Luke Akehurst MP: written questions
240 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Hospices: ChildrenDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 10 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 126224More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the £80 million funding announced for children’s hospices in October 2025 on the (a) availability and (b) sustainability of community-based so
Answer: Children’s hospices often provide holistic care, wrap-around services and additional support to children and their families that extend beyond core healthcare provision. This, for example, includes complementary therapies, respite care, and short breaks. ...
Answered 15 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordFirearms: Manufacturing IndustriesMinistry of DefenceTabled 10 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 125987More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, 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 F
Answer: 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 develo...
Answered 20 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordRifles: ProcurementMinistry of DefenceTabled 10 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 125986More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, 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.
Answer: 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.
Answered 20 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordRifles: ProcurementMinistry of DefenceTabled 10 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 125985More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, 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.
Answer: Project GRAYBURN is in the Concept Phase during which the requirements for modern optics will be defined.
Answered 20 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordRifles: ProcurementMinistry of DefenceTabled 10 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 125984More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, 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 workfor
Answer: 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 ...
Answered 20 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordRifles: ProcurementMinistry of DefenceTabled 10 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 125983More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, 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
Answer: 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.
Answered 20 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordUkraine: ExportsMinistry of DefenceTabled 10 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 125981More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, 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.
Answer: 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 revie...
Answered 20 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordUkraine: Innovation and TechnologyMinistry of DefenceTabled 10 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 125980More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, 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.
Answer: 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 revie...
Answered 20 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordUkraine: Innovation and TechnologyMinistry of DefenceTabled 10 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 125979More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, 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.
Answer: 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 ...
Answered 20 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordUkraine: Innovation and TechnologyMinistry of DefenceTabled 10 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 125978More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for 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.
Answer: 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 a...
Answered 20 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordUkraine: Innovation and TechnologyMinistry of DefenceTabled 10 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 125977More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, 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 rel
Answer: 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).
Answered 20 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordForeign Influence Registration SchemeHome OfficeTabled 23 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 122986More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 11 March 2026 to Question 117978 on Foreign Influence Registration Scheme, how many registrations have been entered on the enhanced tier since the scheme's inception; and whi
Answer: The Foreign Influence Registration scheme came into force on 1 July 2025 with Russia and Iran specified on the enhanced tier.The Government do not intend to provide details of registrations beyond those that appear on the public Foreign Influence Registra...
Answered 1 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordDefence: ProcurementMinistry of DefenceTabled 12 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 120440More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, 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
Answer: 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...
Answered 20 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordType 31 Frigates: Guided WeaponsMinistry of DefenceTabled 12 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 120439More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, 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.
Answer: 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 De...
Answered 19 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordArmoured Fighting Vehicles: ProcurementMinistry of DefenceTabled 12 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 120438More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, 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.
Answer: 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...
Answered 19 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordFrance: Guided WeaponsMinistry of DefenceTabled 12 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 120437More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has examined options for cooperation with France on the M51.4 submarine-launched missile.
Answer: 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 operati...
Answered 20 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordDefence: ProcurementMinistry of DefenceTabled 10 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 119579More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department takes to help ensure that overseas-owned original equipment manufacturers keep work in the UK supply chain in the event of delays or pauses to defence programmes.
Answer: The Defence Industrial Strategy sets out the commitment to make the UK a defence industrial leader by 2035, ensuring the UK becomes Europe’s leading defence exporter and the most attractive country in the world to grow a defence business. By reducing regu...
Answered 18 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordDefence: ProcurementMinistry of DefenceTabled 10 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 119578More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that original equipment manufacturers pay their supply-chain suppliers within 30 days; what reporting and transparency requirements apply to foreign prime contractors
Answer: The Ministry of Defence conducts regular spot checks on all contracts in scope of PPN 021: Payment Spot Checks in Public Sub-Contracts to ensure compliance with the 30-day payment term across the supply chain. The results of these checks are published onl...
Answered 18 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordArmed Forces: HealthMinistry of DefenceTabled 10 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 119577More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what proportion of serving British soldiers are classified as medically fit for immediate deployment; and how this compares to NATO readiness benchmarks.
Answer: The vast majority of our Service Personnel - around 90% - are deployable at any point, with most of the remaining members of our Armed Forces employed in wider military roles.
Answered 19 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordMilitary ExercisesMinistry of DefenceTabled 10 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 119576More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many large-scale brigade-level live exercises have been conducted by the armed forces in the previous five years; and what assessment he has made of the potential impact of those exercises on operational read
Answer: Over the past five years, the British Army, Royal Marine Commandos, and Royal Air Force have participated in 12 large-scale brigade-level live exercises, alongside multiple multinational training operations.
Answered 18 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordArmed Forces: Health ServicesMinistry of DefenceTabled 10 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 119575More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to improve the medical capacity of the armed forces.
Answer: 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 (D...
Answered 18 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordArmed Forces: PayMinistry of DefenceTabled 10 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 119574More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, 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.
Answer: 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 se...
Answered 18 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordArmed Forces: StandardsMinistry of DefenceTabled 10 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 119573More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress has been made on improving the lethality of the armed forces since the publication of the Strategic Defence Review.
Answer: Whether it is drones, counter-drone systems, ASGARD or Atlantic Bastion. We have made significant improvements to lethality of the Armed Forces since the Strategic Defence Review’s publication. We are delivering the capabilities and skills needed for the ...
Answered 20 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordApprentices: FinanceDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 10 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 119572More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of changes to eligibility to funding for Level 7 apprenticeships from 1 January 2026 on raising the status and attractiveness of technical and vocatio
Answer: This government has a driving mission to break down barriers to opportunity. Since January 2026, the government no longer funds level 7 apprenticeships, equivalent to master’s degree level, except for young apprentices under the age of 22, and those under...
Answered 18 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordArtillery: AmmunitionMinistry of DefenceTabled 9 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 119022More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to ensure sufficient artillery ammunition stockpiles for sustained operations in a peer-on-peer conflict.
Answer: The hon. Member will know UK stocks have been reduced from gifting to Ukraine since Putin’s full-scale invasion. The Strategic Defence Review sets out the plan to recover stockpiles - munition stockpile levels are actively reviewed to ensure current holdi...
Answered 17 Mar 2026
Original Parliament record
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