Every parliamentary written question tabled by Richard Holden this session, with the full answer and department. Back to the MP page.
Showing 61–75 of 75 · Ministry of Defence
Whether his Department provided helicopter journeys for Ministers from other Departments between 4 July 2024 and 31 December 2024.
No Command Support Air Transport helicopter flights were provided to Ministers from other Departments between 4 July 2024 and 31 December 2024.
Pursuant to the Answer of 25 March 2025 to Question 39690 on Ministers: Aviation, how many RAF Envoy flights for Ministers have been made since 1 January 2025.
Since 1 January 2025 there have been five tasks relating to travel by Ministers on the RAF Envoy.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. Information about official overseas ministerial travel is published as part of the Cabinet Office transparency returns and made available on the GOV.UK website.
Whether UK Defence Innovation will be an arm’s length body.
No. UK Defence Innovation will report to the National Armaments Director in the Ministry of Defence, as part of the new operating model being established through Defence Reform.
Pursuant to the Answer of 12 February 2025 to Question 28586 on HMS Achilles, for what reason the Committee chose to recommend to the Sovereign the name of HMS Achilles.
The name HMS Achilles was considered in light of the forthcoming VE and VJ Day anniversaries and given its WWII battle honours at the River Plate and Okinawa. The name also has a very fine heritage outside of WWII, having been borne by six ships previously and having earned battle honours including Trafalgar.
With reference to the consultation entitled UK Green Taxonomy, published on 13 November 2024, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of a green taxonomy on trends in the level of divestment in the defence sector.
The proposed green taxonomy aims to promote market integrity and transparency, and mobilise further investment to help the UK achieve its sustainability goals. This Government has been clear that we see no conflict between sustainable investment and investment in our world-leading defence sector, of which we are rightly proud. The Defence Industrial Strategy Statement of Intent, published in December 2024, identified the ‘crowding-in’ of private sector investment as critical to the Government’s agenda to grow our economy and strengthen our nation’s defences. The Trade Association ADS recently released their first defence Environment, Social and Governance Charter Report, highlighting the positive contribution that the defence industry is making to supporting our environment and our communities.
Pursuant to the Answer of 16 January 2025 to Question 21390 on Armed Forces: Equality, whether the previous Government commissioned a review into equality, diversity and inclusion (a) policies and (b) spending in the armed forces that was separate to the review into the civil service.
In February 2024 the previous Government commissioned a review into equality, diversity and inclusion policies in the Armed Forces. This review did not extend to equality, diversity and inclusion spending in the Armed Forces, and was separate to the review into the Civil Service. Following the change in Government, staffing of this work to Ministers was paused, and the review was not published.
With reference to the AI tool entitled MOD: Textio, published on 17 December 2024, whether the tool has been programmed to (a) avoid unconscious bias and (b) promote equality, diversity and inclusion.
Textio is a recruitment AI tool, procured for use within the Ministry of Defence to support recruitment of the best candidates. Whilst Defence is not privy to the specific programming of the software by its developers, we have utilised it over several years to create more appealing and more widely accessible job adverts. Defence utilises the software to highlight the use of jargon and acronyms, as well as to identify opportunities for more inclusive wording, thereby creating attractive adverts for potential applicants.
What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of changes to (a) Business Property Relief and (b) employer National Insurance contributions on SMEs in the defence sector.
The Ministry of Defence recognises the vital contribution that Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) make within the defence industry, and we have a long-standing commitment to improve our engagement with such suppliers in order to broaden and strengthen our supply-base. As individual suppliers and contractors will manage the changes to Employer National Insurance Contributions and Business Property Relief differently, it would be extremely difficult for the Department to estimate the impact this will have on SMEs in the defence sector.
Pursuant to the Answer of 5 December 2024 to Question HL1878 on Armed Forces: Equality, if he will publish the report of the review into equality, diversity and inclusion spending in the Armed Forces.
The review into equality, diversity and inclusion spending in Government Departments, including Civil Service expenditure of behalf of the Armed Forces, was conducted between June 2023 and May 2024 at the request of the then Chancellor of the Exchequer. This work was collated by the Cabinet Office and the release of the associated information is therefore a matter for them.
Whether his Department collates information on (a) which flights use sustainable aviation fuel and (b) the proportion of sustainable aviation fuel used for flights (i) from a military airfield and (b) by a military vehicle.
Due to the increasingly routine use of blended sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), the Department does not collate detailed information on which flights use blended SAF, nor the proportion of SAF used against individual flights. For example, alongside conventional fuel RAF Lossiemouth took delivery of over nine million litres of blended SAF in 2024 for routine use in refuelling all aircraft at the Station.As part of the UK SAF mandate and the Government pathway to net-zero aviation, from 1 January 2025 all aviation fuel procured will include SAF.
Pursuant to the Answer of 5 December 2024,to Question HL1878, on Armed Forces: Equality, if he will list each of the actions from the previous EDI review that were endorsed by his Department's People Committee.
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my noble Friend, the Minister of State at the Ministry of Defence (Lord Coaker), on 19 December 2024 to Question HL3228 in the House of Lords.
Pursuant to the Answer of 4 October 2024 to Question 6066 on Helicopters: Official Visits, whether the replacement to the Rotary Wing Command Support Air Transport Helicopter Service will be outsourced to the private sector.
The Ministry of Defence is not placing a contract for replacement Rotary Wing Command Support Air Contract. Future Ministry of Defence senior leader rotary wing transport will be met through a Cabinet Office administered Commercial Transport Contract and will use existing Department transport budgets.
Pursuant to the Answer of 4 October 2024 to Question 6066 on Helicopters: Official Visits, what the budget is for the replacement service to the Rotary Wing Command Support Air Transport Helicopter Service.
The Ministry of Defence is not placing a contract for replacement of the Rotary Wing Command Support Air Contract. Future Ministry of Defence senior leader rotary wing transport will be met through a Cabinet Office administered Commercial Travel Contract and will use existing Department transport budgets.
Pursuant to the Answer of 27 November 2024 to Question 15241, if he will make an estimate of the number of veterans who are (a) eligible for Pension Credit and (b) have an income of less than £12,500 a year.
The information is not held in the format requested. We currently do not have the data to allow us to make such estimates.
How many and what proportion of veterans are over retirement age.
Census data for England and Wales in 2021 and Scotland in 2022 showed that there were approximately 1,071,000 veterans of UK Armed Forces living in Great Britain who were aged 65 years and over, the most relevant age bracket available from the Census data, representing approximately 53% of all veterans. This number and proportion are expected to decrease over time.