Written questions by Cartlidge.

With reference to clause 27 of the Strategic Defence Review, published on 2 June 2025, whether he plans to increase funding for (a) a deep precision strike and (b) integrated air and missile defence during the current Parliament.

Work to deliver the Strategic Defence Review recommendations will be set out in the Defence Investment Plan to be published in the Autumn. Both Deep Precision Strike and Integrated Air and Missile Defence capabilities will be prioritised appropriately against the threat as part of the future Integrated Force.

With reference to page 65 of the Strategic Defence Review, published on 2 June 2025, whether it is his policy to reduce his Department's civil service costs by at least 10% by 2030.

The ambition set out in the Strategic Defence Review (SDR) is to reduce Civil Service-related costs by at least 10% by 2030. As part of the Defence Reform and Efficiency Plan (which is one of the foundations of our Defence Investment Plan) we are developing plans to reduce these costs. We are working across Defence to review the workforce we need to deliver Defence outcomes, making sure we have got the requirement right, whether that is Regular or Reserve personnel, Civil Servants or contractors. We will also use this as an opportunity for prioritisation, As set out in the SDR, we are developing plans for how to use the latest automation, and AI technology to reduce costs. Importantly, this is a productivity-driven ambition, not a headcount target. Civil Servants are integral to success; therefore, we will invest in performance, skills, and productivity. This will support building a stronger, more agile organisation to deliver better outcomes through smarter use of technology, less bureaucracy, and higher productivity.​

With reference to recommendation 29 of the Strategic Defence Review, published on 2 June 2025, what proportion of the new Defence Uncrewed Systems Centre will be staffed by (a) military and (b) civilian personnel.

The Strategic Defence Review recommends that a new Defence Uncrewed Systems Centre (DUSC) should be established at Iinitial Operating Capability by February 2026, with centralised authority to accelerate the adoption of Uncrewed System technologies across all three Services. Cost, staffing, governance and basing options are currently under development in tandem with the Defence Investment Plan due to be published in the Autumn.

With reference to recommendation 48 of the Strategic Defence Review: Making Britain Safer: secure at home, strong abroad, published on 2 June 2025, whether his Department will be formally reviewing the current flying training arrangements for fast jets.

The Strategic Defence Review recommended that the Hawk T1 and T2 be replaced with a cost-effective advanced jet trainer. This new aircraft will be fully integrated within the Military Flying Training System. A programme team is being established to deliver this capability change within fast jet flying training.

With reference to recommendation 7 of the Strategic Defence Review, published on 2 June 2025, when he expects his Department to establish a revitalised system for science and technology and innovation.

The Government endorses the Strategic Defence Review’s vision and accepts all 62 recommendations; implementation is underway as priority business through a whole of UK Defence effort, supported by Other Government Departments including the Department for Science, Innovation, and Technology (DSIT). Ongoing collaboration, at a senior and working level, between Defence and DSIT (including UK Research and Innovation) will ensure shared awareness of priority technology objectives and subsequent cross Departmental planning, prioritisation and engagement with academia and industry. Changes have already been made to how science, innovation and technology is managed within Defence, including the establishment of UK Defence Innovation (UKDI) on the 1 July 2025 within the new National Armaments Director Group. This work is enabling flexibility to seize new technological opportunities and maximise the potential of Defence spending to grow the UK economy.

With reference to recommendation 12 of the Strategic Defence Review, published on 2 June 2025, when he expects responsibility for UK Defence and Security Exports to be formally transferred from the Department for Business and Trade to his Department.

The Machinery of Government change between the Department for Business and Trade and Ministry of Defence began with the formal transfer of Ministerial responsibility on 31 July 2025. The detailed workstreams to complete the change are planned to conclude in the first half of 2026.

What assessment he has made of trends in the level of regional differences of NHS waiting lists.

The Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England regularly monitor regional variation in NHS waiting lists to address variation in performance, so patients can expect to receive high quality care in a timely way, wherever they live.NHS England offers a range of support to providers across England to address the longest waits and implement reforms, including tailored regional and national support, sharing of best practice, and additional support via their Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) programme.Data on current regional waiting lists, as of June 2025, is given in the table below.RegionTotal number of incomplete pathways (size of waiting list)% within 18 weeks London Commissioning Region1,193,638 62.3%South West Commissioning Region633,647 65.4%South East Commissioning Region1,096,222 61.5% Midlands Commissioning Region1,353,783 60.0% East of England Commissioning Region928,937 57.0% North West Commissioning Region1,029,327 58.6% North East and Yorkshire Commissioning Region995,89767.5% Total (National)7,369,169 61.5%Source: NHS England, Monthly RTT Waiting Times Data Collection

What steps he is taking to ensure equal access to advanced cancer diagnostic tools for patients across all regions of the UK.

Health is a devolved matter. The Government is supporting NHS England in ensuring patients have equal access to cancer diagnostic tools across England.The Department of Health and Social Care is carrying out work to assess the barriers of effective adoption and improve the way artificial intelligence (AI) and diagnostic tools are deployed across the NHS in England. This is alongside the AI Diagnostic Fund, a £21 million fund allocated to 11 imaging networks, covering 64 trusts (49% of total) across all regions in England, to support the deployment of AI diagnostic tools to assist NHS staff to diagnose conditions such as cancer faster.The NHS Cancer Programme’s Innovation Open Call is held to identify and support the most promising innovations and has funded cancer diagnostic innovations in areas including medical devices, in vitro diagnostics, digital health solutions, behaviour interventions, artificial intelligence, robotics, and new models of care.The National Cancer Plan will include further details on how we will improve outcomes for cancer patients, as well as speeding up diagnosis and treatment, ensuring patients have access to latest tools and technology.

With reference to recommendation 7 of the Strategic Defence Review: Making Britain Safer: secure at home, strong abroad, published on 2 June 2025, updated on 8 July 2025, what steps he is taking to work with the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology to establish a revitalised system for science and technology and innovation.

The Government endorses the Strategic Defence Review’s vision and accepts all 62 recommendations; implementation is underway as priority business through a whole of UK Defence effort, supported by Other Government Departments including the Department for Science, Innovation, and Technology (DSIT). Ongoing collaboration, at a senior and working level, between Defence and DSIT (including UK Research and Innovation) will ensure shared awareness of priority technology objectives and subsequent cross Departmental planning, prioritisation and engagement with academia and industry. Changes have already been made to how science, innovation and technology is managed within Defence, including the establishment of UK Defence Innovation (UKDI) on the 1 July 2025 within the new National Armaments Director Group. This work is enabling flexibility to seize new technological opportunities and maximise the potential of Defence spending to grow the UK economy.

With reference to recommendation 35 of the Strategic Defence Review: Making Britain Safer: secure at home, strong abroad, published on 2 June 2025, if he will publish the potential total cost of delivering the National Endeavour public communications campaign.

The ‘National Endeavour’ communications campaign began in July 2024. It is an enduring Government Communications Service (GCS) ‘low/no-cost’ campaign which aims to highlight and improve understanding of the work of the Defence Nuclear Enterprise, its importance to our national security, and its contribution to our economy. Any expenditure under the campaign would be managed and approved in accordance with GCS processes, as with all Departmental communications campaigns.

With reference to clause 25 of the Strategic Defence Review, published on 2 June 2025, when he plans to bring the Defence Readiness Bill before Parliament.

The Strategic Defence Review set out the need for Defence Readiness legislation this Parliament to give the Government more robust or additional powers to make the UK safe. This could include measures to improve the preparedness of key industries including nuclear, to better protect our Critical National Infrastructure and to support the mobilisation of wider Defence, including industry reserves. As I set out to the Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy on 30 June, a Defence Readiness Bill is potentially a legislative vehicle for the wider Government, not just Defence. We are therefore working closely across Government through the Cabinet Office-led Home Defence programme to shape our key requirements, and understand and identify the measures needed. This will lay the groundwork to introduce legislation when Parliamentary time allows, but we do not yet have a specific timescale for when this will come before Parliament.

With reference to page 90 of the Strategic Defence Review: Making Britain Safer: secure at home, strong abroad, published on 2 June 2025, if he will list all external sources consulted on the Home Defence Programme.

Defence plays a leading role in the development of the Cabinet Office-led cross-Government Home Defence Programme, overseen centrally by the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. As set out in the National Security Strategy and the Resilience Action Plan, this coordinates civil and military preparations across the whole of Government for some of the most serious risks we could face, including communicating, empowering and engaging with all tiers of resilience actors to ensure that all sectors are prepared for and able to respond to the most catastrophic of risks. A broad range of Government Departments are engaged in supporting this work. It is an evolving and enduring programme of work which provides defence, security and resilience planning, focused on aligning military and civil effort in the event of a period of crisis and international hostilities affecting the UK, informed by and reflecting the recommendations from Government strategies, including the Strategic Defence Review, National Security Strategy and Resilience Action Plan.

With reference to recommendation 12 of the Strategic Defence Review, published on 2 June 2025, when he expects the review of export licensing policies to (a) begin and (b) conclude.

The Strategic Defence Review sets a path for the next decade and beyond to transform Defence and make the UK stronger both at home and abroad. The Government endorses the Review’s vision and accepts all 62 recommendations.The implementation of the Review’s recommendations is underway. Implementation will be priority business of the Department and will be executed through a whole of UK Defence effort.

With reference to recommendation 12 of the Strategic Defence Review, published on 2 June 2025, when he expects the new framework for building and sustaining government-to-government relationships to be created.

Design work for the Exports function is well underway and building momentum through several pilot government to government exports. Initial stand up is expected no later than end October 2025 with full implementation continuing over the next 12 months.

With reference to recommendation 27 of the Strategic Defence Review: Making Britain Safer: secure at home, strong abroad, published on 2 June 2025, what discussions his Department has held with the Cabinet Office on the protection of UK critical infrastructure since 2 June 2025.

The Strategic Defence Review set out the need for Defence Readiness legislation this Parliament to give the Government more robust or additional powers to make the UK safe. This could include measures to improve the preparedness of key industries including nuclear, to better protect our Critical National Infrastructure and to support the mobilisation of wider Defence, including industry reserves. As set out to the Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy on 30 June 2025, a Defence Readiness Bill is potentially a legislative vehicle for the wider Government, not just Defence. We are therefore working closely across Government through the Cabinet Office-led Home Defence programme to shape our key requirements, and understand and identify the measures needed. This will lay the groundwork to introduce legislation when Parliamentary time allows, but we do not yet have a specific timescale for when this will come before Parliament.

With reference to recommendation 27 of the Strategic Defence Review: Making Britain Safer: secure at home, strong abroad, published on 2 June 2025, whether he plans to (a) update and (b) establish new legislation to protect UK critical national infrastructure by the end of the current Parliament.

The Strategic Defence Review set out the need for Defence Readiness legislation this Parliament to give the Government more robust or additional powers to make the UK safe. This could include measures to improve the preparedness of key industries including nuclear, to better protect our Critical National Infrastructure and to support the mobilisation of wider Defence, including industry reserves. As I set out to the Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy on 30 June, a Defence Readiness Bill is potentially a legislative vehicle for the wider Government, not just Defence. We are therefore working closely across Government through the Cabinet Office-led Home Defence programme to shape our key requirements, and understand and identify the measures needed. This will lay the groundwork to introduce legislation when Parliamentary time allows, but we do not yet have a specific timescale for when this will come before Parliament.

With reference to page 68 of the Strategic Defence Review, published on 2 June 2025, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of supplementing live training with virtual training environments on the (a) British Army, (b) Royal Navy and (c) Royal Air Force.

All of the Single Services view the potential impact of supplementing live training with virtual training environments positively. Mixed use of the live environment and simulation should not be thought of as an ‘either/or’ situation, but rather as identifying the optimal blend between them to achieve optimal training outcomes; on rare occasions this will be 100% live, sometimes 100% simulation based - but in most cases it will be a combination of both. The British Army is committed to enhancing its training capabilities by harnessing the strengths of both live and virtual training. By adopting an innovative and transformative approach, it aims to achieve an optimal blend of training methods that will meet all its objectives. This forward-thinking vision is outlined in the Land Environment Training and Education Simulation Sub-Strategy, which focuses on seamlessly integrating Live, Virtual, and Constructive (LVC) environments by the middle of the next decade. The Royal Navy has consistently supplemented live training with the use of virtual training environments, underpinned by research over the last 15 years, which has assisted in improving training capacity and quality. The Royal Air Force has used synthetic training capabilities for operator training for over 30 years.

With reference to clause 25 of the Strategic Defence Review, published on 2 June 2025, what powers the Government will hold in reserve should the UK enter a conflict.

The Strategic Defence Review set out the need for Defence Readiness legislation this Parliament to give the Government more robust or additional powers to make the UK safe. This could include measures to improve the preparedness of key industries including nuclear, to better protect our Critical National Infrastructure and to support the mobilisation of wider Defence, including industry reserves. As I set out to the Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy on 30 June, a Defence Readiness Bill is potentially a legislative vehicle for the wider Government, not just Defence. We are therefore working closely across Government through the Cabinet Office-led Home Defence programme to shape our key requirements, and understand and identify the measures needed. This will lay the groundwork to introduce legislation when Parliamentary time allows, but we do not yet have a specific timescale for when this will come before Parliament.

Whether funding for NHS waiting lists is proportionate to the average waiting list time in each region.

National Health Service funding provided to integrated care boards is decided via NHS England's Fair Share model and through the NHS resource allocation formula.The NHS resource allocation formula is intended to support equal opportunity of access for equal need, taking account of NHS England’s duty to have regard to the need to reduce health inequalities. The formula takes account of factors such as demography, morbidity, deprivation, and the unavoidable cost of providing services in different areas. In addition, a further adjustment to address health inequalities and unmet needs increases the resources directed to deprived areas. The formula is based on independent academic research and is overseen by the independent Advisory Committee on Resource Allocation, which provides advice to my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care and the Chief Executive of NHS England. Further detail on fair shares is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/allocations/

With reference to page 136 of the Strategic Defence Review: Making Britain Safer: secure at home, strong abroad, updated 8 July 2025, when he expects each Front Line Command board to establish a board member responsible for infrastructure.

Army and Air Command have appointed senior representatives with responsibility for infrastructure as part of their role. Following the Strategic Defence Review and taking into account Defence Reform, the Navy is currently reviewing their position.