Question follow-through · 119577
Armed Forces: Health
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.
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
- 10 Mar 2026
- Target answer date
- 12 Mar 2026
- Answer
- 19 Mar 2026 · 9 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
- France: Guided Weapons · 12 Mar 2026
- Armoured Fighting Vehicles: Procurement · 12 Mar 2026
- Type 31 Frigates: Guided Weapons · 12 Mar 2026
- Defence: Procurement · 12 Mar 2026
- Ukraine: Innovation and Technology · 10 Apr 2026
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
10 Mar 2026
Question tabled
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.
12 Mar 2026
Target answer date
Date supplied by the official written-questions record.
19 Mar 2026
Answer published
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.
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.
France: Guided Weapons
12 Mar 2026 · 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.
Armoured Fighting Vehicles: Procurement
12 Mar 2026 · 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.
Type 31 Frigates: Guided Weapons
12 Mar 2026 · 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.
Defence: Procurement
12 Mar 2026 · 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
Ukraine: Innovation and Technology
10 Apr 2026 · 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
Ukraine: Innovation and Technology
10 Apr 2026 · 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.
Ukraine: Innovation and Technology
10 Apr 2026 · 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.
Ukraine: Innovation and Technology
10 Apr 2026 · 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.
Ukraine: Exports
10 Apr 2026 · 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.
Rifles: Procurement
10 Apr 2026 · 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
Rifles: Procurement
10 Apr 2026 · 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
Rifles: Procurement
10 Apr 2026 · 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.