Written questions by Shastri-Hurst.

If he will make an assessment of the prevalence of the use of Class (a) A, (b) B and (c) C drugs in NHS Mental Health Facilities.

We currently have no plans to make such an assessment. NHS England does not hold information or data related to the prevalence of illegal drug use across specialised mental health facilities.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that where objections to a Geographical Indication (GI) application are upheld under assimilated Regulation (EU) 2019/787 the applicant body engages in a formal consultation process with the objector before the GI is finalised.

By publishing names proposed for Geographical Indication protection and their associated product specifications on the gov.uk website, Defra enables any person with a legitimate interest, or the authorities of a third country, to submit a notice of opposition to the Secretary of State regarding the proposals. If objections are considered admissible, Defra invites the applicant and the objector to engage in appropriate consultations with each other to understand the issue and if possible, propose a solution. At the conclusion of the consultation period, the Secretary of State will consider all the evidence presented and make a decision on whether the revised proposals (if any) support registration, whether the proposal should be rejected on the evidence, whether a new consultation is needed because the changes proposed are “non-standard” (ie significant), or whether the application should be approved in its original format.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of charging members of Overseas Territory Regiments home rates rather than overseas rates for attendance at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.

There is no distinction between the home and international rates for attendance at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. The only difference is whether costs are charged, and this is dependent on a number of factors which are considered at the time of application. These include the country’s GDP, historic links and the regiment’s place in the British Army Order of Battle.

How much his Department has spent in (a) cash terms and (b) constant prices in the UK (i) aircraft and (ii) spacecraft industry in the last 20 years.

Whilst we are unable to separate out “Aircraft” and “Spacecraft”, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) currently publish an annual bulletin on MOD Regional Expenditure with Industry which includes details on MOD’s spending with UK industry in the combined category of “Aircraft and Spacecraft”. The table below shows this industry spend in both current and constant prices for the last 20 years (2005/06 to 2024/25). Financial Year Aircraft and Spacecraft Expenditure at Current Prices (£ million)Aircraft and Spacecraft Expenditure at Constant 2024/25 Prices (£ million) [note 3]2005/061,7302,8122006/071,9603,1032007/082,1003,2462008/09 [b] [note 1]2,4803,6992009/102,6403,8862010/11 [b] [note 2]2,7103,9152011/12 [b] [note 3]2,4303,4492012/132,4603,4292013/14 [b] [note 4]2,4523,3532014/152,2353,0192015/162,0072,6932016/171,8322,4032017/181,7192,2202018/191,6192,0472019/201,5701,9402020/21 [b] [note 5]1,6121,8902021/221,7282,0382022/232,0232,2292023/242,2052,2942024/252,4492,449 Notes:[b] signifies a break in series 1 Break in series between 2007/08 and 2008/09. For 2008/09 onwards, industrial groupings are based on Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) 2007 codes. Prior to this, industrial groupings may have used SIC 1992 or SIC 2003 guidelines 2 Break in series between 2009/10 and 2010/11 due to methodology changes, resulting in significant changes in allocation of spending to several industry groupings including that of Aircraft and Spacecraft. 3 Break in series between 2011/12 and 2012/13 due to a reclassification of Resource Account Codes, more extensive exclusion of 'Other Government Organisations' and improvements to processes on SIC code data cleansing. 4 Break in series between 2012/13 and 2013/14 due to methodology changes. Improvements were made to identify expenditure to be excluded as overseas, with Other Government Departments, or related to elements such as pay. 5 Break in series between 2019/20 and 2020/21 due to methodology changes. Direct comparison across the years 2019/20 to 2020/21 should not be made, longer comparisons across the time series should still be valid noting other breaks in series. More details can be found by visiting the background quality report (https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/mod-regional-expenditure-statistics-with-industry-202425).

Pursuant to the Answer of 30 June 2025 to Question 904908 on Defence: Investment, when his Department plans to publish the Defence Investment Plan.

The Defence Investment Plan will be published later this year. It will set out our plans to deliver the recommendations as agreed in the 2025 Strategic Defence Review.

How much his Department spent overseas on (a) equipment and (b) equipment support in 2024-25 by country.

Total Ministry of Defence (MOD) overseas expenditure in 2024-25 was £5,978 million. Of this, £3,771 million was spent directly with industry overseas and can be readily separated by equipment type: equipment (£1,539 million), non-equipment (£1,373 million), and equipment support (£859 million). The remaining £2,207 million of overseas spend in 2024-25 was made through Foreign Military Sales (FMS) Agreements with the US Government and through direct spending with foreign Governments for work completed overseas. The MOD does not hold enough granular information to be able to split the FMS and foreign government expenditure across both equipment type and location. We are unable to provide a breakdown by country as an assessment of the commercial sensitivities of the underlying contract location data has not been made. The above totals are derived from the MOD annual publication of regional expenditure with industry 2024-25 which can be found at: www.gov.uk/government/statistics/mod-regional-expenditure-statistics-with-industry-202425

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of existing remuneration rates and contractual terms in attracting and retaining Level 6 qualified interpreters to undertake work in the courts.

I refer the honourable Member to the answer I gave on Monday 8 September to Question 73394: https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2025-08-29/73394.

Whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of establishing a Cadet Forces Day as part of Armed Forces Week.

Whilst the Ministry of Defence (MOD) Cadet Forces are not part of the Armed Forces, they do firmly belong within the wider Defence family. It is therefore appropriate that they are recognised accordingly and we are planning to explore the viability of using Armed Forces Week to further raise awareness of the Cadet Forces. Cadets already contribute to Armed Forces Week, typically through locally organised events, and we will continue to encourage this.

When he plans to provide a substantive Answer to Question 68513 on Armoured Fighting Vehicles: Repairs and Maintenance.

As the hon. Member is aware, the Department keeps under review its approach to the disclosure of information in light of a wide range of factors. In this instance, having carefully considered the matter, I have concluded that the operational security risks are such that I am not able to disclose the level of detail requested. I can, however, provide a general response to your question regarding the maintenance downtime of various vehicles. Over the last 12 months (June 2024 – June 2025), the proportion of maintenance downtime time for routine mandated inspections, servicing and emergent repairs of the Army’s three main armoured platforms: Challenger 2, Warrior and Bulldog is 2.5%. This information has not been broken down by platform due to operational sensitivities. Maintenance downtime consists of planned routine servicing/inspection and unplanned average annual repair time. To be clear this is an average estimation based on a single sample for each vehicle type of which 2.5% is the combined total.

How many proposals have been funded through the Defence and Security Accelerator delivering operational advantage via improved self-sufficiency competition.

Due to a change to programme prioritisation after this competition had closed, there were no proposals funded directly through this competition. Fundable proposals submitted into DASA competitions but not funded are retained for potential future use. One proposal submitted as part of the competition was later funded through alternative customer funding.

With reference to to the Independent Technical Review of Qualifications and Experience Requirements for the Provision of Spoken Language Interpreting, published on 17 March 2025, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that there will be a sufficient number of Level 6 qualified interpreters available to meet the October 2026 target for court interpreting services.

I refer the honourable Member to the answer I gave on Tuesday 9 September to Question 74494: https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2025-09-02/74494.

What key performance indicators he plans to publish on the impact of the National Armaments Director Group on defence procurement.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) are being developed for the National Armaments Director (NAD) Group as part of a single NAD Group performance framework for 2026-27. The KPIs will be aligned to the intent set in the Strategic Defence Review recommendations.

Whether his Department plans to introduce a remuneration and conditions framework for court interpreters ahead of the October 2026 target date to support the sustainability of the systems.

I refer the honourable Member to the answer I gave on Friday 5 September to Question 73395: https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2025-08-29/73395.

What his Department's recruitment targets for each branch of the armed forces are for (a) 2025-26 and (b) 2026-27.

The Strategic Defence Review (SDR) 2025 is clear that Defence must now meet the longstanding challenge of recruiting and retaining new generations with different requirements. We are committed to the vision that long-term success depends on reconnecting society with the Armed Forces and the purpose of Defence, and for recruitment the focus should be on speed, drastically shortening the period between applicants expressing interest and joining. We have already implemented conditional offers of employment in 10 days from a candidate’s application, and provisional training start dates in 30 days if they desire it. To provide a response regarding the period 2025-26, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 7 April 2025 to Question 43215 to the hon. Member for South Suffolk (James Cartlidge). https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2025-04-01/43215 We are currently engaged in planning activity to determine recruitment targets for 2026-27From Full-Service Implementation in 2027, the previously announced Armed Forces Recruiting Service (AFRS) will deliver against annual recruitment targets and demand, which will be set by the three Services via the Command Recruiting Support Plan (CRSP). The CRSP is generated and approved in conjunction with the single Services, with AFRS containing a mechanism to adjust demand during each Recruiting Year.

What assessment he has made of the potential merits of mandating specialist dementia care homes to complete the Herbert Protocol for all residents with dementia.

The Herbert Protocol is a form that can provide the police and other emergency services with essential information about a person with dementia should they go missing.While this is not currently mandated, it is freely available for use online and can be completed by a person living with dementia, or those that care for them. Further information is available on the Herbert Protocol website at the following link:https://herbertprotocol.com/

What discussions he has had with NHS England on the provision of (a) peer-support and (b) community-based networks for parents and carers of children with obsessive compulsive disorder.

Decisions about service provision are made locally, determined by locally identified need. Whilst service configurations and offers will differ across the country, local provision may include peer support or community-based networks for parents and carers, although NHS England does not hold this information.

Whether his Department plans to introduce specific waiting time targets for the assessment and treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder in children.

NHS England has been publishing data on children and young people’s community mental health waiting times since April 2024. These metrics measure the time taken for a child or young person who is starting to receive help in the form of assessments, co-produced care plans, and clinical and social interventions, as well as measuring baseline outcomes. These metrics cover a broad range of referrals to community children and young people’s mental health services. But there are no targets or standards set for specific mental health conditions such as obsessive-compulsive disorder, at this time.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure children presenting with obsessive compulsive disorder receive timely assessment and treatment within CAMHS.

We are transforming children and young people's mental health services to improve access to treatment for children with mental health needs, including obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). In the 12 months to July 2025, over 846,000 children and young people accessed National Health Service funded mental health support, a 65% increase compared to 2019. We are also expanding Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs) in schools to reach full national coverage by 2029/30, and May 2025 data shows that over five million, or 52% of, pupils and learners are covered by an MHST. Systems should ensure that there are mental health services accessible to all children and young people with a mental health need in their area, including those with OCD.

Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that local authorities are implementing the changes introduced in November 2024 to exempt all veterans from local connection requirements when applying for social housing; and if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of compliance by councils in the West Midlands.

The Allocation of Housing (Qualification Criteria for Armed Forces) (England) (Amendment) Regulations, which came into force in December 2024, mean that local authorities are no longer allowed to apply local connection tests to veterans of the Regular Armed Forces, regardless of when they last served. Statutory guidance was updated on 18 December 2024 to reflect this change. The Department also notified local authorities when the regulations had been laid and came into force. My Department will be monitoring the impact at local authority level through the Local Authority Housing Statistics, which will be published later in the year.

How many additional prosecutors the Crown Prosecution Service has recruited in each of the last three years.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has recruited the following additional prosecutors in each of the last three years: CPS Prosecutor Full Time Equivalent (FTE) at year endFTE Change on previous year / additional prosecutors recruitedFY 22/233022.5+ 82.4FY 23/243075.1+ 52.6FY 24/253052.7- 22.4 Total FTE Growth / additional Prosecutors+112.6 The CPS forecasts significant growth in the number of additional prosecutors for the financial year 2025/26 following its positive Spending Review Phase 2 settlement – in which CPS received an uplift of £96 million.