Written questions by Cartlidge.

What the annual cost to his Department for Substitute Service Single Accommodation is, by region.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 31 March 2025, to Question 41231.

With reference to paragraph 2.8 of the Spring Statement, 26 March 2025, what his planned timetable is to achieve his target for rapid commercial exploitation to have a three-months cycle.

The Ministry of Defence is reforming its acquisition system to deliver defence capabilities at greater pace, drive productivity and secure the best possible value for money, under the leadership of a new National Armaments Director.A timescale for practical application of a segmented approach to procurement will be developed in consultation with industry and closely integrated with implementation of wider defence reforms, the Strategic Defence Review and the Defence Industrial Strategy.

When the Rented Living Accommodation Project is due for renewal.

The average annual cost of the Rented Living Accommodation Project (RLAP) is £80 million. The RLAP Contract is due for renewal on 1 April 2027. The overall forecast cost for RLAP has not changed since 5 July 2024.

If he will publish a summary of his discussions with his Estonian counterpart that took place on 26 March 2025.

As I am sure the hon. Gentleman will understand, we do not routinely publish readouts after individual bilateral meetings. The Secretary of State had productive discussions with his Estonian counterpart about our bilateral cooperation with Estonia and our cooperation through the JEF and NATO.

How many service personnel were living in Substitute Service Family Accommodation by rank as of 27 March 2025.

As of 28 March 2025, there were 174 Service personnel and their families, living in Substitute Service Family Accommodation (SSFA). Information on the number of Service personnel living in SSFA by rank or by the number of dual Serving Service personnel is not held.

What the annual cost is of Substitute Service Family Accommodation by region.

As of 28 March 2025, 174 Substitute Service Family Accommodation (SSFA) properties are in use in the United Kingdom. The cost of SSFA for financial year 2024-25 is £1.28 million. Information regarding the annual cost of SSFA by region is not held.

Whether he has had discussions with (a) the Chief of Defence People, (b) the Deputy Chief of the General Staff and (c) other military representatives on changing elements of the Army Officer Internship scheme.

Since 2021, the Gap Year Commission has been integrated into the Army Internship Programme, which has provided individuals with the opportunity to experience a challenging and rewarding year with the Army in the role of an Army Officer for 12 months before, during or after University. The Army offers up to 30 places per year on the Internship programme. 52 different opportunities are provided to allow applicants their choice of role. Whilst we do not hold data for the entire period requested, below are the number of completions for each academic year since 2017-18. Courses start in September and conclude the following year. YearInternship completions2017-2018112018-2019142019-2020142020-2021162021-2022102022-2023102023-202411 There are currently fewer than 10 active Service personnel enrolled on an internship for the 2024-25 scheme. Those awarded an internship are paid a spot rate at Pre-Career officer rates and are non-pensionable. These rates are reviewed annually on the recommendations of the Armed Forces Pay Review Body. Internship officers are also provided with an accommodation solution in accordance with Joint Service Policy. Furthermore, any internship officers who become ill or are injured are eligible to receive benefits from the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme. There have been no recent discussions or proposed changes to the Internship scheme.

Whether there are any benefits that are provided to a service person living in Substitute Service Single Accommodation that would not be provided to a service person living in private accommodation.

Substitute Service Single Accommodation (SSSA) exists to accommodate Service personnel who are entitled to Single Living Accommodation (SLA) at their primary duty unit where none is available. SSSA is intended to mirror the conditions of SLA in so far as possible and cannot be compared like-for-like with private accommodation. There are a wide range of allowances available to Service personnel to meet the costs incurred in carrying out their duties, and eligibility will depend on a number of permutations, not just the type of accommodation in which they are resident.

With reference to paragraph 2.8 of the Spring Statement, 26 March 2025, what his planned timetable is for achieving pace-setting modular upgrades to have an average of one year to contract.

The Ministry of Defence is reforming its acquisition system to deliver defence capabilities at greater pace, drive productivity and secure the best possible value for money, under the leadership of a new National Armaments Director.A timescale for practical application of a segmented approach to procurement will be developed in consultation with industry and closely integrated with implementation of wider defence reforms, the Strategic Defence Review and the Defence Industrial Strategy.

With reference to paragraph 2.8 of the Spring Statement, 26 March 2025, when he plans to achieve his target for major platforms to have an average of two years to contract.

The Ministry of Defence is reforming its acquisition system to deliver defence capabilities at greater pace, drive productivity and secure the best possible value for money, under the leadership of a new National Armaments Director.A timescale for practical application of a segmented approach to procurement will be developed in consultation with industry and closely integrated with implementation of wider defence reforms, the Strategic Defence Review and the Defence Industrial Strategy.

With reference to paragraph 2.8 of the Spring Statement, 26 March 2025, what his Department's definition of novel technology is.

At the Chancellor’s Spring Statement the Ministry of Defence (MOD) committed to establishing UK Defence Innovation (UKDI). This new body will simplify and consolidate the current MOD structures for innovation. The Spring Statement also confirmed that from next year the MOD will spend at least 10% of its equipment procurement budget on novel technology. Novel technology investments include dual-use technologies such as uncrewed and autonomous systems and AI-enabled capabilities. This list is not exhaustive, and work is ongoing to establish a formal definition of novel technology that UKDI and the wider Department will work against. The creation of UKDI underlines this Government's commitment to exploiting new ideas and technologies to equip our Armed Forces with cutting edge tech and grow high tech businesses across the UK.

Whether the forecasted cost of the Rented Living Accommodation Project has changed since 5 July 2024.

The average annual cost of the Rented Living Accommodation Project (RLAP) is £80 million. The RLAP Contract is due for renewal on 1 April 2027. The overall forecast cost for RLAP has not changed since 5 July 2024.

What the annual cost is of Substitute Service Family Accommodation.

As of 28 March 2025, 174 Substitute Service Family Accommodation (SSFA) properties are in use in the United Kingdom. The cost of SSFA for financial year 2024-25 is £1.28 million. Information regarding the annual cost of SSFA by region is not held.

How many service personnel live in Substitute Service Family Accommodation.

As of 28 March 2025, there were 174 Service personnel and their families, living in Substitute Service Family Accommodation (SSFA). Information on the number of Service personnel living in SSFA by rank or by the number of dual Serving Service personnel is not held.

How many Substitute Service Family Accommodation properties are in use in the United Kingdom.

As of 28 March 2025, 174 Substitute Service Family Accommodation (SSFA) properties are in use in the United Kingdom. The cost of SSFA for financial year 2024-25 is £1.28 million. Information regarding the annual cost of SSFA by region is not held.

What the entitlement requirements are for an application to live in Substitute Service Family Accommodation.

When Service Family Accommodation (SFA) is unavailable on assignment to a new duty unit, Service personnel who are married and accompanied by their family, registered in a civil partnership, a lone single parent, or are married unaccompanied fulfilling certain key appointments are entitled to apply for Substitute Service Family Accommodation (SSFA) broadly equivalent to SFA entitlement. SSFA is provided by the Ministry of Defence (MOD) contractor responsible for sourcing suitable properties from the commercial rental market, subject to the following criteria: The applicant must be entitled to SFA in accordance with MOD regulations;The MOD contractor must have issued a non-availability certificate in respect of the applicant;They expect to occupy the property for a minimum of six months.

What the annual cost is of the Rented Living Accommodation Project.

The average annual cost of the Rented Living Accommodation Project (RLAP) is £80 million. The RLAP Contract is due for renewal on 1 April 2027. The overall forecast cost for RLAP has not changed since 5 July 2024.

How many dual serving service personnel are living in Substitute Service Family Accommodation.

As of 28 March 2025, there were 174 Service personnel and their families, living in Substitute Service Family Accommodation (SSFA). Information on the number of Service personnel living in SSFA by rank or by the number of dual Serving Service personnel is not held.

With reference to paragraph 2.8 of the Spring Statement, 26 March 2025, whether he plans to set a formal target for end to end procurement time for major platforms.

The Ministry of Defence is reforming its acquisition system to deliver defence capabilities at greater pace, secure the best possible value for money and support growth, under the leadership of a new National Armaments Director. These reforms will enable the end-to-end procurement approach to be tailored according to the nature of each programme, delivering capability into the hands of the war fighter more quickly to maintain operational advantage. As set out in the Spring Statement, the department will set targets for time to contract as part of its new segmented approach to procurement. While larger, complex platforms, such as those in the Government Major Projects Portfolio, will often take longer to deliver, we will look for opportunities to drive pace at every stage of the acquisition process.

How many business cases relating to procurement of new equipment or capabilities that have been submitted by his Department are currently awaiting approval by (a) HM Treasury and (b) Cabinet Office.

At the time of writing, the Ministry of Defence currently has eight business cases with His Majesty's Treasury, and seven cases with the Cabinet Office awaiting approval.