Written questions by Obese-Jecty.

With reference to the data tables accompanying the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority Annual Report 2024-25, published on 11 August 2025, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the rating of the SPEARCAP 3 SRO Delivery Confidence Assessment.

Delivery Confidence Assessments reflect that moment in time and will change throughout a programme's lifecycle. An assessment of Red does not mean that the programme is undeliverable, but that there are management interventions required as a priority in order to increase the likelihood of being able to deliver to approved time, performance and cost.The National Armaments Director holds all the levers of procurement, enabling the necessary interventions to be applied in support of programmes assessed as Red.

With reference to the data tables accompanying the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority Annual Report 2024-25, published on 11 August 2025, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the rating of the Future Combat Air System IPA Delivery Confidence Assessment.

Delivery Confidence Assessments reflect that moment in time and will change throughout a programme's lifecycle. An assessment of Red does not mean that the programme is undeliverable, but that there are management interventions required as a priority in order to increase the likelihood of being able to deliver to approved time, performance and cost.The National Armaments Director holds all the levers of procurement, enabling the necessary interventions to be applied in support of programmes assessed as Red.

With reference to the data tables accompanying the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority Annual Report 2024-25, published on 11 August 2025, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the rating of the Land Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance IPA Delivery Confidence Assessment.

Delivery Confidence Assessments reflect that moment in time and will change throughout a programme's lifecycle. An assessment of Red does not mean that the programme is undeliverable, but that there are management interventions required as a priority in order to increase the likelihood of being able to deliver to approved time, performance and cost.The National Armaments Director holds all the levers of procurement, enabling the necessary interventions to be applied in support of programmes assessed as Red.

With reference to the data tables accompanying the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority Annual Report 2024-25, published on 11 August 2025, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the rating of the SKYNET 6 IPA Delivery Confidence Assessment.

Delivery Confidence Assessments reflect that moment in time and will change throughout a programme's lifecycle. An assessment of Red does not mean that the programme is undeliverable, but that there are management interventions required as a priority in order to increase the likelihood of being able to deliver to approved time, performance and cost.The National Armaments Director holds all the levers of procurement, enabling the necessary interventions to be applied in support of programmes assessed as Red.

With reference to the data tables accompanying the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority Annual Report 2024-25, published on 11 August 2025, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the rating of the Mine Hunting Capability SRO Delivery Confidence Assessment.

Delivery Confidence Assessments reflect that moment in time and will change throughout a programme's lifecycle. An assessment of Red does not mean that the programme is undeliverable, but that there are management interventions required as a priority in order to increase the likelihood of being able to deliver to approved time, performance and cost.The National Armaments Director holds all the levers of procurement, enabling the necessary interventions to be applied in support of programmes assessed as Red.

With reference to the data tables accompanying the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority Annual Report 2024-25, published on 11 August 2025, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the rating of Land Environment Tactical Communication and Information Systems IPA Delivery Confidence Assessment.

Delivery Confidence Assessments reflect that moment in time and will change throughout a programme's lifecycle. An assessment of Red does not mean that the programme is undeliverable, but that there are management interventions required as a priority in order to increase the likelihood of being able to deliver to approved time, performance and cost.The National Armaments Director holds all the levers of procurement, enabling the necessary interventions to be applied in support of programmes assessed as Red.

With reference to the data tables accompanying the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority Annual Report 2024-25, published on 11 August 2025, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the rating of the Protector IPA Delivery Confidence Assessment.

Delivery Confidence Assessments reflect that moment in time and will change throughout a programme's lifecycle. An assessment of Red does not mean that the programme is undeliverable, but that there are management interventions required as a priority in order to increase the likelihood of being able to deliver to approved time, performance and cost.The National Armaments Director holds all the levers of procurement, enabling the necessary interventions to be applied in support of programmes assessed as Red.

With reference to the data tables accompanying the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority Annual Report 2024-25, published on 11 August 2025, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the rating of the E7 Wedgetail SRO Delivery Confidence Assessment.

Delivery Confidence Assessments reflect that moment in time and will change throughout a programme's lifecycle. An assessment of Red does not mean that the programme is undeliverable, but that there are management interventions required as a priority in order to increase the likelihood of being able to deliver to approved time, performance and cost.The National Armaments Director holds all the levers of procurement, enabling the necessary interventions to be applied in support of programmes assessed as Red.

When will he publish the most recent quarterly portfolio review of his Department’s projects within the Government major projects portfolio.

In line with other Departments, the Ministry of Defence discloses declassified programme performance information for most of our major programmes, alongside the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority (NISTA) Annual Report. The next NISTA Annual Report and proactive disclosure will cover the Financial Year 2025 to 2026 and will be published in summer 2026.Routine examination of the performance of our major projects and programmes that will contain security classified material is achieved through various governance boards and committees to ensure that senior management intervention is applied where and when it is needed throughout the year.

With reference to the data tables accompanying the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority Annual Report 2024-25, published on 11 August 2025, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the rating of the Core Production Capability IPA Delivery Confidence Assessment.

Delivery Confidence Assessments reflect that moment in time and will change throughout a programme's lifecycle. An assessment of Red does not mean that the programme is undeliverable, but that there are management interventions required as a priority in order to increase the likelihood of being able to deliver to approved time, performance and cost.The National Armaments Director holds all the levers of procurement, enabling the necessary interventions to be applied in support of programmes assessed as Red.

With reference to the data tables accompanying the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority Annual Report 2024-25, published on 11 August 2025, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the rating of the Type 31 IPA Delivery Confidence Assessment.

Delivery Confidence Assessments reflect that moment in time and will change throughout a programme's lifecycle. An assessment of Red does not mean that the programme is undeliverable, but that there are management interventions required as a priority in order to increase the likelihood of being able to deliver to approved time, performance and cost.The National Armaments Director holds all the levers of procurement, enabling the necessary interventions to be applied in support of programmes assessed as Red.

What is the full scope of Operation CROSSWAYS.

The scope of Operation CROSSWAYS is to provide military support to Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, primarily focused on training and tailored military advice to the Saudi armed forces. It also includes a phased deployment of air defence equipment to Saudi Arabia.

What support has he provided to Lebanon in the development of its armed forces.

The Ministry of Defence is committed to providing a wide range of support to Lebanon in the development of the Lebanese Armed Forces' capacity as the legitimate defender of Lebanon's sovereignty. This includes providing equipment, training on both maritime and counter-terrorism activities, and the contracted construction of infrastructure to enhance their border security. The Department also co-ordinates bilateral support with international partners.

With reference to the data tables accompanying the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority Annual Report 2024-25, published on 11 August 2025, what the status is of the New Medium Helicopter programme.

Officials continue to consider the New Medium Helicopter business case as part of the Government’s approval process, with a decision to be made shortly as part of the upcoming Defence Investment Plan.

How many affordable homes he plans to build on surplus military land in the next three years.

The recently announced Defence Housing Strategy sets out a vision for the future renewal of the Service family estate, and is backed by a 10-year programme of investment to deliver its recommendations in full, with savings from the Annington Deal put back into fixing Defence family homes and delivering for the nation. The number of affordable homes delivered on surplus land will depend upon a number of factors including macroeconomic conditions, the appetite of development partners and planning decisions.

With reference to the National Infrastructure & Service Transformation Authority Annual Report 2024/25, published on 11 August 2025, what are the significant remaining challenges faced in delivering the European Common Radar System Mk 2.

The significant remaining challenges faced in delivering the European Common Radar System (ECRS) Mk 2 centre principally around the international Eurofighter capability programme, known as Phase 4 Enhancements, which will deliver the significant changes to the aircraft's avionics system required to integrate the UK Radar. Work is in hand with NETMA and Eurofighter Partner Nations to ensure that the international programme scope includes all essential UK features, and that these are prioritised to deliver in time for the RAF to test and field the ECRS Mk2 radar by 2030. This is in line with the mandate confirmed by all four Partner Nations' Ministers in May 2025.

What steps he is taking to ensure the provision of (a) suitably qualified and (b) experienced engineers to meet the operational workforce requirements of the Lightning programme.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to his previous Question 87989 on 18 November 2025:https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2025-11-04/87989I refer the hon. Member to page 15, paragraphs 15-17 of the Fifty First Report of the Committee of Public Accounts of Session 2024-26 on The UK’s F-35 stealth fighter capability, HC 1232, published on 31 October 2025. The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has increased its recruitment of engineers significantly in the last two years; offering joining bonuses and increasing the capacity of its technical training skills to enable more recruits to be trained more quickly. To improve retention the RAF has implemented a Financial Retention Incentive for engineers. The MOD has acknowledged that the F35 programme suffers from a shortage of engineers and that it is crucial that the Department addresses this issue, with significant steps already having been taken to improve the situation. However, training time required for engineers means that it is expected to take three or four years before the programme has the required numbers. The MOD has noted the Public Accounts Committee’s recommendations related to personnel and will be responding through the Treasury Minute Process in due course. The recruitment and retention of personnel remains one of the top two priorities for the Chief of the Defence Staff.

By when is his target to reduce the average times to contract for (a) major projects of six years, (b) pace-setting modular upgrades to two years and one year respectively and (c) a target of three-month cycles for rapid commercial exploitation.

Reducing the time taken to deliver capability is a key driver of our acquisition reforms. Our new segmented approach to procurement, supported by accelerated commercial pathways, is designed to enable programmes to get to contract faster.No timescale for achieving the targets has been set; however, we are making progress towards the target date of 1 April 2026 for establishment of the segmented approach in line with the Strategic Defence Review. It will start with an initial phase of pilot projects aimed at realising opportunities early on.

Pursuant to the Answer of 27 October to Question 83095 on Armed Forces: Training, what the five key recommendations for improvement for the University Officer Training Corps were.

The five recommendations made by Ofsted after its inspection in February 2024 were as follows: Provide staff with the training they need to further develop their teaching and assessment skills. Swiftly complete any necessary repairs to buildings and facilities. Reduce the time taken to complete medical checks and clearance after recruitment. Minimise the impact of budget reductions and unfilled posts on the care, welfare and training of Officer Cadets and staff workload. Coordinate and collate cross-UOTC quality improvement processes to secure sustainable improvements in care, welfare and training. The University Officer Training Corps aims to continually improve across all safeguarding and safe training aspects, and in doing so, has made significant progress against the recommendations.

What workshops the Defence Medical Services have participated in with the NHS to explore the United Kingdom’s ability to deal with various combat scenarios and the treatment of casualties.

The Defence Medical Services and NHS have participated in a series of exercises to explore the UK’s ability to deal with various combat scenarios and the treatment of casualties in February and July 2025. Further exercises are planned for the end of November 2025 and in 2026. The health services for Devolved Administrations, NATO partners and voluntary sector organisations are engaged in this work.