between both navies. Due to commercial sensitivities, at this stage we are unable to release further information beyond what was shared in the press release of 21 November 2025.

How regularly he meets with the Special Representative on AUKUS.

The Prime Minister's Special Representative, Sir Stephen Lovegrove regularly meets with the Defence Secretary to discuss key priorities for the AUKUS partnership. These discussions help ensure AUKUS is being pursued as a whole-of-Government effort in line with the Prime Minister's direction. I met him last week to discuss AUKUS also.

With reference to the press release entitled £4bn maritime deal with Indonesia set to boost British jobs and support Indo-Pacific security, published on 21 November 2025, how many of the 1,000 jobs in the UK will be created as a result of the (a) jointly developed maritime capability developed for Indonesia's navy and (b) 1,000 vessels for the Indonesian fishing fleet.

The Partnership will enhance our shared commitment to stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific, upholding freedom of navigation and supporting a rules-based international order. It will also pave the way for greater interoperability and joint training between both navies. Due to commercial sensitivities, at this stage we are unable to release further information beyond what was shared in the press release of 21 November 2025.

Pursuant to the Answer of 24 November to Question 92321 on Armed Forces: Training, if he will list all other definitions of training outside of Phase 1 and Phase 2.

The British Army, Royal Air Force, and Royal Navy conduct two categories of training. These are Collective Training, and Individual Training. Collective Training is any training activity focussed on the collective performance of two or more people working together that improves the ability of a team, large or small, to work together in order to generate the forces required for operations, and is collective only when the team as a whole is assessed on its collective performance. Individual Training is training designed to develop a mix of Knowledge, Skills, Experience and Behaviours of individuals. Individual Training can take multiple forms and, excluding Phases 1 & 2, is set out below: Phase 0 TrainingPhase 3 TrainingIndividual TrainingPre-employment TrainingPresent, Apply, Review (PAR) TrainingCare of Trainee (COT) TrainingDeployed Collective Trainer TrainingDistributed TrainingFirst of Class TrainingInterim TrainingSteady State TrainingFormal TrainingJoint TrainingLive TrainingModular TrainingRemedial TrainingRobust Training Joint Service Publication 822 provides additional information on training and can be found on the gov.uk website.

If she has made an assessment of the impact of reducing beer duty by 5% across (a) draught, (b) packaged and (c) lower-strength beer on (i) growth and (ii) investment in the sector.

At Autumn Budget 2025 the Chancellor confirmed that alcohol duty will be uprated by Retail Price Index (RPI) on 1 February 2026 to main its current real-terms value. The government considers uprating to be a prudent decision for the public finances that balances the important contribution of alcohol producers, pubs and the wider hospitality sector, with the tax’s role in supporting public health. The Chancellor heard a range of perspectives ahead of the Budget, including from beer producers, and considered the impact of alcohol duty rates on all affected groups. An assessment of these impacts is published within the Tax Impact and Information Note (TIIN), available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/alcohol-duty-rates-change/alcohol-duty-uprating#summary-of-impacts

Whether she plans to increase Small Business Rate Relief thresholds to prevent closures of pubs.

The Government is delivering a long overdue reform to rebalance the business rates system and support the high street, as promised in the manifesto.The Government is doing this by introducing new permanently lower tax rates for eligible retail, hospitality and leisure (RHL) properties, including pubs. These new tax rates are worth nearly £900 million per year and will benefit over 750,000 properties.The new RHL tax rates replace the temporary RHL relief that has been winding down since COVID. Unlike RHL relief, the new rates are permanent, giving businesses certainty and stability, and there will be no cap, meaning all qualifying properties on high streets across England will benefit.Around a third of properties pay no business rates as they receive 100 per cent Small Business Rate Relief (SBRR), with an additional 85,000 benefiting from reduced bills as this relief tapers.If a property loses eligibility for SBRR at the 2026 revaluation because their rateable value exceeds the threshold, the Supporting Small Business scheme will cap their bill increases for three years at the higher of £800 per year, equivalent to £65 per month, or the relevant Transitional Relief caps. These caps are applied before changes in other reliefs and local supplements.

Whether she plans to increase Small Business Rate Relief thresholds to prevent closures of pubs.

The Government is delivering a long overdue reform to rebalance the business rates system and support the high street, as promised in the manifesto.The Government is doing this by introducing new permanently lower tax rates for eligible retail, hospitality and leisure (RHL) properties, including pubs. These new tax rates are worth nearly £900 million per year and will benefit over 750,000 properties.The new RHL tax rates replace the temporary RHL relief that has been winding down since COVID. Unlike RHL relief, the new rates are permanent, giving businesses certainty and stability, and there will be no cap, meaning all qualifying properties on high streets across England will benefit.Around a third of properties pay no business rates as they receive 100 per cent Small Business Rate Relief (SBRR), with an additional 85,000 benefiting from reduced bills as this relief tapers.If a property loses eligibility for SBRR at the 2026 revaluation because their rateable value exceeds the threshold, the Supporting Small Business scheme will cap their bill increases for three years at the higher of £800 per year, equivalent to £65 per month, or the relevant Transitional Relief caps. These caps are applied before changes in other reliefs and local supplements.

With reference to his Department's press release entitled Underwater robot could improve pipeline and cable security, published on 9 June 2025, which contracts his Department has placed with Alford Technologies since 5 July 2024.

The Department has placed two contracts with Alford Technologies since 5 July 2024.

What recent progress he has made on developing StormShroud.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer my predecessor gave to the hon. Member for Romford (Andrew Rosindell) on 1 September 2025 to Question 68745.

How many Autonomous Collaborative Platforms are currently in development.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Huntingdon (Ben Obese-Jecty) on 19 September 2025 to Question 76688.

Whether he has a target date for spending 10% of the MOD equipment budget on novel technologies.

It is vital we utilise defence as an engine for innovation and growth, investing in novel technologies where it is possible to do so. We are committed to spend 10% of our equipment budget on novel technologies, such as autonomous, uncrewed and AI-assisted systems. What is in scope of this commitment and the pathway to achieving it are under consideration as part of the Defence Investment Plan, as such detail on what is included will be published in due course. Spending will be prioritised appropriately as part of the future Integrated Force and set out in the Defence Investment Plan to be published this year.

Whether she plans to reduce business rates multipliers for pubs.

The Government is delivering a long overdue reform to rebalance the business rates system and support the high street, as promised in the manifesto.The Government is doing this by introducing new permanently lower tax rates for eligible retail, hospitality and leisure (RHL) properties, including pubs. These new tax rates are worth nearly £900 million per year and will benefit over 750,000 properties.The new RHL tax rates replace the temporary RHL relief that has been winding down since COVID. Unlike RHL relief, the new rates are permanent, giving businesses certainty and stability, and there will be no cap, meaning all qualifying properties on high streets across England will benefit.Around a third of properties pay no business rates as they receive 100 per cent Small Business Rate Relief (SBRR), with an additional 85,000 benefiting from reduced bills as this relief tapers.If a property loses eligibility for SBRR at the 2026 revaluation because their rateable value exceeds the threshold, the Supporting Small Business scheme will cap their bill increases for three years at the higher of £800 per year, equivalent to £65 per month, or the relevant Transitional Relief caps. These caps are applied before changes in other reliefs and local supplements.

With reference to the Prime Minister's press release entitled £4bn maritime deal with Indonesia set to boost British jobs and support Indo-Pacific security, published on 21 November 2025, when the joint maritime capability that will be developed for Indonesia's navy will formally commence production.

The Partnership will enhance our shared commitment to stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific, upholding freedom of navigation and supporting a rules-based international order. It will also pave the way for greater interoperability and joint training between both navies. Due to commercial sensitivities, at this stage we are unable to release further information beyond what was shared in the press release of 21 November 2025.

What steps his Department has taken to reduce the rates of cardiovascular disease in South Suffolk constituency.

The Government is committed to reducing premature mortality from heart disease and stroke by 25% in the next 10 years. To accelerate progress on this mission and tackle unwarranted variation across the country, we will publish a cardiovascular disease (CVD) modern service framework in 2026. The framework will support consistent, high quality, and equitable care whilst fostering innovation across the CVD pathway.The Suffolk and North East Essex Integrated Care Board has a number of initiatives to reduce the rates of CVD, including:- having an integrated pathway for general practitioners and pharmacies to find and support the estimated 22,500 people with undiagnosed high blood pressure and 17,000 people who are not on the correct dose of cholesterol medication;- identifying women at high risk of CVD through general practice records, enabling earlier detection and helping to address gender disparities in diagnosis and care; and- helping increase the uptake of the NHS Health Check, including improving the invite process, offering a choice of venue to participants, and raising awareness through print and social media.