Written questions by Ward.

If she will outline the steps and decision-making criteria for awarding the Army Collective Training Service contract.

The Collective Training Transformation Programme (CTTP) will deliver the new Army Collective Training Service (ACTS) through a competitive process under Defence and Security Public Contract Regulations (DSPCR) 2011. Prospective suppliers first completed a Pre-Qualification Questionnaire and then two rounds of tendering. The final bids of the two remaining prospective suppliers have been assessed on technical (performance, collaborative behaviours, social value, Land Industrial Strategy), commercial (terms and conditions), and financial criteria. The highest-scoring bid will win. In November 2025 I announced that a decision would be announced in February 2026. I have agreed that the programme team can release the results of the competition in January 2026 leading to an announcement in February 2026 of an initial Early Works and Risk Reduction contract with the preferred tenderer. Once the preferred bidder is chosen and the Defence Investment Plan is published, the programme will submit a Full Business Case in line with normal Government Major Projects Portfolio process before a decision to award the main ACTS contract will be made which is expected later in the summer.

Whether UK components supplied to the F-35 programme are coded using the NATO codification system.

F-35 Components are owned by the US Department of Defence and managed in a Global Spares Pool. The F-35 components within the Global Spares Pool are not subject to NATO Codification.

What proportion of F-35 components produced by UK companies are wear-sensitive parts.

The F-35 inventory is owned by the US Department of Defence and is managed by Lockheed Martin Aeronautics and Pratt and Whitney. The details on the proportion of F35 components produced by UK companies are not known.The F35 Programme does not classify components as wear-sensitive. Components are either "repairable" or "consumable".