Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether the Armed Forces have full control over all weapons systems they have purchased and do not require the authority or permission of a third party for their use.

Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

All equipment procured for use by the UK Armed Forces is for defence purposes and so permission is not required from any third party for its deployment or use by UK personnel.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that F-35 aircraft purchased by the Royal Air Force contain a ‘kill switch’ controlled by either the manufacturer or the US government that can render them useless.

Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

I refer the Noble Lord to the answer my hon. Friend Luke Pollard MP gave to the hon. Member for Huntingdon (Ben Obese-Jecty) to Question 94529 on 3 December 2025 in the House of Commons.

The Ministry of Defence has Operational Sovereignty/Freedom of Action to operate the UK 'F-35 aircraft at the time and place of the UK Defence's choosing' and to 'procure critical capabilities to be located in the UK'.

This is combined with an in-depth understanding of the aircraft's capabilities that enable Operational Readiness and risk to be assessed against national legislation, the Geneva Convention and our Duty of Care before committing the equipment and personnel to operations.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the cost to (1) businesses, and (2) consumers, in Northern Ireland of the introduction by the European Union of a €2 handling charge for parcels with a value of less than €150.

Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

We are aware of changes to the EU’s rules of low-value imports and the announcement in December 2025 of its intention to introduce a handling fee on consumer parcels from November 2026.

At the Budget in November 2025, the Chancellor also announced the removal of the UK's relief from customs duty on goods below £135 from March 2029 at the latest. There is currently a consultation on these changes that closes on 6th March 2026.

We are committed to ensuring that the current facilitations available for parcels under the Windsor Framework continue to operate. The EU has not yet published their full legislation in relation to the handling fee and therefore an assessment cannot be made. The Government is, however, engaging closely with the EU with regard to their announcements.

The Government continues to engage with industry and the EU to ensure any applicable arrangements are implemented correctly and to minimise any negative impacts on Northern Ireland consumers and businesses.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to establishing a unit to promote import substitution; and what assessment they have made of the potential for such a unit to improve the UK's balance of payments.

Answered by Lord Stockwood - Minister of State (HM Treasury)

Our modern Industrial Strategy is a 10‑year plan to back the UK's strengths and realise our potential, creating a connected, high‑skilled, and economically growing country. We are also establishing a new Supply Chain Centre to analyse key inputs for priority sectors, assess future demand and identify where action is needed to increase our economic resilience - such as building domestic capability, diversifying supply routes and forming strategic international partnerships to ensure resilient and competitive supply chains. We will announce more details in due course.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the UK's current trade deficit with China; and what they forecast this deficit will be in each of the next three years.

Answered by Lord Stockwood - Minister of State (HM Treasury)

In the 12 months to September 2025, the UK ran a £43.5bn total trade deficit with China. The UK's goods and services trade balances were -£52.9bn and £9.4bn respectively. Over the same period, the UK ran an overall total trade deficit of £29.9bn with the world. [ONS UK total trade all countries Q3 2025]

Neither the UK government or the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), the official forecaster for the UK economy, forecasts bilateral trade balances.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the European Union's decision to designate Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organisation; and whether they plan to make a similar designation.

Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)

The UK stands proudly on the side of freedom and human rights, and we have long criticised Iran’s authoritarian regime and taken robust action to protect UK interests from Iranian state threats. On 13 January, the Foreign Secretary set out the action that the Government taking in coordination with allies in response to the consistent threat that the Iranian regime poses to stability, security, freedom and the UK national interest. We are now working further with the EU and other partners to explore what sanctions will be needed to respond to the horrific escalation seen in recent weeks.

It is the Government’s long-standing position not to comment on the detail of security and intelligence matters, including whether or not a specific organisation is being considered for proscription.

We are acting decisively to disrupt threats posed by Iran here in the UK. We have placed the Iranian state on the enhanced tier of the Foreign Influence Registration Scheme (FIRS), meaning that anyone working for or directed by the Iranian state to conduct activities in the UK must declare that activity, or risk up to five years in prison. The National Security Act 2023 also strengthens our powers to counter state threats, including from Iran, and provides the security services and law enforcement agencies with the tools they need to deter, detect, and disrupt these threats. Furthermore, we have committed to take forward plans recommended by Jonathan Hall KC for a proscription-like power for state and state-linked bodies to tackle malign activity more appropriately than is offered under the existing powers. We will introduce legislation as soon as Parliamentary time allows.

The UK now has over 550 sanctions against Iranian linked individuals and entities, including the IRGC, which has been sanctioned in its entirety. Over 220 designations have been imposed since this Government came into office. In concert with international partners, we will use all appropriate tools at our disposal to protect the UK, and our interests, from state threats.

Found: Your colleague Lord Empey has made a similar point, and in fact he has written to the Secretary of

Found: Your colleague Lord Empey has made a similar point, and in fact he has written to the Secretary of