Question follow-through · 51638
Ministry of Defence: Translation Services
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if they will make it their policy to not provide (a) translation and (b) interpretation for speakers of non-UK languages for services provided by their Department.
About this written question
A written question asks a government minister for information in writing. Parliament publishes the question and any answer.
- Answering body
- Ministry of Defence
- Tabled
- 12 May 2025
- Target answer date
- 14 May 2025
- Answer
- 20 May 2025 · 8 calendar days after tabling
Elapsed calendar days describe the record timeline, not whether Parliament considers an answer on time.
More questions by this MP on Defence and foreign affairs
- Ministry of Defence: Translation Services · 20 Jun 2025
- Ministry of Defence: Marketing · 24 Jun 2025
- Ministry of Defence: Remote Working · 2 Jul 2025
- Armed Forces: Food · 7 Jul 2025
- Ministry of Defence: Contracts · 14 Jul 2025
Shared topic keywords suggest a connection; they do not establish a follow-up.
Votes on this topic
- Opposition Day Motion: Defence spending and readiness - Prime Minister's Amendment · 23 Jun 2026
- Opposition day: Defence spending and readiness · 23 Jun 2026
- Armed Forces Bill Report Stage: Amendment 11 · 22 Jun 2026
These Commons divisions share a topic label. The question did not necessarily lead to a vote.
Recorded timeline
12 May 2025
Question tabled
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if they will make it their policy to not provide (a) translation and (b) interpretation for speakers of non-UK languages for services provided by their Department.
14 May 2025
Target answer date
Date supplied by the official written-questions record.
20 May 2025
Answer published
No, translation and interpretation for a range of languages other than English (‘non-UK’ languages) is, and will continue to be, required to provide a wide variety of services across multiple areas of Defence. Language service needs and spend are assessed...
Official data retrieved 28 Sept 2026.
Later records
Possible follow-up questions
Strong links require the same MP, department and exact heading. Other same-department questions are shown as unreviewed candidates, not as confirmed follow-ups. No debate link is asserted unless a stable source relationship exists.
Ministry of Defence: Translation Services
20 Jun 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much their Department has spent on (a) translation and (b) interpretation for languages other than (i) British Sign Language and (ii) languages native to the UK for people contacting (A) their Department and
Ministry of Defence: Marketing
24 Jun 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department has spent on (a) social media promotions, (b) influencer marketing and (c) online advertising in the last 12 months.
Ministry of Defence: Remote Working
2 Jul 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many staff in his Department have permission to work remotely outside the UK; and in which countries those staff are based.
Armed Forces: Food
7 Jul 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what proportion of food served in military catering contracts was sourced from the UK, in the latest period for which data is available.
Ministry of Defence: Contracts
14 Jul 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what proportion of procurement contracts were awarded to UK companies in the 2024-25 financial year.
Ministry of Defence: Pay
22 Jul 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many employees in his Department earn (a) £100,000 and (b) £166,000 or more per year.
Ministry of Defence: Meat
10 Oct 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will ensure that halal food is not the default option in (a) his Department, (b) military academies and (c) the armed forces.
Defence Academy: Catering
23 Oct 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will set out the labelling requirements that apply at point-of-sale in Defence Academy catering outlets to identify halal-certified meat; and whether customers are informed when certification involves speci
Defence Academy: Catering
23 Oct 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact on (a) the unit price (b) the supply chain and (c) wastage of supplying halal-certified meat by default at the Defence Academy.
Defence Academy: Catering
23 Oct 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what (a) animal welfare and (b) assurance standards are required of halal-certified meat supplied at the Defence Academy; whether stunning is mandated; and which certification bodies are recognised.
Defence Academy: Catering
23 Oct 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what (a) audit and (b) traceability checks are conducted to verify halal (i) certification and (ii) segregation in the Defence Academy catering supply chain; and how often compliance is reviewed.
Afghanistan: Home Country Nationals
27 Oct 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, on what date (a) Ministers in his Department were informed of the data breach affecting Afghan nationals who worked with UK forces and (b) that breach was escalated to the Information Commissioner’s Office.