Written questions by Francois.

When he plans to respond to Questions 75061 and 75064 on National Armaments Director: Recruitment.

A response for both questions has been issued here and here.

Whether the contract awarded by his Department to Korn Ferry for the recruitment of the National Armaments Director has been fulfilled.

I refer to my answer given on 9 July HC66214. Korn Ferry continue to support the appointment process for the National Armaments Director role.

What the value was of the contract awarded by his Department to Korn Ferry for the recruitment of the National Armaments Director.

The competition was supported by Kornferry: details of the contract award and value are available here: https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/Attachment/be88f513-c01a-4620-89f9-1cb2cc686895 and here Executive & Non-Executive Recruitment Services - CCS

How many candidates are under consideration for the National Armaments Director role.

An announcement on the outcome of the recruitment process for the National Armaments Director role will be announced in due course.Due to candidate confidentiality we are unable to confirm how many candidates are under consideration.

What progress he has made in the recruitment process for the National Armaments Director role, announced on 25 October 2024, and what his timeline is for the appointment of a candidate to this position.

An announcement on the outcome of the recruitment process for the National Armaments Director role will be announced in due course.Due to candidate confidentiality we are unable to confirm how many candidates are under consideration.

Whether he is taking steps to investigate a potential breach of paragraph 9.1 of the Ministerial Code in relation to the publication of unredacted hard copies of the Strategic Defence Review to (a) people and (b) companies before Members of Parliament on 2 June 2025.

I refer to the statement made to the House by the Leader of the House of Commons on 2 June 2025.

Whether the UK Government provided any (a) funding, (b) financial assistance or (c) official support for Sir Keir Starmer’s visit to Mauritius in 2013.

The Prime Minister visited Mauritius in a private capacity in November 2013. This was after stepping down as Director of Public Prosecutions.

What guidance his Department has issued on the disclosure of past earnings for members of the Cabinet appointed from the House of Lords.

Information about the process by which ministers declare interests, including details of the categories of interest declared, is available in the introduction to the List of Ministers’ Interests published on Gov.uk

With reference to the Infrastructure and Projects Authority's annual report 2023-24, last updated 17 January 2025, for what reason the E-7 Wedgetail programme has received a Red rating.

Compared to the end of financial year 22/23, in the final quarter of 23/24 the Infrastructure and Project Authority's (IPA) Delivery Confidence Assessment (DCA) rating for E-7 Wedgetail decreased from Amber to Red. This was primarily due to affordability and equipment delivery schedule risks and issues. The programme was seeking a revision to its scheduled end date as challenges within the global supply chain, retention of an appropriately skilled workforce at the modification facility and an increase in certification complexity in the aviation sector had caused delays to the expected in service date.DCAs are not a comprehensive reflection of project performance, but reflect a project’s likelihood of success at a specific snapshot in time if issues and risks are left unaddressed. The 23/24 IPA Annual Report reflects the situation in March 2024. A revised assessment will be provided in the next Annual Report, which will set out the situation as at the end of the current financial year.

Pursuant to the Answer of 7 January 2025 to Question 20932 on Diego Garcia, what his planned timetable is to publish details of the Prime Minister’s meetings between July and December 2024.

Details of ministers’ meetings with external individuals and organisations are published quarterly on GOV.UK.

Whether the Prime Minister has had discussions with Philippe Sands KC on Diego Garcia since 4 July 2024.

Details of ministerial meetings with external organisations are published on gov.uk as part of the government’s transparency agenda.