Written questions by MacCleary.

What steps he is taking to help protect London from potential hypersonic missile attacks.

The Ministry of Defence does not comment on specific capabilities, as doing so could provide an operational advantage to those who may seek to harm the UK. The UK has a suite of capabilities to tackle the missile threat which is advancing, proliferating and converging. The UK has announced an investment of up to £1 billion to enhance our integrated air and missile defence with a focus on homeland defence. The UK’s nuclear deterrent exists to deter the most extreme threats to the UK and our Allies. Its purpose is to preserve peace, prevent coercion, and deter aggression.

How much his Department has spent on internal human resources services each year since 2015.

The table below shows the total amount spent each Financial Year (FY) on Civilian Human Resources Services and their associated costs provided by Defence Business Services, the Shared Service for Defence. This includes spend on the following DBS services: People Team, Core Recruitment and Joining Services, Document Management, HR Casework, Payroll Services, Workforce Management, Relocations, and Specialist Recruitment. It is important to note that the cost-centre mapping structure of DBS has changed significantly since 2015, meaning that figures may not be directly comparable. Financial YearTotal spent (£million)2015/1610.0152016/1710.5722017/1811.7212018/1910.8052019/2012.3292020/2111.4332021/2213.5532022/2315.7872023/2420.6512024/2517.896Ten year total134.852

Following discharge, how quickly do veterans receive their medical records.

When an individual leaves the Armed Forces, Ministry of Defence (MOD) recognises the importance of facilitating the transfer of healthcare information to their civilian healthcare provider(s). On leaving Defence Medical Services (DMS) care, Service personnel are provided with a medical care summary, known as an FMed133, and advised to register with an NHS GP and provide them a copy of their FMED 133. If a patient’s full DMS health record is required, this is provided on request to their NHS GP. Given this and that some records are never requested, no accurate estimate can be made of the average time from discharge to the receipt of the medical records by the NHS GP. To improve the transfer of healthcare information, DMS is working towards the greater interoperability with NHS systems and the electronic transfer of medical records from DMS to NHS GPs. Under Programme CORTISONE, the MOD has awarded a £7.8 million contract to Leeds software company, The Phoenix Partnership, to provide a modern electronic healthcare records system for the Armed Forces. This will digitalise military medical records and integrate MOD systems with the NHS, with roll out scheduled for 2027.

How many dedicated mental health professionals there are per capita across the military; and how many have there been each year since 2015.

I am withholding the information as its disclosure would, or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.

For what reason were urgent repairs requested for Service Family Accommodation from 20/12/25 to 1/1/26.

The Ministry of Defence has recently published the Defence Housing Strategy which sets out a vision for the future transformation of military homes; 90% of military homes will be upgraded, renewed or rebuilt, through a record £9 billion investment over a decade. The table below details the number of urgent repairs for Service Family Accommodation, including the reasons for these requests, during the period 20 December 2025 to 1 January 2026. Reason for Urgent Repair Number of Urgent Repairs 20 Dec 25 – 1 Jan 26Boiler584Burst (e.g. Pipes)114Pipe (e.g. Replacement)89Electrical Fault58Door (e.g Repair Hanging)37Electric Cooker36Tap34Basin or Sink29CCU (e.g Fuse Box)29Immersion Heather25Waste (e.g. repair leaking joint)24Smoke Detector21Socket19Bath15Gas Cooker14Roof13Radiator Valve12Flooring11W/C Cistern11Shower Pump10Shower8Stopcock8Light Fitting8Cylinder4Fencing3Staircase3Rodents3Mould3Switch3Air Source Heat Pump3Shower Screen2Ground Source Heat Pump2Ceiling2Window Fitting2Path or Base1Dwelling (e.g tenant locked out)1Tee (copper piping)1Window or Door2Garden1Floorboard1Gully1Tank1Manhole1Total Urgent Repairs Requested1249

How many urgent repairs were requested for Service Family Accommodation from 20/12/25 to 1/1/26.

The Ministry of Defence has recently published the Defence Housing Strategy which sets out a vision for the future transformation of military homes; 90% of military homes will be upgraded, renewed or rebuilt, through a record £9 billion investment over a decade. The table below details the number of urgent repairs for Service Family Accommodation, including the reasons for these requests, during the period 20 December 2025 to 1 January 2026. Reason for Urgent Repair Number of Urgent Repairs 20 Dec 25 – 1 Jan 26Boiler584Burst (e.g. Pipes)114Pipe (e.g. Replacement)89Electrical Fault58Door (e.g Repair Hanging)37Electric Cooker36Tap34Basin or Sink29CCU (e.g Fuse Box)29Immersion Heather25Waste (e.g. repair leaking joint)24Smoke Detector21Socket19Bath15Gas Cooker14Roof13Radiator Valve12Flooring11W/C Cistern11Shower Pump10Shower8Stopcock8Light Fitting8Cylinder4Fencing3Staircase3Rodents3Mould3Switch3Air Source Heat Pump3Shower Screen2Ground Source Heat Pump2Ceiling2Window Fitting2Path or Base1Dwelling (e.g tenant locked out)1Tee (copper piping)1Window or Door2Garden1Floorboard1Gully1Tank1Manhole1Total Urgent Repairs Requested1249

How many service personnel received a pre-discharge mental health assessment in each year since 2015.

All personnel being discharged from the Armed Forces should receive a Structured Mental Health Assessment (SMHA). The primary intent of the SMHA is to identify any unmet or unaddressed mental health needs prior to discharge. The following table provides the numbers of UK Armed Forces personnel provided with a SMHA within 120 days of their release medical, by year from 1 January 2015 - 30 September 2025.YearSMHA Completed20158,14520168,66120179,820201810,509201910,44220206,52520217,54620229,734202310.675202410,2752025*6,911 * The number of SMHAs that took place between 1 January 2025 and 30 September 2025 to allow for a 120 day follow up period for completion. Armed Forces personnel being discharged from service who are already under the care of specialist mental health services should have an SMHA completed, however, in some cases this may not be necessary where the individual’s needs are already being met through those specialist services.

How much his Department has spent on military police services each year since 2015.

The information requested is shown below.Where available, costs for the three Service Police forces for each Financial Year (FY) since 2015 are shown in the folloing tables. Royal Navy: FY18/19 19/20 20/21 21/22 22/23 23/24 24/25 Total£million10,449,70211,276,90410,827,52811,888,60313,028,53811,775,21811,879,05881,125,550 British Army: FY15/1616/1717/1818/1919/2020/2121/2222/2323/2424/25Total£million94,700,21696,560,16690,692,79792,815,97895,970,48891,402,78193,365,27591,749,54984,196,42289,592,304921,045,976 Royal Air Force: FY20/2121/2222/2323/2424/25Total£million75.88077.42783.27887.56593.556417.706 Notes: Under UK Financial Regulations the Ministry of Defence is not obliged to hold financial data for more than seven years.Changes to the budgetary arrangements used by the Services over time preclude the provision of data for some earlier years.

Will the RAF's Eurofighter Typhoon be upgraded with the Aerodynamic Modification Kit.

The Typhoon is a world-class combat aircraft and will continue to serve as the backbone of the UK's Combat Air Force mass until at least the 2040s. To ensure it remains at the cutting edge of capability, the UK is planning significant investment in the Typhoon through-life equipment programme. Further details on future Typhoon investment will be outlined in the forthcoming Defence Investment Plan.

How many and what proportion of the original capability requirements specified for the Ajax-family vehicles have been relaxed or amended due to an inability of the vehicles to meet the original requirements.

It would not be appropriate to release a complete list of capability criteria, or any amendments to them, as doing so could prejudice the capability of our Armed Forces.

What estimate he has made of the number and proportion of the capability requirements that Ajax-family Capability Drop 4 vehicles will fully comply with.

It would not be appropriate to release a complete list of capability criteria, or any amendments to them, as doing so could prejudice the capability of our Armed Forces.

How many and what proportion of the capability requirements have Ajax-family Capability Drop 3 vehicles been verified to fully comply with.

It would not be appropriate to release a complete list of capability criteria, or any amendments to them, as doing so could prejudice the capability of our Armed Forces.

How many of the Capability Drop 3 Ajax-family vehicles that have undergone acceptance testing by the Joint Acceptance Group required concessions against specifications or contractual requirements to be submitted by General Dynamics; and how many were approved.

All 185 Capability Drop 3 vehicles have modifications above the current production baseline and therefore every vehicle accepted through the joint acceptance group testing has concessions. In addition to these above baseline concessions, there are 28 different concessions which are due to either alternative parts or parts out of tolerance which do not impact user performance or operation or exceptionally a timebound impact on performance which is acceptable.

How his Department plans to replace the batch 1 River Class of ships.

All decisions on capabilities will be taken in the Defence Investment Plan.

Pursuant to the Answer of 6 May 2025 to Question 48851 on Reserve Forces: Finance, what assessment he has made of the level of available reserve service days; and what steps his Department is taking to increase the number of reserve service days, including for 3 Division.

The UK Armed Forces continually review Reserve Service Days (RSD) to ensure that the Reserve Forces meet operational requirements. The Army is currently conducting a review of Army Reserve tasks, including those for 3 (UK) Division, through the Field Army’s Force Commitments Exercise which will assess the funding required to support planned activities and to forecast the number of RSD needed for Financial Year 2026-27. In addition, the Royal Air Force has no current plans to alter the current commitment of RSD per person, whilst the Royal Navy is undertaking work to expand funded training, increase deployment opportunities, and improve short notice tasking for the Maritime Reserves.

With reference to parts 1 and 2 of the Service Justice System Review, published on 29 March 2018 and 29 March 2019, if he will amend the Armed Forces Bill to exclude rape and sexual assault with penetration from Court Martial jurisdiction except when the consent of the Attorney General is given.

There are no plans to amend the Armed Forces Bill in the way proposed. There have been significant improvements to investigations, prosecutions and victim support in the Service Justice System since the Lyons Review and the House of Commons’ Defence Committee’s previous recommendation. The Defence Serious Crime Command is implementing national standards set by the College of Policing through the Professionalising Investigations Programme and the National Operating Model under Operation Soteria, in line with National Police Chiefs’ Council and College of Policing guidance. This ensures that investigations into rape and serious sexual offences are victim-centred, suspect-focused, and consistent with nationally recognised policing standards. The Victim Witness Care Unit provides independent, trauma-informed and end-to-end support. Reports by HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate independently verify the progress made.Sir Brian Leveson’s July 2025 Independent Review of the Criminal Courts stated that “criminal justice is in crisis” with cases being listed as far ahead as 2029, while the Court Martial has no backlogs and cases progress without delay. In the civilian system 19% of victims withdraw from adult-rape-flagged proceedings in the Crown Court; in the Court Martial none withdrew in 2024.Whilst conviction rates cannot be reliably compared, published data does not support claims that the conviction rate is higher in the Crown Court. The conviction rate for adult-rape-flagged cases in the Court Martial, excluding guilty pleas, is 51% from 2022 to 2024 compared to 36% in the Crown Court.

When his Department will confirm the appointment of the Armed Forces Commissioner.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 12 January 2026 to Question 103963 to the hon. Member for Huntingdon (Ben Obese-Jecty).

Whether the Chinook Operational Conversion Unit will remain at RAF Benson.

There are no current plans for a relocation of the UK’s Support Helicopter Force or the Chinook Operational Conversion Unit.

Where the planned new munitions factories will be located.

Following the Secretary of State’s announcement in November 2025 that a number of sites are under consideration, work is ongoing with respect to specific site proposals. More detail will be available once the necessary preparatory work has been completed and further public announcements will be made in due course.

Whether his Department plans to undertake a refresh of the 2012 Defence Rotary Wing Capability Study.

Rotary Wing capability is vital to our Armed Forces' ability to manoeuvre and confront adversaries. We have kept our approach to Rotary Wing capability planning up to date through iterative updates to the Rotary Wing Strategy, last published in 2021, including considerations of usage of future and emerging technologies in Rotor Craft up to 2040 and beyond. Rotary Wing force design is a key consideration as part of the forthcoming Defence Investment Plan, the outcome of which will define the future capability plan.