Written questions by MacCleary.

How many recommendations from the Atherton Report have been fully implemented to date.

Of the House of Commons Defence Committee's report ‘Protecting those who protect us: Women in the Armed Forces from Recruitment to Civilian Life’, Defence has accepted 33 recommendations, partially accepted a further four recommendations and noted 13 points which were conclusions rather than recommendations. Three of the Committee’s recommendations were not implemented; these related to timelines for Service Complaints appeals and civilian jurisdiction.All the actions Defence committed to have been delivered and are being evaluated. Most recently in November, Defence published the results of the first tri-Service survey to fully understand the experiences of personnel and perceptions of sexualised behaviours, including harassment, in the Armed Forces. Work continues to improve Service life for women in the Armed Forces beyond the Atherton Report. New initiatives are being developed to better prepare female Service personnel for arduous training roles as well as bringing a gender perspective to the future development of existing equipment and uniform. We also continue to drive for continuous improvement in addressing unacceptable behaviours, including an ongoing review of our Zero Tolerance policies and establishing a new Tri-Service Unit for handling of serious complaints independent of the military chain of command.

How many RAF personnel are assigned to support VIP fleet operations.

There are eight personnel in the Command Support Air Transport (CSAT) tasking team, responsible for tasking the Envoy and Voyager aircraft in support of Op VESPINA (Flights for Head of State or Head of Government on State business only). CSAT operations are further supported by a wide network of personnel who plan, engineer, fly, cost and enable these operations. This includes, 32 (The Royal) Squadron, which operates the Envoy; 10 and 101 Squadrons, which operate Voyager during Op VESPINA when not performing its primary air-to-air refuelling role.

How much his Department has spent on external consultants supporting the A-7 Wedgetail programme since its inception.

To date, external consultancy spend on E-7 Wedgetail is £1.27 million and was spent in the 2017-18 financial year.

How many consultancy contracts are currently in place in relation to major air capability programmes.

I will write to the hon. Member and a copy of this letter will be placed in the Library of The House.

How many flying hours have been completed on VIP-configured RAF aircraft in each year since 2019.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question 17070 which provided the requested information from 2019 – 5 March 2024. Annual flying hours by aircraft type for the RAF’s Command Support Air Transport (CSAT) fleet, together with the Voyager aircraft in support of Op VESPINA (Flights for Head of State or Head of Government on State business only) when not performing its primary air-to-air refuelling role are given in the table below. They are rounded to the nearest 10 hours. Financial YearEnvoyA109SPVoyager ZZ3362023-2412504001102024-251180430*02025-26**700N/A20*Left service 31 December 2024** To 30 November 2025

How many major procurement programmes have capability gaps due to the speed of their delivery.

The Ministry of Defence takes a rigorous approach to manage risks arising from capability gaps, ensuring that we are able to deliver defence's strategic and operational tasks. It is important to guard against the threat of adversary data aggregation of gaps in UK military capability, so it would be inappropriate to comment further.

How many missions flown by VIP-configured RAF aircraft since 2019 have been classified as operational, diplomatic, or domestic travel.

The Ministry of Defence does not categorise Command Support Air Transport (CSAT) missions under the classification of operational, diplomatic or domestic travel.The majority of CSAT tasks are operational or in support of operations with Operational Command Support activity being the top priority.Separately, RAF Voyager aircraft can be utilised in a VIP role under Op VESPINA though their primary role remains air-to-air refuelling. Op VESPINA is undertaken subject to availability.

Pursuant to the Answer of 25 November 2025 to Question 91714, whether his Department has had recent discussions with RUK Advance Systems Limited.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 13 March 2024, to Question 91714.https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2025-11-17/91714

Pursuant to the Answer of 25 November 2025 to Question 91714 on ERCAS BV and RUK Advanced Systems, if he will list any meetings and communications his Department has had with ERCAS BV.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 13 March 2024, to Question 91714.https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2025-11-17/91714

When he plans to publish the Defence Investment Plan.

The Defence Investment Plan (DIP) will determine how Defence intends to realise the vision of the Strategic Defence Review (SDR). We are working flat out to finalise the Defence Investment Plan and we will publish it as soon as it's ready. I’m sure the hon. Member will appreciate the scale of the decisions that we need to make. He will also appreciate the scale of the problems that we face, including those to do with a programme of the last Government’s that over-committed, and was underfunded and unsuited to meeting the threats that we will face in the future.

How many notices to quit have been issued by the Defence Infrastructure Organisation to service families in Service Family Accommodation properties in the UK in each month since January 2023.

The Defence Infrastructure Organisation does not issue Notices to Quit to Service families living in Service Family Accommodation. Instead, it issues Notices to Vacate to Service personnel. Notices to Quit are only issued – where and when appropriate – to civilian sublet tenants, Afghan Resettlement Programme tenants, and farming tenants occupying Ministry of Defence properties and land.

The total number of assessed MoD data breaches since July 2025.

201 personal data breaches were assessed between 1 July 2025 and 23 November 2025 by security personnel and subjected to an initial security risk assessment. Any further action would be taken on a proportionate basis. No data incidents between those dates were assessed as meeting the threshold for reporting to the Information Commissioner’s Office.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to support the domestic wine sector.

The Government is committed to supporting the UK domestic wine industry which is one of the fastest growing agricultural sectors. This growth, in both the domestic and international markets, is testament to the high-quality wines being produced and the hard work and vision of those working in the sector. Defra officials regularly engage with WineGB and producers to support the sector’s ambitions, drive growth and exports and find ways in which the Department can help support further expansion. Defra is considering possible reforms to the UK wine regulations to deliver better results for consumers and industry.

What steps his Department is taking to help support the export of domestic wine.

DBT is committed to helping domestic wine producers grow through exports. DBT provide tailored export support and advice for businesses via business.gov.uk. This includes access to expert-led sessions via our Business Academy and country-led expertise from our international market teams. DBT regularly provides showcase opportunities for the UK’s award-winning British wines, such as at embassy tastings, trade missions and global trade shows that connect producers directly with buyers and distributors. Vineyards and wineries of all sizes can also access UK Export Finance (UKEF), which offers a wide range of financial products to support exporters and export-ready businesses.

Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to ensure accountability for flood risk considerations in the planning process.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 81948 on 14 October 2025.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the arrangements between local planning authorities and advisory Lead Local Flood Authorities on decision making in the planning system.

Lead Local Flood Authorities (LLFAs) are statutory consultees within the planning system and provide expert advice on surface water drainage for major planning applications, supporting local planning authorities in the decision-making process. Local planning authorities must take into account comments raised by LLFAs when determining whether to grant planning permission.

Whether his Department has made a recent assessment on the potential merits of allowing the use of prescribed medical cannabis within NHS buildings.

National Health Service trusts have a duty of care to both staff and patients, as outlined in the NHS constitution, to ensure a safe working and care environment. This will include local policies concerning the use and administration of a patient’s own medicines.The law was amended in 2018 to permit specialist doctors to prescribe unlicensed cannabis-based products for medicinal use. While smoking these medicines is banned, vaping and other forms of administration are not prohibited. Regardless of the form of administration, it is always advisable for patients to declare any medicines prescribed, whether on the NHS or privately, and discuss them with their clinical team upon admission.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of agri-food attachés on the domestic wine sector.

Defra has 16 agri-food attachés across the world who resolve market access barriers and support export growth for the UK agri-food sector, including wine. So far in 2025, the attachés have helped resolve 41 trade barriers, worth nearly £100m in export opportunities for the agri-food sector. The UK wine sector, as one of the fastest growing agricultural sectors, is an area that continues to attract domestic and foreign investment. UK wine exports increased by 35% in 2024, accounting for 9% of total sales, which shows a growing interest in the product. To support this interest, UK wines are now served in a number of embassies across the world, from Paris to Tokyo, with attachés playing a key role in their promotion. They also help by working across Governments and with industry partners to resolve practical issues that UK companies face when exporting. In addition to supporting wine export outcomes (their primary focus), attachés also advance broader Defra objectives, including monitoring global wine supply chain risks and contributing to G20 discussions, COP30 and other multilateral engagements.

If he will list the meetings and communications his Department has had with (a) ERCAS BV and (b) RUK Advance Systems Limited in each of the last three years.

I can confirm that the Ministry of Defece (MOD) hold no direct contracts with ERCAS BV or RUK Advance Systems Limited. A list of the meetings held with each company is not held centrally by MOD and the information could only be gathered at disproportionate cost.

How many Afghan nationals have been offered sanctuary under (a) the Afghan Relocations and Resettlement scheme, (b) ARAP and (c) ACRS; how many of those remain in Afghanistan; and what assessment he has made of the risks to those Afghans following the recent data breach.

Though in previous responses to Parliamentary Questions the Department have released internal ARAP data, as the Home Office now publish Afghanistan Resettlement Programme (ARP) data on behalf of the Government, the number of Afghan nationals who have been offered relocation and have resettled in the UK can be found in the Home Office statistics linked below. Information relating to the number of Afghans who remain in Afghanistan who have received an offer of relocation has been withheld as release would risk revealing the identity and the safety of those relocating. Furthermore, this release would be likely to damage UK interests abroad. Link:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/immigration-statistics-quarterly-release The UK made an ambitious and generous commitment to help at-risk people in Afghanistan and, so far, we have brought around 38,700 people to safety, including thousands of people eligible for our Afghan schemes. Afghanistan Resettlement Schemes operational data is published quarterly with the last publication on the 21 August 2025. The data published within the immigration system statistics release (year ending June 2025, published 21 August 2025) provides a breakdown of arrivals by quarter. The number of individuals resettled under the schemes is as follows:19,048 under ARAP. 10,160 individuals under ACRS Pathway 1, 1,406 individuals under ACRS Pathway 2 and 1,679 individuals under ACRS Pathway 3. As recognised by the Rimmer Review, the human rights picture in Afghanistan was dire, prior to and regardless of the data loss incident. However, while Afghanistan remains a dangerous place, the Rimmer Review does conclude that it is “highly unlikely” that merely being on the dataset would be grounds for targeting, and that it is unlikely that family members will be targeted simply because the principal appears in the dataset. It also concludes that the dataset is unlikely to substantially change an individual’s existing exposure given the volume of data already available to the Taleban and the fact that links to the former Government are widely known.