Limited Cold Weather Defence Capability
Limited specialised cold weather capability within the UK armed forces to meet objectives in extremely cold environments.
23 items
3 sources
Source spread
Where this theme appears
Limited Cold Weather Defence Capability has been flagged across 3 independent accountability sources:
1 PFD report
20 committee recs
2 IMB recs
When the same issue appears across inquiries, coroner reports, and regulators independently, it indicates a recurring issue across the public record.
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Source-grouped records are useful for tracing where a concern came from. Large sections show the 50 strongest matches for that source; counts still show the full theme total.
Committee Recommendations (20)
#5 — Revise Cold Weather Payment for daily rates, minimum temperature, and advance payments.
Recommendation: In its current form, the Cold Weather Payment is an outdated, old-fashioned scheme. The Government should revise the Cold Weather Payment as follows: to be applicable on a daily rate after a one- or three-day cold-wave below freezing; to be …
Gov response: The Cold Weather Payment scheme makes an important contribution towards the additional heating costs incurred during periods of exceptionally cold weather, between 1st of November and the 31st of March each year. The scheme’s design …
Not Accepted
#74 — Expand HMS Protector’s logistical role by upgrading sensor systems and adding a helicopter.
Recommendation: Additionally, HMS Protector’s role in logistics should be expanded, by upgrading her sensor systems with potential for collecting valuable data such as sea ice observations and oceanographic data. The Ministry of Defence should consult experts on expanding its onboard sensor …
Gov response: . The Government partially accepts these recommendations.
Partially Accepted
#5 — Enhance JEF’s deployable capability, including Royal Navy ships, to combat grey zone threats in the Arctic.
Recommendation: The Government should consider enhancing the JEF’s deployable capability to combat grey zone threats, such as protecting seabed infrastructure and permitting extended military operations in the High North/Arctic, for example by reinforcing the bows of Royal Navy ships, including the …
Gov response: We accept this recommendation with caveats. As stated in the NSS and SDR, the High North and Polar regions are an area of increasing competition and should be seen as regions of increased strategic interest. …
Accepted
#11 — Explore reforming Cold Weather Payment to provide daily payments during sub-zero forecasts.
Recommendation: The Government should explore reform of the Cold Weather Payment considering whether a £10 payment could be made to eligible households every day that the Met Office forecasts that the average temperature will be zero degrees or below the following …
Gov response: The Government continues to keep all policies under review. With respect to Cold Weather Payments, payments are currently made at £25 per seven consecutive days of below freezing temperatures in the eligible recipient’s local area, …
Not Addressed
#10 — Cold Weather Payment criteria are too high and payments inadequate for vulnerable households.
Recommendation: The criteria for triggering the Cold Weather Payment is set too high and does not reflect the impact that extreme cold can have on vulnerable households. Inadequate and unpredictable payments, sometimes made weeks after a period of cold weather, do …
Gov response: The Government continues to keep all policies under review. With respect to Cold Weather Payments, payments are currently made at £25 per seven consecutive days of below freezing temperatures in the eligible recipient’s local area, …
Not Accepted
#29 — Committee to scrutinise Defence Investment Plan's implications for UK and Overseas Territories defence.
Recommendation: We will ensure that our future examination of the thinking on capability and infrastructure requirements and the resultant force structure within the Defence Investment Plan will include scrutiny of the implications for defence of the UK and Overseas Territories. In …
Gov response: The SDR sets out how a renewed focus on home defence and resilience is vital to modern deterrence. The delivery of this is being considered as part of the DIP, which will deliver the vision …
Under Consideration
#28 — Ministry of Defence's slow progress threatens UK's Article 3 defence responsibilities.
Recommendation: We question the Ministry of Defence’s ability to protect the UK and the Overseas Territories from crisis or conflict. This means the UK is not fulfilling its Article 3 responsibilities—a fact recognised by Government. Despite this recognition from Government (which …
Gov response: The HDP, led by the Cabinet Office, is not a single deliverable with a set end date, but rather an enduring endeavour that will ensure coordination across departments and agencies in the event of major …
Accepted
#23 — Defence readiness suffers from in-year budget pressures, exacerbated by defence inflation.
Recommendation: The evidence is that readiness is suffering because of in-year pressures on budgets at a crucial time of preparation to meet potential conflict. It is vital that the additional funds allocated to defence by the Government do not get swallowed …
Gov response: The Government wholeheartedly agrees that every pound of taxpayers’ money spent on defence must be spent as effectively as possible, delivering value for money for the UK. Defence Reform, alongside speedier decision-making, to enable a …
Accepted
#15 — Ensure UK provides leadership and required capabilities for JEF operations in High North
Recommendation: The UK’s role as a framework nation in JEF means that it has to ensure it is leading both politically and militarily including by ensuring that it has the capabilities required for exercises and operations in the High North and …
Gov response: The SDR sets out how the UK should, as framework nation, continue with its Allies to develop the JEF as a capable and willing coalition, committed to improving NATO’s defence and deterrence in Northern Europe …
Accepted
#11 — Develop clear approach to Integrated Air and Missile Defence, given critical importance
Recommendation: The lack of clarity about the Government’s approach to Integrated Air and Missile Defence, given the absence of European IAMD capability, is an area of critical importance that requires urgent action. (Recommendation, Paragraph 42)
Gov response: We have committed to a spend of up to £1 billion in this Parliament on IAMD. This investment will initially focus on improvement of IAMD command and control to ensure we make best use of …
Accepted
#3 — Assess UK leadership in replacing US defence capabilities and supporting EU development programmes
Recommendation: The US needs to see European investment in defence capabilities for there to be any chance of an orderly transition of responsibilities. The Government should assess where the UK can lead in terms of replacing US capabilities in the event …
Gov response: NATO unity remains critical to our collective security. With our ‘NATO First’ approach, we have placed collective defence through NATO at the heart of our force design and capability planning. We are considering where to …
Under Consideration
#2 — European NATO members remain over-reliant on United States defence capabilities
Recommendation: Europe is over-reliant on US defence capabilities. Despite indications from successive US Presidents that Europe needs to step up, European NATO members have failed to invest in key strategic enablers. (Conclusion, Paragraph 14)
Gov response: At the NATO Summit in The Hague in June 2025, all 32 Allies agreed the foundations for a stronger, fairer, and more lethal NATO now and in the future, with their historic commitment to spending …
Accepted
#1 — Accelerate and deepen defence and security cooperation with EU and European partners on Russia threat
Recommendation: The Government should ensure that it accelerates and further deepens defence and security cooperation with the EU and European partners, particularly France, on the threat posed by Russia and the countries that enable it, notably China. As a nuclear power, …
Gov response: The UK continues to deepen defence and security cooperation with European partners, both bilaterally and through mini-lateral and multilateral formats. This contributes towards the strengthening of deterrence and defence in Europe and to countering the …
Accepted
#24 — Review cold weather capability needed for High North defence, focusing on Scotland-based assets.
Recommendation: The UK Government must review, and report to the House, the extent to which, now and in the future, what capability is needed to operate in extremely cold environments at the scale required to meet evolving defence and security objectives …
Gov response: The UK’s Defence Contribution to the High North committed to developing sustainable, modernised, and proportionate Defence capability for the region, including through investment in research and development. The UK will also seek to conduct cold …
Accepted
#23 — UK possesses limited specialised cold weather capability for High North objectives.
Recommendation: The UK needs a clear sense of what kind of specialised cold weather capability it will need to meet its objectives in the High North. We heard that the UK currently has limited capability for operating in extremely cold environments. …
Gov response: The UK’s Defence Contribution to the High North committed to developing sustainable, modernised, and proportionate Defence capability for the region, including through investment in research and development. The UK will also seek to conduct cold …
Accepted
#25 — Department dismisses concerns over grid supply levels, asserting routine system operation
Recommendation: The Department described energy security and the security of supply as its highest priority. We asked the Department what it thought about concerns, set out in a document published by Net Zero Watch called “Blackout Risk in the GB Grid”, …
Gov response: 6a. PAC recommendation: The Department should set out in its Treasury Minute response how it will make sure there is capacity in the grid when there is low generation from renewable energy during periods of …
Accepted
#12 — UK experiencing a severe and escalating energy debt crisis impacting millions of customers.
Recommendation: The UK is experiencing a severe energy debt crisis that shows little sign of abating. Millions of customers currently owe more than £4bn in debt and arrears, a record figure that has more than tripled in just five years. This …
Gov response: The Government recognises the need to tackle the problem of energy consumer debt, which remains at a record level. Too many families paid the price for our dependence on fossil fuels during the energy price …
Not Addressed
#3 — Millions in fuel poverty or with disabilities remain ineligible for Warm Home Discount scheme.
Recommendation: The Warm Home Discount is a crucial mechanism to tackle fuel poverty and we welcome the Government’s plans to broaden eligibility for the scheme for winter 2025–26. However, it is deeply troubling that millions of households in fuel poverty and …
Gov response: The Warm Home Discount is a key policy in the Government’s approach to tackling fuel poverty and reducing the energy costs of low-income and vulnerable households in Great Britain. On 19 June 2025, the Government …
Not Addressed
#15 —
Recommendation: Since October 2020, the Department has made a series of smaller funding commitments for the winter months, including a £10 million Cold Weather Fund, £12 million Protect Programme and £10 million in January 2021 for extra COVID protection for people …
Under Consideration
#1 — Assess Joint Expeditionary Force adaptation needs for climate change developments in the Arctic.
Recommendation: The increasing exploitation of the Arctic for international trade and exploration for critical minerals gives greater importance to the role of the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) as a security alliance in the ‘High North’. The Ministry of Defence should assess …
Gov response: . The UK is committed to working with Allies and Partners in the ‘High North’ to ensure that increasing access – through increased ice melt – to the region and its resources is managed safely …
Accepted