Written questions by Shastri-Hurst.

What steps she is taking to improve retention of judges in the Employment Appeal Tribunal.

The data on salaried judge retention shows the majority of salaried judges leave due to retirement, with an average retirement age of 66.As well as continuing to recruit around 1000 judges and tribunal members annually to increase judicial capacity where it is needed, the increase to the mandatory retirement age (from 70 to 75 in March 2022) and allowing fee paid and salaried judges to sit in retirement where there is a business need, is helping retain experienced judges for longer.

What steps she is taking to improve retention of judges in the Social Entitlement Chamber.

The data on salaried judge retention shows the majority of salaried judges leave due to retirement, with an average retirement age of 66.As well as continuing to recruit around 1000 judges and tribunal members annually to increase judicial capacity where it is needed, the increase to the mandatory retirement age (from 70 to 75 in March 2022) and allowing fee paid and salaried judges to sit in retirement where there is a business need, is helping retain experienced judges for longer.

What steps she is taking to improve retention of judges in the Health, Education, and Social Care Chamber.

The data on salaried judge retention shows the majority of salaried judges leave due to retirement, with an average retirement age of 66.As well as continuing to recruit around 1000 judges and tribunal members annually to increase judicial capacity where it is needed, the increase to the mandatory retirement age (from 70 to 75 in March 2022) and allowing fee paid and salaried judges to sit in retirement where there is a business need, is helping retain experienced judges for longer.

What steps she is taking to improve retention of judges in the Immigration and Asylum Chamber.

The data on salaried judge retention shows the majority of salaried judges leave due to retirement, with an average retirement age of 66.As well as continuing to recruit around 1000 judges and tribunal members annually to increase judicial capacity where it is needed, the increase to the mandatory retirement age (from 70 to 75 in March 2022) and allowing fee paid and salaried judges to sit in retirement where there is a business need, is helping retain experienced judges for longer.

What steps she is taking to improve the retention of Court of Appeal judges.

The data on salaried judge retention shows the majority of salaried judges leave due to retirement, with an average retirement age of 66.As well as continuing to recruit around 1000 judges and tribunal members annually to increase judicial capacity where it is needed, the increase to the mandatory retirement age (from 70 to 75 in March 2022) and allowing fee paid and salaried judges to sit in retirement where there is a business need, is helping retain experienced judges for longer.

What steps her Department is taking to help improve the retention of district judges in the Magistrates’ Court.

The data on salaried judge retention shows the majority of salaried judges leave due to retirement, with an average retirement age of 66.As well as continuing to recruit around 1000 judges and tribunal members annually to increase judicial capacity where it is needed, the increase to the mandatory retirement age (from 70 to 75 in March 2022) and allowing fee paid and salaried judges to sit in retirement where there is a business need, is helping retain experienced judges for longer.

How many full-time regular personnel were serving with the Royal Army Medical Corps on 14 March 2025; and if he will make an estimate of the number of full-time regular personnel who will be serving in the (a) 2025-26, (b) 2026-27 and (c) 20270-28 financial years.

The Royal Army Medical Corps have been amalgamated with Royal Army Dental Corps and Queen Alexandra’s Royal Army Nursing Corps to form the Royal Army Medical Service. As at 1 January 2025 there were 3,954 Trade Trained Regular personnel in the Royal Army Medical Service. The Army does not routinely release detailed future workforce forecasts. Notes/Caveats: The figures are for the Trade Trained Regular Army only and therefore exclude Gurkhas, Full Time Reserve Service, Mobilised Reserves, Army Reserve and all other Reserves, but includes those personnel that have transferred from Gurkha Trained Army Personnel to UK Trained Army Personnel. All Officers of Paid Rank Colonel and above are included in Staff regardless of late Arm/Service. Other Ranks in Senior Soldier Continuity Posts are excluded from these figures, regardless of late Arm/Service.

How many additional (a) tanks and (b) armoured vehicles are expected to be operational in 2027-28, in the context of increases in defence spending.

Whilst the Army’s modernisation will continue over the next decade with a programme of investment worth billions of pounds, future capability development priorities will be guided by the Strategic Defence Review (SDR). There are no current plans to procure additional tanks or armoured vehicles to those already announced however, it would be inappropriate to comment on future capability decisions until the SDR has reported and decisions have been made.

How many of the 24 Archer artillery systems ordered in 2019 were operationally ready on 14 March 2025.

A total of 14 Archer 6x6 artillery systems were procured in 2023 to fill a capability gap following the Granting in Kind of AS90 to Ukraine. Archer reached Initial Operating Capability in November 2024 and there are no current plans to procure any additional systems. I hope the hon. Member will understand that we would not routinely disclose figures relating to operationally deployable platforms in the interests of security and operational effectiveness.

What estimate he has made of the number of additional service personnel who will be recruited to the (a) Royal Navy, (b) British Army, (c) Royal Air Force in the 2027-28 financial year, in the context of increases in defence spending.

The increase in defence spending is a vital part of ensuring the nation can realise the ambition which will be set out in the Strategic Defence Review (SDR). All Defence personnel - in and out of uniform - are at the heart of Defence's plans. The SDR has been considering all aspects of Defence, including the approach to recruiting, training, and retaining the people Defence needs, including Regular, Reserve, Civil Service, and Industry. The new tri-service Armed Forces Recruiting Service will also launch in 2027, providing a flexible Candidate recruiting pathway, with the aim of recruiting from the broadest spectrum of society to attract the best talent into the Armed Forces.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of delays in accessing givinostat through the Early Access Programme on boys and young men living with Duchenne muscular dystrophy in the UK.

The Department understands the impact that Duchenne muscular dystrophy has on those living with it and their families, and the urgent need for new treatment options. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recently published guidance that recommends the medicine vamorolone for treating Duchenne muscular dystrophy in people 4 years old and over. The National Health Service is required to fund medicines recommended by NICE, normally within three months of the publication of final guidance.The Department has not had any discussions with ITF Pharma UK about resources or guidance available to NHS trusts participating in the early access programme for givinostat. Departmental officials have had discussions with colleagues in NHS England about the guidance and resources that are available to NHS trusts. NHS England has published guidance for integrated care systems (ICS) on free of charge medicines schemes such as early access programmes, including providing advice on potential financial, administrative, and clinical risks. The guidance aims to support the NHS to drive value from medicines and ensure consistent and equitable access to medicines across England. ICSs should follow the recommendations to determine whether to implement any free of charge scheme, including assessing suitability and any risks in the short, medium, and long term. The guidance is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/free-of-charge-foc-medicines-schemes-national-policy-recommendations-for-local-systems/

What discussions his Department has had with (a) NHS England and (b) ITF Pharma UK to ensure that NHS Trusts have the necessary resources and guidance to take part in the Early Access Programme for givinostat.

The Department understands the impact that Duchenne muscular dystrophy has on those living with it and their families, and the urgent need for new treatment options. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recently published guidance that recommends the medicine vamorolone for treating Duchenne muscular dystrophy in people 4 years old and over. The National Health Service is required to fund medicines recommended by NICE, normally within three months of the publication of final guidance.The Department has not had any discussions with ITF Pharma UK about resources or guidance available to NHS trusts participating in the early access programme for givinostat. Departmental officials have had discussions with colleagues in NHS England about the guidance and resources that are available to NHS trusts. NHS England has published guidance for integrated care systems (ICS) on free of charge medicines schemes such as early access programmes, including providing advice on potential financial, administrative, and clinical risks. The guidance aims to support the NHS to drive value from medicines and ensure consistent and equitable access to medicines across England. ICSs should follow the recommendations to determine whether to implement any free of charge scheme, including assessing suitability and any risks in the short, medium, and long term. The guidance is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/free-of-charge-foc-medicines-schemes-national-policy-recommendations-for-local-systems/

Pursuant to the Answer of 11 March 2025 to Question 35073 on Private Education: VAT, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of the additional independent school closures over the next three years on trends in the number of (a) teaching and (b) non-teaching staff job losses.

As made clear in the HM Treasury impact assessment, the introduction of VAT is anticipated to have extremely limited impact on the number of pupils in private schools. The department has not seen any evidence that contradicts the expectations set out in the government’s impact assessment.It is a commercial decision for individual schools to decide how they will fund the additional costs around the VAT policy. There are a variety of ways in which a school may choose to do this, including reducing their surpluses or reserves, cutting back on non-essential expenditure and increasing fees.

What estimate her Department has made of the number of road traffic fatalities related to potholes in (a) Solihull Borough, (b) the city of Birmingham, (c) Warwickshire, (d) Oxfordshire and (e) Worcestershire in each of the last four years.

Statistics on reported road injury collisions in Great Britain are published based on data reported by police via the data collection known as STATS19. Within STATS19, reporting police officers can assign up to 6 factors which they believe may have contributed to the collision, including ‘poor or defective road surface’. Contributory factors are assigned based on the opinions of the reporting officer at the scene or within a short time of the collision, rather than a detailed investigation. The number of road fatalities where a police officer assigned the contributory factor “poor or defective road surface” in Solihull Borough, the city of Birmingham, Warwickshire, Oxfordshire and Worcestershire for the last 4 years for which data are available totalled 1 fatality. This fatality occurred in Warwickshire in 2020.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the risk of interference by Russia in Georgia.

Georgia remains at the forefront of Russian hybrid aggression, with Russian military units stationed just 30 minutes from the capital, Tbilisi. In December 2024 I discussed with Georgian Dream representative, Maka Botcharishvili, Russian interference in Georgia. The UK remains vocal at the UN and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), where Russia regularly exerts pressure, in our support for Georgian territorial integrity and sovereignty over the breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. We continue to call on the Russian Federation to withdraw their troops from Georgian sovereign territory and reverse recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetian independence.

Whether her Department has made a recent assessment of the potential impact of the application of VAT on independent school fees on the number of independent school closures in the (a) 2024-25 and (b) 2025-26 financial years.

Approximately 50 mainstream private schools close each year. There are a range of reasons for closure, including financial viability and action taken by the department where schools are not meeting standards. We expect the number of private school closures to remain relatively low, and be influenced by various factors, not just the VAT policy.The government is aware there may be a temporary increase in the schools closure rate over the normal rate during the few years after implementation of the VAT policy. It is estimated that this may be broadly equivalent to 100 schools in total closing over the next 3 years, in addition to the normal levels of turnover, after which closures would return to historic norms. The government has conducted a thorough and detailed analysis of this policy’s impacts and published a Tax Impact and Information Note (TIIN), which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/vat-on-private-school-fees/ac8c20ce-4824-462d-b206-26a567724643#summary-of-impacts.Historically, there has been significant turnover within the sector. Since 2000, average fees in the sector have increased by 75% in real terms, while pupil numbers have remained stable, as have total school numbers.Local authorities routinely support parents who need a state-funded school place, including where private schools have closed. The department works with local authorities to support place planning and ensure there is capacity in the state-funded sector to meet demand. Parents can seek places in other private schools or find a state-funded place through their local authority.

What assessment her Department has made of mandating CitizenAID training within the national curriculum.

All state-funded schools are required to teach about first aid as part of the statutory health education set out within the relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) statutory guidance. Independent schools are required to cover health education as part of their responsibility to provide personal, social, health and economic education.The statutory guidance includes basic first aid for primary school children. For example, dealing with common injuries, such as head injuries. Pupils in secondary schools will be taught further first aid. For example, how to administer CPR and the purpose of defibrillators.Schools also have the autonomy to decide how they teach first aid and which resources to use, so schools are free to incorporate citizenAID’s materials into their lessons if they choose to.The department is currently reviewing the statutory RSHE curriculum, which includes considering whether any additional content is needed, including first aid and life-saving skills.

How many 3M Combat Arms Earplugs V2 his Department purchased between 2003 and 2015.

3M Combat Arms Ear Plugs V2 were purchased by the Ministry of Defence during this period, however records of the quantities purchased are no longer held.

What the average annual workforce and activity cost is of the (a) Regular Army Infantry Battalion, (b) Army Reserve Infantry Battalion, (c) Royal Armoured Corps Regular Army Regiment and (d) Royal Armoured Corps Army Reserves Regiment.

We do not hold a central record of detailed workforce costings and activity at the granular unit level requested.

What the (a) workforce and (b) other costs are to maintain the (i) 4th Light Brigade Combat Team, (ii) 20th Armoured Brigade Combat Team, (iii) 102 Operational Sustainment Brigade and (iv) 1st Deep Reconnaissance Strike Brigade Combat Team at (A) routine levels of readiness and (B) full strength.

We do not hold a central record of detailed workforce costings and activity at the granular unit level requested.