Written questions by Akehurst.

How his Department intends to evaluate progress towards increasing the proportion of defence spending directed towards emerging technologies during this Parliament.

The Defence Industrial Strategy (DIS) highlights the need for an innovative defence industry that adapts to changing warfare by utilising data, software, procurement, exports, innovation, and R&D to promote UK science and emerging technologies, including clean technology. Following on from the DIS and the Strategic Defence Review. UK Defence Innovation (UKDI) has been established to harness UK ingenuity and boost military technology, as part of the Government’s drive to turbocharge innovation in defence and deliver growth as part of the Plan for Change. UKDI will be fully operational by July 2026 and will have a ringfenced budget of at least £400 million from financial year 2025-26 with the ambition for this to rise as UKDI becomes established. The Ministry of Defence will evaluate progress by regularly reviewing defence spending data to measure the proportion allocated to emerging technologies, setting clear targets, and reporting on these metrics to ensure commitments made for this Parliament are met.

What steps his Department is taking to improve access to defence research and development funding for small and medium‑sized businesses specialising in software, artificial intelligence, and data analytics.

UK Defence Innovation (UKDI) has been established to harness UK ingenuity and boost military technology, as part of the Government’s drive to turbocharge innovation in defence and deliver growth as part of the Plan for Change. UKDI will be fully operational by July 2026 and will have a ringfenced budget of at least £400 million from financial year 2025-26 with the ambition for this to rise as UKDI becomes established. The Ministry of Defence works closely with UK industry and academia, including Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SME), to identify and invest in innovative technologies that address our most pressing capability challenges. This includes businesses specialising in software, artificial intelligence, and data analytics.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of neo-prime defence companies on returns on investment for defence procurement.

As outlined in the Defence Industrial Strategy, the Ministry of Defence needs to look beyond traditional defence companies to redefine the industrial base, reflecting the deep range of partners and expertise both within our traditional defence sector but also those in adjacent sectors. To improve value for money, we are opening-up procurement to innovative, non traditional suppliers, accelerating delivery through spiral development, and strengthening competition — ensuring we deliver more capable outcomes to the front line at better value for the taxpayer.

What assessment the Department has made of the industrial lead times associated with establishing UK small arms manufacturing capacity for Project GRAYBURN, including facilities, specialist machinery, and workforce requirements.

Project GRAYBURN is in the formal concept phase and therefore the scope, timeline and complexity are yet to be determined. Project GRAYBURN will deliver against the Defence Industrial Strategy and our strategic partnership with industry will generate new long-term skilled jobs, including in STEM, and increase our industrial capacity and resilience.

Whether the Department is considering Project GRAYBURN as the anchor for a longer-term strategic supplier relationship covering wider dismounted close combat weapons and associated support.

Project GRAYBURN seeks to establish a strategic relationship with industry to deliver, manage, spirally develop and support the weapons portfolio. In time, this could be extended to the wider dismounted close combat weapons portfolio.

What plans he has to help ensure increased investment in defence innovation and supply chains arising from lessons learned in Ukraine for regional areas including North Durham.

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has established UK Defence Innovation (UKDI) which represents a fundamental transformation of how the Ministry of Defence (MOD) approaches innovation.Learning lessons from Ukraine as well as other international partners UKDI will act and operate differently, ruthlessly prioritising to focus on the areas with most potential, with significant freedoms to contract with speed, simplicity, and flexibility, harnessing and bolstering the competitiveness of the UK’s tech sector. UKDI has established Regional and Devolved Authorities Engagement Teams across the UK to systematically identify and nurture dual-use innovation from SMEs, mid-tier companies, and academic spin-outs. The core mission of the Regional and Devolved Authorities Engagement Teams is to deliver targeted outreach, support business development, foster supply chain collaboration, and accelerate the commercialisation of emerging technologies aligned with Defence and National Security priorities. These teams will facilitate regional access to defence-focused loans, investors, and venture builder services, while gathering critical market intelligence for MOD and National Security stakeholders.

What assessment the Department has made of the operational risks of replacing the SA80 service weapon without including modern optics within the scope of Project GRAYBURN.

Project GRAYBURN is in the Concept Phase during which the requirements for modern optics will be defined.

What assessment he has made of the potential implications for (a) his Department’s policies and (b) the Strategic Defence Review of Ukraine’s use of rapidly developed battlefield technologies, particularly in relation to accelerating UK capability development.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 31 March 2026 to Question 123249 to the hon. Member for Basildon and Billericay (Mr Holden).

What assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies on UK air and missile defence of Ukraine’s approach to air defence, including the role of trained personnel and real-time coordination.

The UK Armed Forces are drawing key lessons from Ukraine, particularly the need for a much faster ‘learn and adapt’ cycle to accelerate developments in our capabilities, doctrine, and tactics. Lessons from both Ukraine and the Middle East are already being applied to deliver cost-effective air defence solutions for the UK and its partners. The Strategic Defence Review announced up to £1 billion for UK air and missile defence. Work to deliver the Strategic Defence Reviews recommendations, including on Integrated Air and Missile Defence, will be set out in the forthcoming Defence Investment Plan.

Whether his Department plans to engage with early-stage initiatives such as the UK/EU–Ukraine Defence Innovation Corridor to support collaboration on defence innovation and capability development.

Ministry of Defence officials met representatives of the UK/EU-Ukraine Defence Innovation Corridor in March 2026 and advised on how any proposal could best align with existing UK-Ukraine defence engagement. We will keep early‑stage initiatives under review. Regarding helping UK companies exporting to Ukraine, building on our seventh and largest Trade Mission programme to Ukraine in March 2026; we are opening a Business Centre in Kyiv later this year, as we move to a permanent presence in Ukraine. This will help UK firms identify collaboration, partnership, and future export opportunities, for the UK and Ukraine's mutual benefit.

What steps his Department is taking to assess the potential for UK companies to access future partnership and export opportunities arising from the UK/EU–Ukraine Defence Innovation Corridor.

Ministry of Defence officials met representatives of the UK/EU-Ukraine Defence Innovation Corridor in March 2026 and advised on how any proposal could best align with existing UK-Ukraine defence engagement. We will keep early‑stage initiatives under review. Regarding helping UK companies exporting to Ukraine, building on our seventh and largest Trade Mission programme to Ukraine in March 2026; we are opening a Business Centre in Kyiv later this year, as we move to a permanent presence in Ukraine. This will help UK firms identify collaboration, partnership, and future export opportunities, for the UK and Ukraine's mutual benefit.

What assessment the Department has made of the potential strategic benefits of restoring sovereign UK capability for the manufacture, maintenance and through-life support of small arms used by the British Armed Forces.

The potential strategic benefits of restoring sovereign UK capability for the manufacture, maintenance and through-life support of small arms include greater strategic resilience, operational independence, skilled jobs, export opportunities and the development of a strategic partner relationship between the Ministry of Defence and industry. This could contribute to the wider ambition of the Defence Industrial Strategy to deliver a resilient UK industrial base and make Defence an engine for growth. Project GRAYBURN is in the Concept Phase. As such, it is considering the potential strategic benefits of restoring sovereign UK capability for the manufacture, maintenance and through-life support of small arms used by the Ministry of Defence.

What steps his Department is taking to incorporate lessons from Ukraine into the development of UK air and missile defence capabilities, including counter-drone systems and electronic warfare.

The UK’s Armed Forces are learning much from the war in Ukraine, particularly the need for a much faster ‘learn and adapt’ cycle to accelerate developments in our capabilities, doctrine, and tactics. More broadly, the Strategic Defence Review considered all aspects of Defence, including the capabilities required by the UK to meet the challenges, threats, and opportunities of the twenty-first century. Integrated Air and Missile Defence investments will be prioritised appropriately against the assessed threat picture as part of the future Integrated Force. Work to deliver the Strategic Defence Review recommendations, including on Integrated Air and Missile Defence, drones and electromagnetic warfare will be set out in the forthcoming Defence Investment Plan.

What the proposed timeline is for Project GRAYBURN, including the anticipated date of contract award; and what assessment his Department has made of the principal risks to delivering the first 10,000 new weapons into service by 2030.

Project GRAYBURN is currently in the concept phase with the aim of identifying and understanding requirements. As the exact delivery schedule will be determined in due course, I am unable to provide further detail at this stage.

What assessment he has made of the cumulative impact of delays to Challenger 3, Boxer, RCH155 and the Protected Mobility fleet on the British Army’s war‑fighting ability.

The ability to conduct high-end warfighting remains the core of the British Army, including being able to deploy a lethal warfighting Division that is fit for the modern battlefield. The Department conducts an annual Capability Audit to assess our ability to meet Defence commitments and policy objectives. This process considers the impact of any changes or delays across all major programmes. While detailed assessments cannot be shared for operational security reasons, we continue to monitor these programmes closely and manage any associated risks.

Whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of converting Type 31 frigates into air‑defence or land‑attack variants through installation of Mk41 Vertical Launch Systems.

The Type 31 frigate has been designed with flexibility and adaptability in mind, including provision within its baseline design to accommodate a range of future capability enhancements as required.As part of routine capability planning, the Ministry of Defence keeps potential upgrades to all Royal Navy platforms under regular review.

Whether his Department has examined options for cooperation with France on the M51.4 submarine‑launched missile.

The UK and France work closely together on a range of nuclear research and technology matters, including as part of the 2010 Teutates Treaty. Our deepening co-operation under the 2025 Northwood Declaration includes nuclear policy, capabilities and operations. The UK will continue to rely on its Trident II D5 submarine launched ballistic missiles, which we procure from the United States, significantly reducing the cost of our nuclear deterrent capability. The Trident missile system remains the most reliable weapons system in the world and the government has absolute confidence that the UK’s deterrent remains effective, dependable, and formidable.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the difference in time horizons between venture capital of three to four years, and defence procurement cycles that exceed a decade, on private investment in the domestic defence sector.

Venture capital is only a sub-section of the capital available to support defence and our transition to warfighting readiness; venture capital is most suited to innovative, high-growth potential companies, not the large defence programmes with the longest timelines and procurement cycles. Through Procurement Segmentation, as announced in the Strategic Defence Review and the Defence Industrial Strategy, we are establishing a ‘rapid commercial exploitation’ segment and distinct acquisition pathways which will enable a time-to-contract of three-months for innovative technologies, more closely aligning the timelines between investors and defence. This will drive the investability and bankability of the defence sector, in parallel to the support offered by the newly established UK Defence Innovation and wider public financial institutions (for example, the British Business Bank). The Defence Finance and Investment Strategy, to be published in Spring, will provide a comprehensive view of the measures to increase the available capital to improve warfighting readiness while also driving growth.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the retention payment introduced by the armed forces to private soldiers and lance corporals in 2025 on recruitment and retention of personnel.

The Army forecasts the impact to be in the region of 290 retentions to date. While there is no way to isolate the impact of this specific initiative from wider retention efforts, in seeking approval for this initiative, an assessment was made that c300 service personnel would be retained per year with an indicative saving over the cost of replacement. Therefore, the overall assessment is that Army Retention Payment is performing as anticipated.

What steps his Department is taking to improve the medical capacity of the armed forces.

The Strategic Defence Review recognises rebuilding medical capacity and capability within Defence is critical to ensure our Armed Forces remain fighting fit in peacetime and are prepared to meet operational demands when at war. Defence Medical Services (DMS) is working with the NHS to understand and improve system-wide capacity and capability. This work has included a series of exercises to explore the UK’s ability to deal with casualties across a range of scenarios up to and including warfighting. The DMS and NHS are also engaged in work to restore deployability for service personnel. The Department ensures military medics maintain the skills they require to support military operations across the globe with over 1000 military Doctors, Nurses and Allied Health Professionals based in 56 NHS trusts across the UK. Further, working with allies, through the NATO Medical Action Plan, the Department is focused on addressing priority challenges in workforce; mass casualty planning; patient evacuation; and medical logistics to improve the medical capacity of the Armed Forces.