Written questions by Holden.

Whether the RAF Command Support Air Transport fleet and RAF Envoy IV fixed wing aircraft are used to transport Ministers (a) domestically and (b) internationally.

Awaiting answer.

With reference to the answer of 6 March 2026 to Question 116219, how many taskings have been undertaken for Ministers on RAF CSAT (a) helicopters and (b) planes since July 2024.

Awaiting answer.

What the estimated yearly cost to the RAF is of using Sustainable Aviation Fuel in each year (a) since its introduction and (b) for which forecasts are available (i) in total and (ii) by litre; and whether those figures vary from initial estimates.

Awaiting answer.

How much and what proportion was the change in average fees for his Department's sites offering childcare compared to 2024-25.

Awaiting answer.

With reference to the Answer of 28 April 2025 to Question 44594, on Ministers: Aviation, which Ministers took the flights.

Awaiting answer.

What his position is on the (a) procurement by the UK Government and (b) development by the Atomic Weapons Establishment, of non-ballistic, tactical nuclear weapons, for use in a conflict.

Awaiting answer.

How many times has the Drone Task Force met since 4 July 2024, which Ministers in Government Departments and private sector companies constitute it, and which a) countries and b) companies are they engaged with in seeking guidance on best practice from regarding the use of drones.

The Department does not recognise any body titled the “Drone Task Force”.

Whether he has had discussions with his Ukrainian counterparts regarding the fit of a) uniform and b) body armour for female soldiers in combat operations, and whether his Department has discussed lessons learnt from the Government of Ukraine.

The Ministry of Defence remains firmly committed to ensuring that all service personnel are equipped with appropriate and effective protective equipment. As part of this commitment, we are delivering an update to body armour for UK personnel through the Tactical Ballistic Plates project.Procurement experts within the National Armaments Director group work closely with the Ministry of Defence's Op INTERFLEX Handling and Processing team, which collates feedback from Armed Forces of Ukraine personnel. This includes lessons from operational experience and female user feedback, which help to inform UK capability development.

What assessment he has made of the potential implications for his Department's policies of the lessons from the Russia-Ukraine war on the use of unmanned systems in warfare; and what steps his Department is taking to (a) incorporate lessons from Ukrainian battlefield use of drones into UK doctrine and (b) improve the UK’s defensive capabilities against hostile drone activity.

The UK’s Armed Forces are learning much from the war in Ukraine, particularly the need for a much faster ‘learn and adapt’ cycle to accelerate developments in our capabilities, doctrine, and tactics. More broadly, the Strategic Defence Review considered all aspects of Defence, including the capabilities required by the UK to meet the challenges, threats, and opportunities of the twenty-first century. The Strategic Defence Review also highlighted the importance of autonomous systems both within the UK’s Integrated Force and the threats they pose to that force. Decisions on our equipment requirements, including artificial intelligence and autonomous systems, will be set out in the forthcoming Defence Investment Plan.

What changes have been implemented by his Department as a result of operational lessons identified from the war in Ukraine, including (a) force structure and procurement priorities, (b) stockpiling and supply chain resilience for munitions and equipment and (c) integration of new technologies into frontline capability, including artificial intelligence and autonomous systems.

The UK's Armed Forces are learning much from the war in Ukraine, particularly the need for a much faster 'learn and adapt' cycle to accelerate developments in our capabilities, doctrine and tactics. More broadly, the Strategic Defence Review considered all aspects of Defence, including the capabilities required by the UK to meet the challenges, threats and opportunities of the twenty-first century. The Defence Supply Chain Capability Programme is strengthening the resilience of our supply chain, and the Strategic Defence Review also confirmed that we will invest in "Always On" munitions production for our most critical ammunition types, and Ukraine lessons have been incorporated as we assess munitions choices across the force. The Strategic Defence Review also highlighted the importance of autonomous systems within the UK's Integrated Force. Decisions on our equipment requirements, including artificial intelligence and autonomous systems, will be set out in the forthcoming Defence Investment Plan.

Whether procurement contracts issued by the Ministry of Defence must include provisions relating to (a) diversity, equality and inclusion and (b) climate change or sustainability targets or reporting requirements.

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) mandates the inclusion of the Equality Defence Condition (DEFCON 516) in all its procurement contracts. This condition obligates suppliers to comply with the Equality Act 2010. The MOD request that industry provide a Carbon Reduction Plan at the Conditions of Participation stage in all procurements subject to the Procurement Act 2023 with an anticipated value of £5 million or above. This is consistent with the policy of the last government.

Whether he has held discussions with his Ukrainian counterpart on cooperation relating to counter-unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) capabilities; whether he has considered the deployment of Ukrainian counter-UAV (a) expertise and (b) interceptor drone systems to support the protection of UK (i) military bases and (ii) critical national infrastructure; and whether he has assessed the potential merits of interceptor drones as an alternative to missile-based air defence systems for countering Iranian-designed UAV threats.

Russia’s illegal invasion has resulted in Ukraine becoming a world leader in drone and electronic warfare technology. The Secretary of State for Defence has regular discussions with his Ukrainian counterpart on this issue and is delighted that on the 17 March 2026 the UK signed an enhanced security and defence industrial declaration, which will strengthen collaboration between Ukrainian and British defence companies in these crucial sectors.

How many and what proportion of contracts have been awarded by his Department in this Parliament under the terms of the Single Source Contract Regulations 2014 in each month since they came in to force; and with who the contracts were.

The total number of contracts which meet the requirements of the Single Source Contract Regulations 2014 placed in this Parliament is 100. This equates to 4.74% of all contracts placed on or since 4 July 2024.

What estimate his Department has made of (a) the projected market price per litre of conventional aviation turbine fuel (Jet A-1) in each year from 2025 to 2040 and (b) the marginal cost difference per litre between conventional aviation turbine fuel and Sustainable Aviation Fuel in each of those years.

The Royal Air Force in conjunction with the Ministry of Defence Directorate Analytics are able to provide an estimated cost of the price per litre of both Conventional Aviation Turbine and Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) in each year from 2025-2040, and the marginal cost difference between them. However, the data in the below table is subject to change dependent on market fluctuation of fuel costs. The below forecasts are in United States Dollars (USD) per litre and will be subjected to currency conversion, which is changeable. Oil is generally bought and sold on the market in USD. YearEstimated cost in USD per litre for conventional aviation fuelEstimated cost in USD per litre for SAFEstimated cost difference between SAF and conventional aviation Fuel per litre20250.561.621.0620260.481.501.0220270.521.541.0220280.561.611.0520290.561.621.0620300.581.661.0720310.581.651.0720320.591.671.0720330.611.691.0820340.621.701.0920350.631.721.0920360.641.741.1020370.651.761.1020380.661.771.1120390.671.791.1220400.691.811.12

Pursuant to the answer of 27 January 2026 to Question 106742 on Military Aircraft: Ministers, whether the use of RAF CSAT aircraft includes use of military helicopters.

The hon. Member will recall that when this Government took office, we cancelled the VIP helicopter contract that had attracted so much criticism in previous years when used by the previous Government. The current RAF Command Support Air Transport fleet consists of two RAF Envoy IV fixed wing aircraft. The fleet is used for the rapid and efficient transport of small numbers of high priority passengers or freight to deliver critical diplomatic engagement and/or military output. These aircraft offer a flexibility of response unachievable by other means and avoids the use of larger, more expensive, and less discreet aircraft. The Cabinet Office has responsibility for organising Ministerial helicopter transport. There are no military helicopters in the Command Support Air Transport fleet.

Pursuant to the answer of 16 July 2025 to Question 66297 on Military Aircraft: Ministers, how many flights that includes.

The response to Question 66297 related to a total of 11 taskings.

Pursuant to the answer of 27 January 2026 to Question 106742 on Military Aircraft: Ministers, how many tasks there have been from RAF CSAT aircraft since July 2024.

It has been the practice of successive administrations not to publish granular information relating to the official movements of Ministers and those accompanying them within the United Kingdom.

What information their Department holds on (a) the proportion of tyres procured that were re-tread tyres for (i) Department-operated and (ii) commercially contracted heavy vehicle fleets, including lorries, buses and refuse vehicles and (b) the volume of tyres procured for those fleets that were single-use imported tyres in the last 12 months; and whether such information is held centrally or by individual contractors.

It is for bidders to submit compliant solutions to meet requirements. In accordance with the safety cases in place for our vehicles, the tyres in use are those approved by the design authority or original equipment manufacturer, which enables us to meet our obligations to ensure that the appropriate measures and controls are in place to make sure that our vehicles are safe to operate.

What estimate the RAF has made of the cost of the incremental move to being 22% sustainable aviation fuel by 2040 in each year individual year for which figures are available.

The RAF is able to provide an estimated cost of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) and Power to Liquid (PtL) fuel in accordance with the SAF mandate for each year up to 2040; however, these figures are subject to fluctuation. Costs are currently based on the trading of SAF certificates which are, at market average, £3.30 per litre for conventional SAF and estimated at approximately £4.00 per litre for PtL when the PtL Obligation is introduced in 2028. The below figures are based on an annual fuel consumption of 250 million litres per annum. This does not include operational flying activity which is dependent on operational tempo and external factors that are difficult to accurately predict. The estimated market cost sits below the buyout ceiling, which is the per-litre penalty cost at which non-compliance with the mandate is charged. Therefore, column F is indicative of the overall cost of fuel purchase under the SAF mandate inclusive of penalty costs were the RAF unable to meet the mandate targets. Department for Transport analysis predicts that by 2040, the domestic SAF position will have matured and there is potential for SAF to be purchased at £1.20 per litre. Should this be the case, the figures in the above table would be greatly reduced. ABCDEFYearTotal Oblig. (%)PtL Sub-target (%)Main SAF Target (%)Est. Market Cost (£) Buy-out Ceiling (£)20252.00%-2.00%£16,500,000£23,500,00020263.60%-3.60%£29,700,000£42,300,00020275.20%-5.20%£42,900,000£61,100,00020286.80%0.20%6.60%£56,450,000£80,050,00020298.40%0.20%8.20%£69,650,000£98,850,000203010.00%0.50%9.50%£83,375,000£117,625,000203110.75%0.50%10.25%£89,562,500£126,687,500203211.75%0.75%11.00%£98,250,000£138,750,000203312.75%1.00%11.75%£106,937,500£150,812,500203413.75%1.25%12.50%£115,625,000£162,875,000203515.00%1.50%13.50%£126,375,000£177,375,000203616.40%1.90%14.50%£138,625,000£194,412,500203717.80%2.30%15.50%£150,875,000£210,875,000203819.20%2.70%16.50%£163,125,000£227,625,000203920.60%3.10%17.50%£175,375,000£244,375,000204022.00%3.50%18.50%£187,625,000£261,125,000

What estimate he has made of the additional cost to the public purse of the Royal Air Force transitioning to 100 per cent sustainable aviation fuel by 2040; and whether his Department has undertaken any assessment of the long-term fiscal implications of sustainable or synthetic aviation fuel prices for Defence aviation.

The Royal Air Force (RAF) procures its aviation fuel in the UK from commercial suppliers at market rates. As a result, this makes accurate long-term cost forecasting challenging. The price of aviation fuel, including Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), is subject to market fluctuations, and the level of RAF fuel consumption varies due to numerous factors. The RAF has not committed to transitioning to 100% SAF by 2040. The RAF will follow the incremental transition to sustainable aviation fuel as set out in the UK Government's SAF mandate, which requires aviation fuel to contain 22% SAF by 2040. This date aligns with the RAF's aim to become a net-zero air force.