Written questions by Cartlidge.

When he plans to respond to Question 64587 on Defence Growth Board, tabled on 2 July 2025.

I will respond to the hon. Member shortly.

When he plans to respond to Question 59818 on Defence: Public Expenditure, tabled on 13 June 2025.

A response was sent to the hon. Member on 3 September 2025.

What the Ministry of Defence budget was as a percentage of GDP in each of the last five financial years.

The information for financial year (FY) 2024-25 is still subject to being confirmed and published in the Annual Report and Accounts which will be published once they have been finalised. FY2020-212021-222022-232023-24Defence Budget % of GDP1.98%1.97%2.07%1.96%

If he will list of all orders placed by each FLC on an Urgent Operational Requirements basis in relation to planning for potential Coalition of the Willing operations in Ukraine since such planning commenced by his Department.

Operational planning continues, but we will not be drawn into detail on the procurement of specific capabilities and requirements for UK Armed Forces deployments at the risk of operational security.

What steps he plans to take to increase support available for people with neurological conditions.

Our 10-Year Health Plan, Fit for the Future, will ensure that people with neurological conditions receive better support through its three shifts: from hospital to community; from analogue to digital; and from sickness to prevention.Neighbourhood health centres will provide integrated, accessible, and localised services that will focus on early detection and diagnosis and comprehensive multidisciplinary care. By being community-based, the centres will reduce barriers to care and ongoing support and will empower patients to manage their condition more effectively.People with complex conditions will be offered a personalised care plan, developed with healthcare professionals. These will improve care coordination and ensure care is tailored to the individual's needs.We have committed to at least doubling the number of people offered a personal health budget by the 2028/29 financial year, and we will make personal health budgets a universal offer for all who would benefit from them by 2035. This will give people greater autonomy, flexibility, and involvement in their own healthcare, allowing them to organise the care that best meets their needs.Digital tools like the NHS App will empower patients to manage their conditions, access information, and communicate with healthcare professionals more easily. Digital technologies will also enable remote monitoring of patients, allowing for early intervention and personalised care.The 10-Year Health Plan envisions a healthcare system that is more proactive, personalised, and digitally enabled, leading to earlier diagnosis, more effective management, and ultimately, better outcomes for individuals with long-term conditions, including those with neurological conditions.

With reference to his Oral Statement of 1 September on Ukraine, Official Report columns 93-94, how many of the 200 electronic warfare and air defence systems delivered to Ukraine were manufactured in the UK.

Where the UK’s manufacturing industry can meet Ukraine’s electronic warfare and air defence systems requirements, the Ministry of Defence sources from UK industry. The UK’s military support to Ukraine is based upon Ukraine’s needs, prioritising speed of delivery for equipment. For operational security reasons we are unable to give a breakdown of exactly how many have been manufactured in the UK.

With reference to his Oral Statement of 1 September on Ukraine, Official Report columns 93-94, how many of the 5 million rounds delivered to Ukraine were manufactured in the UK.

Where the UK’s manufacturing industry can meet Ukraine’s artillery requirements, the Ministry of Defence sources from UK industry. The UK’s military support to Ukraine is based upon Ukraine’s needs, prioritising speed of delivery for equipment. For operational security reasons we are unable to give a breakdown of exactly how many have been manufactured in the UK.

With reference to his Oral Statement of 1 September on Ukraine, Official Report columns 93-94, how many of the 30 vehicles and engineering equipment delivered to Ukraine were manufactured in the UK.

Where the UK’s manufacturing industry can meet Ukraine’s vehicle and engineering equipment requirements, the Ministry of Defence sources from UK industry. The UK’s military support to Ukraine is based upon Ukraine’s needs, prioritising speed of delivery for equipment. For operational security reasons we are unable to give a breakdown of exactly how many have been manufactured in the UK.

With reference to his Oral Statement of 01 September on Ukraine, Official Report columns 93-94, how many of 2,500 uncrewed platforms delivered to Ukraine were manufactured in the UK.

Where the UK’s manufacturing industry can meet Ukraine’s uncrewed platform requirements, the Ministry of Defence sources from UK industry. The UK’s military support to Ukraine is based upon Ukraine’s needs, prioritising speed of delivery for equipment. A significant number of these drones were manufactured in the drone. For operational security reasons we are unable to give a more detailed breakdown of exactly how many have been manufactured in the UK.

With reference to his Oral Statement of 1 September on Ukraine, Official Report columns 93-94, how many of the 60,000 (a) artillery shells, (b) rockets and (c) missiles delivered to Ukraine were manufactured in the UK.

Where the UK’s manufacturing industry can meet Ukraine’s artillery and air defence requirements, the Ministry of Defence sources from UK industry. The UK’s military support to Ukraine is based upon Ukraine’s needs, prioritising speed of delivery for equipment. For operational security reasons we are unable to give a breakdown of exactly how many have been manufactured in the UK.

With reference to his Oral Statement of 1 September on Ukraine, Official Report columns 93-94, whether urgent operational requirements are being considered as part of his review into armed forces readiness levels.

We are committed to ensuring our Armed Forces are appropriately equipped to respond to all challenges. As part of this commitment, urgent operational requirements are considered in our assessments and reviews. As a matter of longstanding policy we do not publicly comment on the readiness levels of His Majesty’s Armed Forces. This is to safeguard operational security, and that of our Serving people.

With reference to recommendation 38 of the Strategic Defence Review: Making Britain Safer: secure at home, strong abroad, published on 2 June 2025, if he will list the (a)Governments and (b) private financial institutions that his Department will engage with to deliver an integrated frigate force for anti-submarine warfare.

The Royal Navy’s primary relationship for anti-submarine warfare is with NATO and the NATO nations that the Navy routinely operates alongside. As the recent announcement by Norway to select the UK’s Type 26 frigate for their own fleet shows, the number of participants in the integrated frigate force continues to grow. To ensure the UK builds future-proof capabilities to counter the underwater threat to UK and NATO interests, the Royal Navy continues to develop the Atlantic Bastion programme. To support this the Ministry of Defence are actively engaging with a variety of international and domestic stakeholders, across NATO, AUKUS and industry on this subject. However, the details of these engagements are commercially sensitive, and it is therefore inappropriate comment further at this time.

What steps he is taking to support research into motor neurone disease.

Government responsibility for delivering motor neurone disease research (MND) is shared between the Department of Health and Social Care, with research delivered via the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, with research delivered via UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), and in particular via the Medical Research Council.The commitment to allocate £50 million to MND research was introduced by the previous administration. As of 4 June 2025, when the data was last analysed, a total of £50.2 million has been committed to MND research since the start of the 2022/23 financial year. We will continue to invest in MND research via open competition, with no maximum funding limit.The Government is investing into MND research across a range of areas, including an £8 million investment via the NIHR’s EXPERTS-ALS trial, an early phase clinical research trial which screens for drugs that have the potential to be successful in clinical trials for people with MND.The MND Translational Accelerator, supported by £6 million of Government funding, is connecting the UK Dementia Research Institute, the UK MND Research Institute, and Dementias Platform UK. Twelve projects have been funded through the accelerator, and all are aimed at speeding up the development of treatments for MND.The NIHR and UKRI will continue to welcome funding applications for research into any aspect of human health and care, including MND. These applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money, and scientific quality.Welcoming applications on MND to all NIHR and UKRI programmes enables maximum flexibility both in terms of the amount of research funding a particular area can be awarded, and the type of research which can be funded.

With reference to his Oral Statement of 1 September on Ukraine, Official Report columns 93-94, when he expects to publish his review into armed forces readiness levels.

As a matter of longstanding policy we do not publicly comment on the readiness levels of His Majesty's Armed Forces. This is to safeguard operational security, and that of our Service people. Planning continues at pace within the framework of the Coalition of the Willing, including at the Defence Minister and Leader-level meetings last week, to ensure the UK and Ukraine's partners are ready to deploy quickly post cessation of hostilities in Ukraine.

With reference to his Oral Statement of 1 September on Ukraine, Official Report, columns 93-94, what his timeline is for the review into armed forces readiness levels.

As a matter of longstanding policy we do not publicly comment on the readiness levels of His Majesty's Armed Forces. This is to safeguard operational security, and that of our Service people. Planning continues at pace within the framework of the Coalition of the Willing, including at the Defence Minister and Leader-level meetings last week, to ensure the UK and Ukraine's partners are ready to deploy quickly post cessation of hostilities in Ukraine.

With reference to page 78 of the Strategic Defence Review: Making Britain Safer: secure at home, strong abroad, published on 2 June 2025, whether he has consulted external sources on the new Defence Diplomacy Strategy.

To support the development of the Defence Diplomacy Strategy, the Ministry of Defence is consulting a range of sources. To ensure a diverse range of views are reflected in the development of the strategy, this will include exploring options to formally consult external defence and foreign policy think tanks and institutions, as well as the use of existing external open-source research published by UK-based think tanks. The Defence Diplomacy Strategy will prioritise the use of the Defence instrument in support of UK defence and wider foreign policy objectives. It will ensure that we are taking a coordinated, strategic and deliberate approach to protect and promote UK interests and enhance UK influence.

How much of the £50 million allocated for targeted motor neurone disease research has been allocated as of September 2025.

Government responsibility for delivering motor neurone disease research (MND) is shared between the Department of Health and Social Care, with research delivered via the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, with research delivered via UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), and in particular via the Medical Research Council.The commitment to allocate £50 million to MND research was introduced by the previous administration. As of 4 June 2025, when the data was last analysed, a total of £50.2 million has been committed to MND research since the start of the 2022/23 financial year. We will continue to invest in MND research via open competition, with no maximum funding limit.The Government is investing into MND research across a range of areas, including an £8 million investment via the NIHR’s EXPERTS-ALS trial, an early phase clinical research trial which screens for drugs that have the potential to be successful in clinical trials for people with MND.The MND Translational Accelerator, supported by £6 million of Government funding, is connecting the UK Dementia Research Institute, the UK MND Research Institute, and Dementias Platform UK. Twelve projects have been funded through the accelerator, and all are aimed at speeding up the development of treatments for MND.The NIHR and UKRI will continue to welcome funding applications for research into any aspect of human health and care, including MND. These applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money, and scientific quality.Welcoming applications on MND to all NIHR and UKRI programmes enables maximum flexibility both in terms of the amount of research funding a particular area can be awarded, and the type of research which can be funded.

Whether he plans to extend the NHS England Children’s Hospice Grant beyond the 2025-26 financial year.

Palliative care services are included in the list of services that integrated care boards (ICBs), including the Suffolk and North East Essex ICB, must commission. This promotes a more consistent national approach and supports commissioners in prioritising palliative and end of life care. ICBs are responsible for the commissioning of palliative and end of life care services, to meet the needs of their local populations. To support ICBs in this duty, NHS England has published statutory guidance and service specifications.We are supporting the hospice sector with a £100 million capital funding boost for eligible adult and children’s hospices in England to ensure they have the best physical environment for care.We are also providing £26 million of revenue funding to support children and young people’s hospices for 2025/26. This is a continuation of the funding which until recently was known as the children and young people’s hospice grant.  We cannot yet confirm what the funding for 2026/27 will be, or how it will be administered.The Department and NHS England are looking at how to improve the access, quality, and sustainability of all-age palliative care and end of life care in line with the 10 Year Health Plan.The Government and the National Health Service will closely monitor the shift towards the strategic commissioning of palliative care and end of life care services to ensure that the future state of services reduces variation in access and quality, although some variation may be appropriate to reflect both innovation and the needs of local populations.Officials will present further proposals to ministers over the coming months, outlining how to operationalise the required changes to palliative care and end of life care to enable the shift from hospital to community, including as part of neighbourhood health teams.

Whether he plans to undertake a comprehensive review of the (a) planning, (b) commissioning and (c) funding of children’s palliative care in South Suffolk.

Palliative care services, including for children, are included in the list of services that integrated care boards (ICBs), including the Suffolk and North East Essex ICB, must commission.To support ICBs in this duty, NHS England has published statutory guidance and service specifications. The statutory guidance states that ICBs must work to ensure that there is sufficient provision of care services to meet the needs of their local populations, which can include hospice services available within the ICB catchment.The Department and NHS England are looking at how to improve the access, quality, and sustainability of all-age palliative care and end of life care in line with the 10 Year Health Plan.The Government and the National Health Service will closely monitor the shift towards the strategic commissioning of palliative care and end of life care services to ensure that the future state of services reduces variation in access and quality, although some variation may be appropriate to reflect both innovation and the needs of local populations.Officials will present further proposals to ministers over the coming months, outlining how to operationalise the required changes to palliative care and end of life care to enable the shift from hospital to community, including as part of neighbourhood health teams.

What proportion of the planned £29 billion annual increase in the NHS budget over the next three years will be allocated to children’s palliative care services.

Palliative care services, including for children, are included in the list of services that integrated care boards (ICBs), including the Suffolk and North East Essex ICB, must commission.To support ICBs in this duty, NHS England has published statutory guidance and service specifications. The statutory guidance states that ICBs must work to ensure that there is sufficient provision of care services to meet the needs of their local populations, which can include hospice services available within the ICB catchment.The Department and NHS England are looking at how to improve the access, quality, and sustainability of all-age palliative care and end of life care in line with the 10 Year Health Plan.The Government and the National Health Service will closely monitor the shift towards the strategic commissioning of palliative care and end of life care services to ensure that the future state of services reduces variation in access and quality, although some variation may be appropriate to reflect both innovation and the needs of local populations.Officials will present further proposals to ministers over the coming months, outlining how to operationalise the required changes to palliative care and end of life care to enable the shift from hospital to community, including as part of neighbourhood health teams.