Written questions by Obese-Jecty.

Pursuant to the Answer of 10 April 2025 to Question 44144 on Armed Forces: Training, what steps he has taken to help improve the OFSTED rating of the Defence Medical Academy.

Following an OFSTED inspection in December 2023, Defence Medical Academy (DMA) have addressed all areas requiring improvement and continue to do so. The steps taken have included establishing a structured process to develop the curriculum, increased coordination, oversight, and assurance of training placements, a higher level of scrutiny on resource management, a focus on welfare and significant cultural changes to improve both the morale of trainees and training personnel. The Defence Medical Services (Whittington) Site now meets the Defence Minimum Standards for accommodation and is used as an example of best practice owing to the excellent relationships fostered between the site and contractors. The Defence Medical Academy is also required to undertake an annual assessment of its performance, this was last completed in October 2024. Given the improvements made across all four Ofsted Key Judgement Areas, the Defence Medical Academy is currently assessed as ‘good’.

Pursuant to the Answer of 12 May 2025 to Question 50261 on Armed Forces: Housing, what is his timetable for making the 3,049 void properties suitable for habitation.

This Government is committed to reviewing the contract between the nation and those who serve. Improving the housing offer is a key part of this work. The timetable for making these void properties suitable for habitation is being developed as part of the Defence Housing Strategy, which is due to be published later this year.

Pursuant to the Answer of 30 April 2025 to Question 44696 on Warrior Vehicles: Decommissioning, how many Warrior vehicles will be sold to private collectors.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 30 April 2025, to Question 44696.

Pursuant to the Answer of 12 May 2025 to Question 50267 on Armed Forces: Housing, what discussions the new taskforce has had on RAF Wyton.

RAF Wyton has been confirmed as a trailblazer site to potentially deliver new homes on surplus Ministry of Defence land. The Department is working with Homes England on how to accelerate the sites sale.

Pursuant to the Answer of 12 May 2025 to Question 50259 on Armed Forces: Housing, when the workshop with Homes England to discuss RAF Wyton is scheduled to take place; and which stakeholders are due to be in attendance.

The workshop is scheduled to take place on 21 May 2025 with representatives from the Defence Infrastructure Organisation and Homes England in attendance.

What the planned (a) in-service date and (b) date of integration with F-35B is for the Spear 3 air-to-surface weapon.

The Spear Capability 3 air-to-surface weapon programme is currently undergoing re-baselining, with a Review Note expected towards the end of 2025. Until that is approved, dates are considered draft and of low confidence. The estimated current timeline for in-service capability is expected to be early 2030s.

Pursuant to the Answer of 12 May 2025 to Question 50261 on Armed Forces: Housing, whether any of the remaining void properties not suitable for habitation are in Huntingdon constituency.

As at 12 May 2025, there are 497 Service Family Accommodation properties in the Huntingdon constituency, of which 19 are void and not suitable for occupation.

What the planned (a) in-service date and (b) date of integration with F-35B is for the MBDA Meteor ramjet-powered air-to-air missile.

Integration of the MBDA Meteor ramjet-powered air-to-air missile with F-35B is driven by the US-led Lightning II Joint Programme Office; the estimated current timeline for in-service capability is expected to be early 2030s.

Whether he has had discussions with Lockheed Martin on purchasing F-35C.

The Strategic Defence Review is looking at the threats we face and the capabilities we need to meet the challenges, threats and opportunity of the 21st century.

Whether he has made an assessment of the merits of converting the UK's two aircraft carriers to catapult-and-arrest configuration.

The Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers operate the F-35B Lightning fighter aircraft, which does not require Aircraft Launch and Recovery Equipment. The Royal Navy's Maritime Aviation Transformation Strategy will expand the deployment of uncrewed air systems in Royal Navy ships, including the aircraft carriers. The Strategic Defence Review will consider opportunities for modernisation and transformation, and greater productivity, including through the rapid and consistent application of Digital Age technologies. As new technologies develop, it is possible that some uncrewed systems would require specific Aircraft Launch and Recovery Equipment. Should this become the case, balance of investment decisions would be made to ensure that the Royal Navy is optimised to gain the most benefit from uncrewed systems.

Pursuant to the Answer of 7 April 2025 to Question 42678 on F-35 Aircraft: Procurement, how many F-35Bs will receive the Block 4 upgrade.

I can confirm the Department intends to upgrade the UK F-35B Lightning fleet with Block 4 modifications.

What assessment he has made of the feasibility of using the General Atomics MQ-9 for Royal Navy carrier based operations.

Through the MQ-9 International Cooperation Support Partnership, of which the United Kingdom is a signatory, the Royal Navy (RN) has established that the General Atomics MQ-9 can be modified to operate from the Queen Elizabeth Class carriers. As such, the MQ-9 is being considered as a candidate for the RN’s requirement for Carrier Strike Airborne Early Warning following the planned withdrawal of the Crowsnest Airborne Early Warning system when it reaches the end of its service life.

If he will publish which (a) suppliers and (b) contractors to his Department are located in Huntingdon constituency; and what service they provide to the Department.

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) does hold some of the information requested. Please see below showing the companies in the area requested who provided defence goods or services. These are based on the supplier site set as the primary invoice address for the contract. The MOD does not distinguish suppliers from contractors and does not hold data on any sub-contractors a direct contract might use. The Department cannot provide the granularity for each service provided as this would require a review of each individual contact. The information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.Parent Supplier NameACTIVINSIGHTS LIMITEDAUDIO PRECISION UK LTDBABCOCK DYNCORP LIMITEDCABLECONNECT SOLUTIONS LIMITEDDAVID GARRARDDUFAYLITE DEVELOPMENTS LTDGRAS SOUND & VIBRATION UK LIMITEDHEATCON COMPOSITE SYSTEMS (EUROPE) LTD.IAN HOPWELL LIMITEDINNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY PROJECTS LIMITEDJOHN GRAHAM CONSTRUCTION LIMITEDKIER GRAHAM DEFENCE LIMITEDMASS CONSULTANTS LIMITEDMUNTERS LTDPLEXSYS INTERFACE PRODUCTS UK LTDSVANTEK UK LTDSYSTEMWARE EUROPE LIMITEDTHE COLLEGE OF ANIMAL WELFARE LIMITEDV-BANDZ LIMITEDVINTAGE ENGINE TECHNOLOGY LIMITED

Whether he has made an assessment of the feasibility of the (a) Royal Navy and (b) Royal Air Force, using uncrewed remotely piloted aircraft systems to provide airborne early warning.

The Ministry of Defence is actively assessing the potential of uncrewed remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS) to support airborne early warning (AEW) roles across the air environment. These assessments are part of broader efforts to modernise UK defence capabilities through the integration of autonomous systems. While current RPAS platforms are predominantly used for land and maritime surveillance tasks, future developments may enable their use in AEW missions.

Whether he has had recent discussions with Heckler & Koch to procure (a) MG5s and( b) HK421s.

The Secretary of State for Defence has not engaged Heckler and Koch on the potential procurement of their MG5 or HK421 machine guns.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the (a) Land Industrial Strategy and (b) the manufacturing industry on Project Grayburn.

I refer the hon. Members to the answer I gave on 28 April 2025 to Question 45196. In alignment with the Land Industrial Strategy, recent analysis focussed on job creation in the UK manufacturing sector, project costs and the procurement thresholds necessary to encourage private investment from industry. I am withholding further detail relating to the conducted analysis due to reasons of commercial sensitivity.

Pursuant to the Answer of 30 April 2025 to Question 44696 on Warrior Vehicles: Decommissioning, how many warrior vehicles will be donated to (a) domestic and (b) international museums.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 30 April 2025, to Question 44696, which explained that the plans for Warrior beyond its Out of Service Date are yet to be formally agreed.

What steps he is taking to prioritise the allocation of homes built on surplus military land to (a) serving armed forces personnel and (b) veterans to create opportunities for Armed Forces homeownership.

The Defence Housing Strategy, planned for publication later this year, will set out a roadmap to deliver a generational renewal of military accommodation, where the main objective is to raise the minimum standard of Armed Forces housing. It will also turbocharge the development of surplus military land creating opportunities for Armed Forces home ownership and support the delivery of affordable homes for families across Britain as part of the Government’s Plan for Change.

With reference to his Department's press release of 5 May 2025 entitled Thousands of veterans to benefit from new UK-wide support network, how many regional field officers will be deployed.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 12 May to Questions 50185, 50186, 50187, 50189, 50190, and 50191 to the hon. Member for South Suffolk (Mr Cartlidge), and Question 50424 to the hon. Member for Spelthorne (Mr Jopp).

What provisions his Department makes for serving personnel who are Parish Councillors in order to retain their Parish Council seat in the event that they are deployed for a period greater than six months.

Section 85 of the Local Government Act 1972 lays out the rules for extended absences greater than six months. It gives provision for individuals to seek approval for absences greater than six months, which would allow them to retain their seat. Under the Armed Forces Covenant we would expect that deployment is given appropriate regard by the authority when making this decision. When employed within the Armed Forces in connection with war or any emergency, Section 85 entitles the member to relief from the six-month rule, if the failure to attend is due to that employment. The exact wording can be found at the following link: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1972/70/section/85.