Written questions by Cartlidge.

How much funding he plans to provide for the resettlement of personnel leaving the armed forces in the 2024-25 financial year.

Resettlement services are offered to all personnel leaving the Armed Forces, with employment support and training delivered through the Career Transition Partnership (CTP) to all Regular Service Leavers. The CTP is the official provider of Armed Forces resettlement support to all Regular Service Leavers, regardless of time served. The new CTP Contract launched on 1 October 2024 and looks to build on the success of the previous contract in providing a ‘gold standard’ of resettlement support to Service Leavers as part of the wider transition support provided by the Ministry of Defence which includes through-career attainment of life skills, and access to Defence Transition Services which offers targeted support for those facing challenges in successful transition. Service personnel leaving the Regular Armed Forces are entitled to access resettlement services two years prior to their discharge date and for two years post discharge. Resettlement services are delivered under the CTP (Defence Commercial Category B) contract with a total budget provision of £110 million over 10 years. We will not be releasing the requested annual figure as this is commercially sensitive.

Pursuant to the Answer of 25 July 2024 to Question 121 on Armed Forces: Visas, when his Department first held discussions with the Home Office on ending visa fees for serving personnel.

Ministry of Defence officials began engagement with the Home Office in late July 2024 to discuss this manifesto commitment.

If she will estimate the number of passengers in South Suffolk constituency for whom the £2 bus fare cap has been applied.

The £2 fare cap was launched by the Department for Transport (DfT) on 1 January 2023.The DfT published an interim report in September 2023 setting out emerging trends in key outcomes from the first two months of the scheme. The report is available on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/evaluation-of-the-2-bus-fare-cap/2-bus-fare-cap-evaluation-interim-report-february-2023.Patronage in Suffolk appears to be continuing to recover following the COVID-19 pandemic. DfT does not collect patronage data lower than local transport authority level and is unable to make an assessment of bus usage for South Suffolk.

What plans she has for the £2 bus fare cap beyond December 2024.

Delivering reliable and affordable public transport services for passengers is one of the government’s top priorities as we know how important this is for passengers and for local growth. The Department for Transport is looking at the future of the £2 fare cap as a matter of urgency and is considering the most appropriate and affordable approach for the future of the scheme.

Whether the core Global Combat Air Programme will be piloted.

The Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) core aircraft is being designed to be crewed when it comes into service, but the programme sustains an important technological and industrial pathway to developing advanced uncrewed capabilities. That will allow the programme to maximise the benefits of autonomy and artificial intelligence in a crewed aircraft and explore options for wider uncrewed systems to augment its capabilities.

If he will make an estimate of the number of homes on the defence estate that could be brought back into use in the next 12 months.

During financial year 2024-25 the Ministry of Defence (MOD) plans to refurbish circa 200 long-term empty Service Family Accommodation properties, to bring them back into use for Service families. Data for the number of houses that could be bought back into use in financial year 2025-26 is not held as financial budgets have not yet been agreed. The programme of extensive refurbishments to long-term empty houses was launched in September 2023 and has allowed the MOD to significantly increase the number of high-quality homes available to Service families.

Pursuant to the Answer of 19 September 2024 to Question 2108 on Future Combat Air System, how much of the £1.3 billion is (a) Government and (b) private sector funded.

The £1.3 billion figure provided on 19 September 2024 to Question 2106 accounts for the Government funding for Future Combat Air System/Global Combat Air Programme in the current financial year. All of the £1.3 billion of spend this financial year was planned in the last financial year. The £1.3 billion of spend this financial year is on the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) programme, the majority of which is for Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) activity. At the start of this financial year, it was expected that the Ministry of Defence would spend up to ~£1.46 billion on FCAS/GCAP. The forecast was reduced to £1.3 billion due to revised estimates of programme activity from industry throughout the year.

Pursuant to the Answer of 19 September 2024 to Question 2108 on Future Combat Air System, how much of the £1.3 billion was planned in a previous financial year to be spent this financial year.

The £1.3 billion figure provided on 19 September 2024 to Question 2106 accounts for the Government funding for Future Combat Air System/Global Combat Air Programme in the current financial year. All of the £1.3 billion of spend this financial year was planned in the last financial year. The £1.3 billion of spend this financial year is on the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) programme, the majority of which is for Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) activity. At the start of this financial year, it was expected that the Ministry of Defence would spend up to ~£1.46 billion on FCAS/GCAP. The forecast was reduced to £1.3 billion due to revised estimates of programme activity from industry throughout the year.

Pursuant to the Answer of 19 September 2024 to Question 2108 on Future Combat Air System, whether the £1.3 billion represents the full expected allocation for the (a) Global Combat Air Programme and (b) Future Combat Air System as at the start of this financial year.

The £1.3 billion figure provided on 19 September 2024 to Question 2106 accounts for the Government funding for Future Combat Air System/Global Combat Air Programme in the current financial year. All of the £1.3 billion of spend this financial year was planned in the last financial year. The £1.3 billion of spend this financial year is on the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) programme, the majority of which is for Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) activity. At the start of this financial year, it was expected that the Ministry of Defence would spend up to ~£1.46 billion on FCAS/GCAP. The forecast was reduced to £1.3 billion due to revised estimates of programme activity from industry throughout the year.

What recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the radiotherapy late effects service.

No specific assessment has been made by the Department. The National Health Service keeps under review the range of services it offers patients and the Government understands that many trusts are using the radiotherapy late effects service as part of the care pathway for their cancer patients.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to help incentivise farmers to take part in (a) rewilding schemes, (b) soil health restoration and (c) improving biodiversity.

This Government is incentivising farmers to take part in rewilding schemes, soil health restoration and improving biodiversity through Environmental Land Management (ELM) schemes. The Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) pays farmers to carry out actions that can help with the long-term productivity and resilience of the soil to benefit food production. These actions can also provide environmental benefits, such as increased biodiversity. Countryside Stewardship (CS) provides financial incentives for farmers, foresters and land managers to look after and improve the environment. CS Mid-Tier is primarily focused on improving habitats and biodiversity; the mid-tier offer has now been merged with SFI for new entrants to schemes from 2024, but existing Mid-Tier agreements are not affected by this merge. CS Higher Tier supports farmers to deliver objectives including protection and enhancement of the natural environment, increase of biodiversity, and improvement of habitats. Landscape Recovery supports farmers and land managers who want to take a large-scale, long-term approach to nurture wilder landscapes and wildlife-rich habitat. It supports objectives such as restoring ecological or hydrological function across a landscape, peatland restoration, woodland management, or habitat restoration.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to help protect the rights of children in areas of conflict.

The UK is committed to preventing and ending grave violations against children in conflict. We support affected children through our humanitarian funding and support to education in conflict and crisis. We also regularly raise the impact of armed conflict on children with other governments. The UK is an active member of the UN Security Council Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict (CAAC), ensuring effective scrutiny of conflicts where children are harmed and holding perpetrators to account.

What steps he is taking to support rural post offices.

There are over 11,500 post office branches in the UK – over half are in rural areas – which the Government supports through an annual £50m network subsidy to ensure the viability of rural and community branches. Government further works to ensure Post Office Limited maintains a minimum number of branches and a geographical spread of branches in line with published access criteria. The access criteria ensure that however the network changes, services remain within local reach of all citizens.

What recent discussions he has had with representatives of (a) Airbus Defence and (b) Space UK on the launch of the SKYNET 6A satellite.

There have been no direct Secretary of State discussions with either Airbus Defence or Space X on the launch of the Skynet 6A satellite. However, the Skynet delivery team remain in regular contact with all parties involved to ensure that progress to a timely and successful launch remains on-track.

If he will publish a list of the recruitment policies that he plans to scrap.

We are ambitious in our work to review and, where appropriate, challenge previous regulations for Armed Forces recruiting. As part of this work, a number of medical entry policy revisions have been published in Joint Service Publication 950, Armed Forces Medical Policy. Additional regulations concerning eligibility requirements, plus those supporting Armed Forces recruitment processes will be revised and promulgated once finalised.

For what reason the period until the launch of the SKYNET 6A satellite has been extended.

The launch date for SKYNET 6A satellite has been adjusted on advice from Airbus Defence and Space due to a combination of factors including a key component quality control issue.

If she will make an assessment of the potential impact of maintenance works on the Orwell Bridge being scheduled as part of Highways England’s Significant Structures Scheme on traffic flows in that area.

National Highways recognises the importance of the Orwell Bridge and the impact its closure will have for residents and the local economy. The planning for the replacement of the bridge’s bearings is currently at the preliminary design phase, part of which includes National Highways undertaking a series of studies to look at the impact of the works on the road users, as well as reviewing potential options for traffic management and their impact on the local community. This is in addition to environmental assessments and impact on traffic on the river if necessary.

What assessment she has made of the economic impact of (a) part and (b) full closures of the Orwell Bridge, Suffolk.

National Highways has not conducted specific economic impact assessments for either partial or full closures of the Orwell Bridge. The decision to close the bridge, whether due to unplanned events or for planned maintenance, prioritises safety. Such closures are essential to ensure the safety of drivers, National Highways workers, the emergency services, and to keep the bridge safe and serviceable. These closures are also integral to the essential maintenance schedule for the transport network.

What her planned timetable is for funding remedial work on the Orwell Bridge, Suffolk; and if she will take steps to accelerate the provision of that funding.

The replacement of all 4 bridge joints on Orwell Bridge had been included within a scheme of planned works scheduled for construction starting in 2027. Due to the recent failure of one of the two westbound joints, National Highways is accelerating the replacement of both joints on the westbound carriageway to start within the current financial year. National Highways is in the process of developing the proposal for replacing the 2 eastbound joints as part of the planned scheme of works.

If he will make an estimate of the potential impact of the time taken to deliver SKYNET 6A's launch on the value of the Service Delivery Wrap PFI awarded to Team Aurora.

The single event integration costs for Skynet 6A are factored into the overall contract price for the Service Delivery Wrap and that is unaffected by any movement in the launch date.