Written questions by MacCleary.

How many Quick Reaction Alert sorites were flown by the RAF in 2025.

The number of days in which Quick Reaction Alert Typhoon aircraft launched in 2025 is six.

What proportion of officer candidates are privately educated.

Officer training in the UK Armed Forces is accessible to any UK citizen who meets the academic, aptitude, physical and medical requirements, irrespective of the candidate’s social background or type of education. Of the intake to the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (Army) who are due to commission on 10 April 2026, 37% were independently educated. No other information in scope of these questions is held by the single Services.

If his Department will make an estimate of the cost of an “iron dome” air defence system for the UK.

Iron Dome is Israel's approach to Integrated Air and Missile Defence, and based upon the threat Israel faces, its geography and capability. Capable and effective Integrated Air and Missile Defence for the UK will be accomplished as part of a NATO endeavour. The Strategic Defence Review considered similar factors for the UK Homeland and announced up to £1 billion investment in air and missile defence of the UK.

Whether elements of Project Lily be included in other programmes going forward.

Elements of Project Lily are being reviewed to determine whether any aspects can be incorporated into other programmes. It would not be appropriate to provide further detail at this stage, as doing so could prejudice the Department’s commercial interests and any future procurement activity.

Why Project Lily was cancelled.

Project Lily was cancelled following an internal review. Further detail cannot be provided as it could prejudice the Department's commercial interests and any future procurement activity.

Whether funding for training and equipment for the Strategic Reserve will be provided in the Defence Investment Plan.

The Strategic Defence Review (SDR) recommended reinvigorating the relationship with the Strategic Reserve, to be sustained through annual training and volunteer roles. The Defence Investment Plan (DIP) will outline how we will invest to transform defence in line with the SDR vision. We are working flat out to complete the DIP and publish shortly.

With reference to his Department's press release entitled Jobs boost as UK set to build military aircraft for United States for first time in over fifty years, published on 18 September 2025, whether he can confirm that a firm contract has been placed with UK industry to convert two Boeing 737 aircraft to E-7 Wedgetail configuration for the end-use of the US Air Force.

STS Aviation based at Birmingham airport are under contract from Boeing to undertake initial conversion of the first two USAF E-7 Wedgetail aircraft.

What actions are his department taking to accelerate the procurement of the Type 31.

Progress is being made on the Type 31 (T31) programme, with a substantial investment made in Babcock's facilities at Rosyth. This includes digitising the shipyard, new manufacturing facilities and a new purpose-built Assembly Hall that enables two T31s to be built simultaneously. In addition, there has been the generation of a Shore Integration facility at Portsdown Technology Park, to mitigate risks to the integration of the combat system.The Ministry of Defence continues to work closely with Babcock, the prime contractor, to ensure the T31 programme meets all user requirements to deliver a maritime security capability at a value for money price, in a timescale that is competitive with other international warship procurement programmes.

What steps he is taking to help protect London from potential hypersonic missile attacks.

The Ministry of Defence does not comment on specific capabilities, as doing so could provide an operational advantage to those who may seek to harm the UK. The UK has a suite of capabilities to tackle the missile threat which is advancing, proliferating and converging. The UK has announced an investment of up to £1 billion to enhance our integrated air and missile defence with a focus on homeland defence. The UK’s nuclear deterrent exists to deter the most extreme threats to the UK and our Allies. Its purpose is to preserve peace, prevent coercion, and deter aggression.

What is the status of the Type 32 project.

All platform choice decisions will be made as part of the Defence Investment Plan.

How many urgent repairs were requested for Service Family Accommodation from 20/12/25 to 1/1/26.

The Ministry of Defence has recently published the Defence Housing Strategy which sets out a vision for the future transformation of military homes; 90% of military homes will be upgraded, renewed or rebuilt, through a record £9 billion investment over a decade. The table below details the number of urgent repairs for Service Family Accommodation, including the reasons for these requests, during the period 20 December 2025 to 1 January 2026. Reason for Urgent Repair Number of Urgent Repairs 20 Dec 25 – 1 Jan 26Boiler584Burst (e.g. Pipes)114Pipe (e.g. Replacement)89Electrical Fault58Door (e.g Repair Hanging)37Electric Cooker36Tap34Basin or Sink29CCU (e.g Fuse Box)29Immersion Heather25Waste (e.g. repair leaking joint)24Smoke Detector21Socket19Bath15Gas Cooker14Roof13Radiator Valve12Flooring11W/C Cistern11Shower Pump10Shower8Stopcock8Light Fitting8Cylinder4Fencing3Staircase3Rodents3Mould3Switch3Air Source Heat Pump3Shower Screen2Ground Source Heat Pump2Ceiling2Window Fitting2Path or Base1Dwelling (e.g tenant locked out)1Tee (copper piping)1Window or Door2Garden1Floorboard1Gully1Tank1Manhole1Total Urgent Repairs Requested1249

For what reason were urgent repairs requested for Service Family Accommodation from 20/12/25 to 1/1/26.

The Ministry of Defence has recently published the Defence Housing Strategy which sets out a vision for the future transformation of military homes; 90% of military homes will be upgraded, renewed or rebuilt, through a record £9 billion investment over a decade. The table below details the number of urgent repairs for Service Family Accommodation, including the reasons for these requests, during the period 20 December 2025 to 1 January 2026. Reason for Urgent Repair Number of Urgent Repairs 20 Dec 25 – 1 Jan 26Boiler584Burst (e.g. Pipes)114Pipe (e.g. Replacement)89Electrical Fault58Door (e.g Repair Hanging)37Electric Cooker36Tap34Basin or Sink29CCU (e.g Fuse Box)29Immersion Heather25Waste (e.g. repair leaking joint)24Smoke Detector21Socket19Bath15Gas Cooker14Roof13Radiator Valve12Flooring11W/C Cistern11Shower Pump10Shower8Stopcock8Light Fitting8Cylinder4Fencing3Staircase3Rodents3Mould3Switch3Air Source Heat Pump3Shower Screen2Ground Source Heat Pump2Ceiling2Window Fitting2Path or Base1Dwelling (e.g tenant locked out)1Tee (copper piping)1Window or Door2Garden1Floorboard1Gully1Tank1Manhole1Total Urgent Repairs Requested1249

Following discharge, how quickly do veterans receive their medical records.

When an individual leaves the Armed Forces, Ministry of Defence (MOD) recognises the importance of facilitating the transfer of healthcare information to their civilian healthcare provider(s). On leaving Defence Medical Services (DMS) care, Service personnel are provided with a medical care summary, known as an FMed133, and advised to register with an NHS GP and provide them a copy of their FMED 133. If a patient’s full DMS health record is required, this is provided on request to their NHS GP. Given this and that some records are never requested, no accurate estimate can be made of the average time from discharge to the receipt of the medical records by the NHS GP. To improve the transfer of healthcare information, DMS is working towards the greater interoperability with NHS systems and the electronic transfer of medical records from DMS to NHS GPs. Under Programme CORTISONE, the MOD has awarded a £7.8 million contract to Leeds software company, The Phoenix Partnership, to provide a modern electronic healthcare records system for the Armed Forces. This will digitalise military medical records and integrate MOD systems with the NHS, with roll out scheduled for 2027.

How much his Department has spent on internal human resources services each year since 2015.

The table below shows the total amount spent each Financial Year (FY) on Civilian Human Resources Services and their associated costs provided by Defence Business Services, the Shared Service for Defence. This includes spend on the following DBS services: People Team, Core Recruitment and Joining Services, Document Management, HR Casework, Payroll Services, Workforce Management, Relocations, and Specialist Recruitment. It is important to note that the cost-centre mapping structure of DBS has changed significantly since 2015, meaning that figures may not be directly comparable. Financial YearTotal spent (£million)2015/1610.0152016/1710.5722017/1811.7212018/1910.8052019/2012.3292020/2111.4332021/2213.5532022/2315.7872023/2420.6512024/2517.896Ten year total134.852

How many dedicated mental health professionals there are per capita across the military; and how many have there been each year since 2015.

I am withholding the information as its disclosure would, or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.

How many service personnel received a pre-discharge mental health assessment in each year since 2015.

All personnel being discharged from the Armed Forces should receive a Structured Mental Health Assessment (SMHA). The primary intent of the SMHA is to identify any unmet or unaddressed mental health needs prior to discharge. The following table provides the numbers of UK Armed Forces personnel provided with a SMHA within 120 days of their release medical, by year from 1 January 2015 - 30 September 2025.YearSMHA Completed20158,14520168,66120179,820201810,509201910,44220206,52520217,54620229,734202310.675202410,2752025*6,911 * The number of SMHAs that took place between 1 January 2025 and 30 September 2025 to allow for a 120 day follow up period for completion. Armed Forces personnel being discharged from service who are already under the care of specialist mental health services should have an SMHA completed, however, in some cases this may not be necessary where the individual’s needs are already being met through those specialist services.

How much his Department has spent on military police services each year since 2015.

The information requested is shown below.Where available, costs for the three Service Police forces for each Financial Year (FY) since 2015 are shown in the folloing tables. Royal Navy: FY18/19 19/20 20/21 21/22 22/23 23/24 24/25 Total£million10,449,70211,276,90410,827,52811,888,60313,028,53811,775,21811,879,05881,125,550 British Army: FY15/1616/1717/1818/1919/2020/2121/2222/2323/2424/25Total£million94,700,21696,560,16690,692,79792,815,97895,970,48891,402,78193,365,27591,749,54984,196,42289,592,304921,045,976 Royal Air Force: FY20/2121/2222/2323/2424/25Total£million75.88077.42783.27887.56593.556417.706 Notes: Under UK Financial Regulations the Ministry of Defence is not obliged to hold financial data for more than seven years.Changes to the budgetary arrangements used by the Services over time preclude the provision of data for some earlier years.

Will the RAF's Eurofighter Typhoon be upgraded with the Aerodynamic Modification Kit.

The Typhoon is a world-class combat aircraft and will continue to serve as the backbone of the UK's Combat Air Force mass until at least the 2040s. To ensure it remains at the cutting edge of capability, the UK is planning significant investment in the Typhoon through-life equipment programme. Further details on future Typhoon investment will be outlined in the forthcoming Defence Investment Plan.

How many and what proportion of the capability requirements have Ajax-family Capability Drop 3 vehicles been verified to fully comply with.

It would not be appropriate to release a complete list of capability criteria, or any amendments to them, as doing so could prejudice the capability of our Armed Forces.

What estimate he has made of the number and proportion of the capability requirements that Ajax-family Capability Drop 4 vehicles will fully comply with.

It would not be appropriate to release a complete list of capability criteria, or any amendments to them, as doing so could prejudice the capability of our Armed Forces.