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Question follow-through · 117253

Armed Forces: Commonwealth

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department plans to review eligibility and residency requirements for Commonwealth citizens applying to join the UK Armed Forces, particularly in relation to security vetting and immigration condition

answeredMinistry of Defence

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
3 Mar 2026
Target answer date
5 Mar 2026
Answer
11 Mar 2026 · 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

Shared topic keywords suggest a connection; they do not establish a follow-up.

Votes on this topic

These Commons divisions share a topic label. The question did not necessarily lead to a vote.

Recorded timeline

  1. 3 Mar 2026

    Question tabled

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department plans to review eligibility and residency requirements for Commonwealth citizens applying to join the UK Armed Forces, particularly in relation to security vetting and immigration condition

  2. 5 Mar 2026

    Target answer date

    Date supplied by the official written-questions record.

  3. 11 Mar 2026

    Answer published

    Commonwealth citizens are, and always will be, an important and valued part of the UK Armed Forces and we have never stopped recruiting them. Citizens of over 40 Commonwealth countries are currently serving in the UK Armed Forces, and as at 1 October 2025...

Open official record

Official data retrieved 28 Sept 2026.

Later records

Possible follow-up questions

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4 Mar 2026 · To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will list enforcement and detention incidents involving Cuban vessels in each of the last five years.

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4 Mar 2026 · To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has had discussions with his counterpart in (a) France and (b) New Zealand on EEZ enforcement in the Pitcairn Islands.

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Middle East: Ballistic Missile Defence

9 Mar 2026 · To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of deploying additional missile defence systems to allies in the Gulf, such as the UAE and Bahrain.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Navy

16 Mar 2026 · To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the operational readiness of the Royal Navy.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Cyprus: HMS Dragon

16 Mar 2026 · To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what factors contributed to the time taken between the drone attack on Cyprus and the deployment of HMS Dragon from Portsmouth.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Cyprus: Unmanned Air Systems

16 Mar 2026 · To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, for what reason the French Navy responded more quickly than the Royal Navy to the recent drone incident in Cyprus.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Falkland Islands: Defence

16 Mar 2026 · To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the UK’s military capability to defend the Falkland Islands from potential aggression.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Falkland Islands: Armed Forces

16 Mar 2026 · To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the force levels are at RAF Mount Pleasant; and whether he plans to review them.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Warships

16 Mar 2026 · To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Royal Navy destroyers and frigates were fully operational and deployable at immediate readiness in each of the last 12 months.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

South Atlantic: Defence

16 Mar 2026 · To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when his Department last conducted a review of the UK’s defence posture in the South Atlantic; and whether he plans to commission a new assessment.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Gibraltar: Spain

10 Apr 2026 · To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Spanish Government's decision to restrict the use of Spanish airspace and military facilities for certain allied military operations on the UK’s defence,

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Spain: Military Aircraft

10 Apr 2026 · To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has assessed the potential operational impact of Spanish restrictions on allied military aircraft on UK military mobility or contingency planning in the Western Mediterranean, including in