Written questions by Barclay.

What additional equipment will be available to members of the UK Active Reserve as a result of the Defence Investment Plan.

Awaiting answer.

What the planned breakdown is of the £4.2 billion allocated to Reserves in the Defence Investment Plan by (a) service and (b) financial year, for each year between 2026/27 and 2029/30.

Awaiting answer.

What estimate has been made of the number of paid reserve service days budgeted for in 2026/27.

Awaiting answer.

If they will provide additional detail on the commitment to ‘protecting time, funding, and equipment for Reserves in training’ in the Defence Investment Plan, including timescales, benchmarks and KPIs.

Awaiting answer.

What estimate has been made of the number of additional members of the UK Active Reserve across each service that will be recruited as a result of the Defence Investment Plan.

Awaiting answer.

Pursuant to the Answer of 20 April 2026 to Question 124580 on Defence: Small Businesses, by what date he expects to have in place the wider range of indicators to measure his Department’s success in attracting new suppliers.

Subsequent to the establishment of the Defence Office for Small Business Growth in January, the Department is currently working to deliver full operating capability by the end of this year. This activity is being aided by engagement with a pathfinder group of SMEs to ensure we are addressing the needs of smaller and non-traditional suppliers. As part of this work, we will develop a range of metrics to measure the impact of the Office.

With reference to his Department's press release entitled Ministry of Defence small and medium-sized enterprise engagement published on 24 March 2026, whether his Department plans to publish the (a) the SME action plan and (b) a direct spending target on the same day as the Defence Investment Plan.

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is committed to publishing an annual SME Action Plan as a key element of Defence’s work to improve opportunities for SMEs. On current plans, the MOD’s full annual SME action plan, including direct spending target will not be published concurrently with the Defence Investment Plan. The action plan which will include a spending target are currently forecast to be published in the second quarter of 2026.

When he plans to answer question 115383, tabled on 24 February 2026.

I will respond to the right hon. Member shortly.

The (a) number and (b) value of Defence Innovation Loans made in each round since 4 July 2024.

The number and value of Defence Innovation Loans made since 4 July 2024, by financial year (FY), are as follows: DIL Round Number ValueDefence Innovation Loan FY2023-24 Cycle 4 1 £881,570Defence Innovation Loan FY2023-24 Cycle 7 1 £1,247,513Defence Innovation Loan FY2024-25 Cycle 2 1 £750,000Defence Innovation Loan FY2024-25 Cycle 5 1 £451,600TOTAL 4 £3,330,683 Defence Innovation Loans are considered to be “made” when funding is agreed at the end of the two-stage decision process, finalised by the Innovate UK Credit Committee, which can sit several months after the initial DASA/F&G decision conference. This is why two projects appear in this list despite their DIL Cycle being prior to the date stated in the PQ.

The average time taken for an SME to obtain security clearance to (a) bid for and (b) deliver a defence contract.

In most instances, it is not necessary for a company or individual to hold security clearance prior to commencing the bidding process for a government contract. Should access to sensitive information or assets be required either during the bidding phase or for the delivery of the contract, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) project team is responsible for initiating the vetting procedure. Security vetting is conducted by United Kingdom Security Vetting (UKSV), which operates under the Cabinet Office. The duration of the security vetting process can differ on a case-by-case basis, due to the multiple checks conducted by various agencies. As a result, there is no standard timeframe applicable to all cases. United Kingdom Security Vetting (UKSV) continues to meet its agreed Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) across each product type. UKSV KPIs are set and regularly reviewed in consultation with customer groups, governed by ministerial oversight, to ensure demand is balanced whilst maintaining assurance in national security safeguards. In line with the practice followed by successive administrations, the Government does not otherwise comment on security matters.

Which key performance indicators he will use to judge the success of his Department's SME Commercial Pathway.

The Pathway will be a contributor to the primary measure of success, which is achieving the Ministry of Defence’s target of spending £7.5 billion annually with SMEs, both directly and through the supply-chain, by 2028. The Department is exploring a wider range of indicators to measure the success of our policies in attracting new and smaller suppliers into the defence supply-base, including for example the speed of our procurement and the value of inward investment.

How many one star military officers and above does he plan to have in place by the end of this Parliament.

Defence’s workforce structure is regularly reviewed and adjusted according to the threat and capability requirements. This includes the number of senior officers. The future workforce structure and associated workforce plans will be reviewed in conjunction with the Defence Investment Plan.

With reference to Q134 of the oral evidence given by his Department's Permanent Secretary to the Defence Committee on 17 March 2026, HC 1779, if he will publish the metrics used for tracking the reduction in civil service workforce costs and the related data from July 2024 onwards.

The Ministry of Defence publishes metrics to report total Civil Service headcount, and changes over time biannually and are available on gov.uk. (https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/mod-biannual-civilian-personnel-report-october-2025) The next edition has a provisional release date of 14 May 2026 and will present MOD Civil Service statistics as at 1 April 2026. The Defence Reform and Efficiency plan, which will be published alongside the Defensive Investment Plan, will also set out the Department's plans in relation to workforce and wider efficiencies.

What proportion of applicants to the UK's Active Reserve forces successfully joined in the last year for which figures are available.

The UK’s Reserve Forces are a vital component of Defence, providing critical capability, specialist skills and a strong connection to wider society, while offering a flexible and cost‑effective means of meeting operational demand. Reserves underpin the Armed Forces’ ability to respond to threats at home and overseas, and the Strategic Defence Review has reinforced their importance, including our ambition to grow the Active Reserve by at least 20 per cent. In Financial Year 2024-25, the proportion of people who applied to join the Armed Forces Reserves and who subsequently became untrained entrants was as follows: Royal Navy 7%, British Army 4%, Royal Air Force 5%, in line with a long-standing trend. Between the point of application and becoming an untrained entrant, a variety of checks and tests are conducted to ensure that any applicant entering training is suitable for military service and that it is credible that the applicant will complete training. This ensures that the standards of the Armed Forces are maintained and that public funds and resources are not wasted. There are a number of reasons for an applicant not being successful, including medical scrutiny. Reserve applications, when compared to Regulars, also reflects an older profile of applicants together with a need to balance service with civilian work and family life. In addition, historically these tests and checks in the recruiting process have involved multiple stages and appointments, which can lengthen timelines and increase drop‑out before entry. The Department has taken urgent and targeted action since November 2024 to improve throughput which has been low historically. The Services have already streamlined recruiting processes by reducing the number of appointments, increasing automation and using digital tools to speed up decision‑making, which has improved conversion in some areas. Reserves‑specific national and local marketing campaigns are being used to better target likely candidates and set clearer expectations from the outset. From next year, Reserve recruiting will also transition to the new Armed Forces Recruiting System, which will use modern technology and industry expertise to deliver a faster, more effective and more consistent recruiting experience across Defence.

With reference to the partnership between KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and the Dutch Ministry of Defence to allow airline pilots to serve as reserve F-35 pilots in the Royal Netherlands Air Force, what assessment has been made of adopting such an approach in the UK.

The Royal Air Force (RAF) has assessed options for reservist pilots to bolster our F35 force and concluded that this model is not appropriate for the RAF at this time.The investment in time and money to train a part-time pilot on F35 and keep them sufficiently trained and current to operate the aircraft is similar with that of a full-time pilot. At this stage of growth in the UK F35 Wing, the cost is not justified by the amount of service a part-time pilot could offer compared with a full time regular.

Pursuant to National Audit Office Report HC 989 on The UK’s F-35 capability, when he expects the UK F-35 fleet to meet the MoD’s target mission capable rate.

The Ministry of Defence is committed to achieving the target mission capable rate for the UK's F-35 fleet. To meet workforce requirements, the Department is increasing the number of aircraft engineers. In parallel, the UK is actively supporting the US-led F-35 Joint Programme Office in efforts to enhance the Global Support Solution, focusing on improving spares availability and overall performance. Additionally, further investments are being made in technical infrastructure at RAF Marham and other supporting enablers to boost fleet availability.

Pursuant to the answer of 9 February 2026 to question number 110769, if he will confirm whether any minister in his Department was made aware of the report prior to the appointment of the new Permanent Secretary.

As previously advised, the appointment followed an external competition and was approved by the Prime Minister.

In each of the last three years for which figures are available, how many members of the UK’s Active Reserve forces were qualified at the level of (i) UK Cyber Security Council Principal Cyber Security Professional, and (ii) UK Cyber Security Council Chartered Cyber Security Professional, or equivalent.

The accreditations in question, whilst aligned to the Defence cyber skillsets, are not formal Ministry of Defence qualifications. The information is not therefore held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

In each of the last three years for which figures are available, how many members of the UK’s Active Reserve forces were qualified and current as a light gun operator.

For reasons of operational security, the Ministry of Defence does not disclose detailed information on internal force structures or strengths.

In each of the last three years for which figures are available, how many members of the UK’s Active Reserve forces were qualified and current as a Foxhound driver.

For reasons of operational security, the Ministry of Defence does not disclose detailed information on internal force structures or strengths.