Written questions by Cartlidge.

With reference to paragraph 5.52 of the Autumn Budget 2024, published on 30 October, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of changes to inheritance tax on Death in Service awards for surviving spouses of military personnel.

Most unused pension funds and death benefits will be included within the value of a person’s estate for inheritance tax purposes from 6 April 2027.Transfers to spouses and civil partners are exempt from inheritance tax. This means death benefits paid to spouses or civil partners are unaffected.

Whether his Department will receive additional funding to cover any additional costs arising from the Chagos Island settlement.

Negotiations between the UK and Mauritius on the exercise of sovereignty over the British Indian Ocean Territory/Chagos Archipelago were opened in 2022 under the previous Government. The lead Department for the negotiations was the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence was closely updated and engaged in all the key aspects of the negotiations. The agreement secured with Mauritius protects the effective operation of the joint UK/US base on Diego Garcia for at least the next 99 years. Details of the Treaty agreed between the UK and Mauritius will come before Parliament for scrutiny in the usual manner following its signature. It would be inappropriate to release further details at this stage.

Where he plans to locate the private office of the National Armaments Director.

The National Armaments Director (NAD) role will be a civil servant appointment. Private office arrangements are yet to be confirmed.

Whether he categorises the National Armaments Director role as a (a) civil servant or (b) military appointment.

The National Armaments Director (NAD) role will be a civil servant appointment. Private office arrangements are yet to be confirmed.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the formula used to allocate flood funding to rural areas.

Defra will consult in the new year on a new simpler and more flexible approach to floods investment that maximises value for the taxpayer and supports nature-based solutions. This will include a review of the floods funding formula.

Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to reform funding arrangements for Internal Drainage Board levies.

Internal Drainage Boards (IDBs) play a crucial role managing water levels and flood risk.The Government recognises the sustained increases in Internal Drainage Board levies that some local authorities have experienced over the last two years.MHCLG also recognises the need for a long-term solution and are working with Defra to explore potential approaches.

Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to renew the Community Housing Fund.

The Community Housing Fund was established in 2016 and closed in 2022. The Government recognises that the community-led housing sector delivers a wide range of benefits, including strengthening community participation in local decision-making, engendering community cohesion, achieving high quality design and strengthening the co-operative economy. As we develop our Long Term Housing Strategy, we will consider how the Government may further support the growth of the community-led housing sector.

Communities and Local Government, what plans she has to include district councils in the Suffolk devolution deal.

In areas of two-tier local government, as is the case in Suffolk, the Government will continue to seek to establish combined county authorities. The Government recognises the vital role district councils play and strongly encourages their involvement in combined county authorities in a number of ways, including non-constituent membership, positions on overview and scrutiny and audit committees, and via local joint working on key issues.

How many staff members will be employed in the National Armament Director’s private office.

The National Armaments Director (NAD) role will be a civil servant appointment. Private office arrangements are yet to be confirmed.

Whether she plans to review Public Works Loan Board rates offered to councils.

The PWLB lending facility exists to provide cost effective loans to local authorities to support investments and service delivery. HMT keeps all PWLB rates under review, including the discounted rate for investment in social housing which we extended in Autumn Budget to the end of 2025-26 to give LAs certainty with their capital plans for the year ahead.

Communities and Local Government, if she will provide additional support to district councils to reduce levels of homelessness.

As announced at the Budget on 30th October, funding for homelessness services is increasing next year by £233 million compared to this year (2024/25). The increased spending will help to prevent rises in the number of families in temporary accommodation and help to prevent rough sleeping. This brings total spend to nearly a billion pounds in 25/26.As announced on 6th November, the department will also be providing £10 million of Rough Sleeping Winter Pressures Funding to local authorities across England this winter.

With reference to the guidance entitled Appointment of AUKUS Adviser and report: Terms of Reference, published on 29 August 2024, whether Sir Stephen Lovegrove reported his findings on AUKUS before the end of October 2024.

An extension has been provided to allow Sir Stephen Lovegrove to gather all the necessary information. He will now report to the Prime Minister, Defence Secretary, Foreign Secretary and Chancellor in November 2024.

With reference to the guidance entitled Appointment of AUKUS Adviser and report: Terms of Reference, published on 29 August 2024, when he plans to publish Sir Stephen Lovegrove's report on AUKUS.

An extension has been provided to allow Sir Stephen Lovegrove to gather all the necessary information. He will now report to the Prime Minister, Defence Secretary, Foreign Secretary and Chancellor in November 2024.

With reference to the Autumn Budget 2024, published on 30 October 2024, HC 295, what estimate her Department has made of the cost of the increase to employer's national insurance contributions on the Ministry of Defence.

The Government will be supporting departments with the cost of additional employer national insurance contributions. This is in line with the Government’s usual approach to supporting the public sector, as was the case with the previous government’s Health and Social Care Levy. The allocation for the Ministry of Defence, along with all other departments, will be set out in due course.

Pursuant to the Answer of 28 October to Question 10454 on Strategic Defence Review, whether all submissions by Parliamentarians will be read in the first instance by human beings, before the use of artificial intelligence.

The Strategic Defence Review received a number of submissions from Parliamentarians, and all have been read by human beings.

If he will make an estimate of how many helicopter pilots at RAF Shawbury will be unable to complete their training on schedule this year.

There will be a limited short-term impact to the number of trainees completing UK Military Flying Training System (UKMFTS) Rotary Wing aircrew training at RAF Shawbury this year. However, this will not have an impact to the number of Tri-Service aircrew commencing Operational Conversion Unit training or on Front Line units. UKMFTS continues to deliver the number of Rotary Wing aircrew needed by Defence.

Whether the manufacture of large-calibre gun barrels as part of the Trinity House Agreement will exclusively use recycled British steel.

The Trinity House Agreement will drive investment into the UK, and pave the way for the way for a new artillery gun barrel factory to be opened in the UK. The opening of the Rheinmetall factory will see the UK manufacture artillery gun barrels for the first time in 10 years, using British steel produced by Sheffield Forgemasters. Discussions are ongoing between Rheinmetall and Sheffield Forgemasters on the specific arrangements.

How many helicopter engineers are employed at RAF Shawbury.

Due to commercial sensitivities, we cannot disclose the number of contracted civilian engineers based at RAF Shawbury.There are a number of military engineers based at RAF Shawbury but they are not necessarily employed in direct engineering roles.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact that closing blast furnaces in (a) Port Talbot and (b) Scunthorpe on the UK's (i) virgin steel supply and (ii) defence industry.

This Government recognises the vital role the UK steel industry plays in Defence, to both our national security and economic growth. . It is not anticipated that the closure of the blast furnaces at Port Talbot or Scunthorpe will have any adverse impact on Defence, but we will continue to monitor that situation. The Government will be bringing forward a new Steel Strategy next spring that will ensure a sustainable future for UK steelmaking.

What assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the ratio of STEM-related MOD Apprenticeship schemes to Civilian MOD Apprenticeship schemes.

There has been no specific assessment undertaken on the policy implications of ratios of Civil Service to Military STEM apprenticeships. Both organisations separately draw upon the government apprenticeship levy reducing the impact of any policy changes relating to the ratio of Military to Civil Service apprenticeships. STEM apprenticeship schemes are strongly supported across both the Civil Service and Military commands and are a priority as we look to the future of apprenticeships.The Ministry of Defence is the largest single deliverer of apprenticeships in the UK, with over 24,000 personnel employed on a nationally recognised apprenticeship programme at any one time. Over 95% of our non-commissioned military recruits are offered an apprenticeship aligned to their trade training and 7.5% of Armed Forces personnel have started an apprenticeship in the last two years. In addition, 3.6% of our Civil Service workforce is currently undertaking an apprenticeship, spanning over 80+ different apprenticeship programmes within a variety of sectors and professional areas, working to build a skilled workforce fit for the future.Defence's commitment to apprenticeship provision is recognised by the Department for Education’s Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers rankings 2024, with Army (1), RN (2), RAF (4) and Civil Service (33). Collectively, 130 apprenticeships are offered across the three Services and the Civil Service, ranging from Aeronautical Engineering to Clinical Healthcare Support and Nuclear.