Lord West of Spithead

The Government Property Agency does not hold the Royal Naval Division War Memorial within its property portfolio. It is located outside the Agency’s freehold title.

The Export Control Joint Unit (ECJU) is responsible for licensing Private Maritime Security Companies (PMSCs) which provide armed security guards to protect vessels transiting the Indian Ocean High Risk Area from the threat of piracy. It also licences the vessel-based armouries which PMSCs use to store their weapons.

The licensing process for PMSCs and vessel-based armouries does not require information about where firearms originated, and therefore ECJU has no record of this information.

ECJU does not proactively monitor or record the number of vessels within the Indian Ocean.

All Private Maritime Security Companies (PMSCs) operating in the former Indian Ocean High Risk Area (HRA) require approval under the Open General Trade Control Licence for Maritime Anti-Piracy (OGTCL MA-P). Once granted by the Export Control Joint Unit, this approval is open-ended for as long as the PMSC remains active in the maritime anti-piracy sector and abides by the terms of the OGTCL MA-P licence.

ECJU would inform His Majesty’s Revenue & Customs, which is responsible for the enforcement of the UK export licensing regime, if they became aware of any breaches of licence conditions.

Whilst a direct assessment has not been made, evidence indicates that badgers are not considered to be a major reason for the decline in hedgehog numbers.

The main activities linked to the decline in hedgehogs are habitat loss, the use of pesticides and road traffic accidents.

The Government currently has no plans to add hedgehogs to Schedule 5 to the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. While we are concerned about the conservation of hedgehogs, there is no clear evidence to indicate recovery will be supported by protection under the Act as it does not regulate the main activities linked to its decline, namely habitat loss, the use of pesticides and road traffic accidents.

Our Environmental Land Management Schemes provide funding for habitat creation and management for threatened species, including the maintenance and creation of hedgerows, an important habitat for hedgehogs. Additionally, Biodiversity Net Gain and Local Nature Recovery Strategies will drive the creation and restoration of habitats that will benefit a range of species, including hedgehogs.

The Government has led the way in targeting Russia's shadow fleet of vessels transporting Russian oil and gas in breach of sanctions. On 17 December we sanctioned a further 20 oil tankers, bringing the total designated by this Government to 89, alongside 9 Liquified Natural Gas carriers. We have also sanctioned 7 vessels involved in the transport of military goods.

Sanctions against individual tankers are working. UK sanctioned ships have transported at least $695 million less in Russian crude and refined oil in the 3 months since we introduced sanctions compared to the previous quarter; and a significant number of tankers have ceased trading altogether.

Following the incident damaging the Estlink 2 undersea cable between Finland and Estonia on 25 December, the UK as a framework nation for the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) activated NORDIC WARDEN. This harnesses AI to track potential threats to undersea infrastructure and monitors the movements of the shadow fleet. On 10 January, the UK and US introduced further sanctions to clamp down on Putin's flow of energy revenues. The launch of BALTIC SENTRY on 14 January further improves Allies' ability to respond to destabilising acts.

The Agreement reached on 3 October will ensure the continued full, long-term, secure and effective operation of the Joint UK/US base on Diego Garcia. The Agreement is subject to the finalisation of a treaty, which will address the specific issues raised by the Noble Lord. The UK and Mauritius have committed to finalising and signing such a treaty as quickly as possible following Mauritian elections. After signature, the treaty is required to be ratified by both the UK and Mauritius before entry into force. Parliament will have the opportunity to scrutinise the detail of the Treaty prior to ratification, in the usual way.

The Agreement reached on 3 October will ensure the continued full, long-term, secure and effective operation of the Joint UK/US base on Diego Garcia. The Agreement is subject to the finalisation of a treaty, which will address the specific issues raised by the Noble Lord. The UK and Mauritius have committed to finalising and signing such a treaty as quickly as possible following Mauritian elections. After signature, the treaty is required to be ratified by both the UK and Mauritius before entry into force. Parliament will have the opportunity to scrutinise the detail of the Treaty prior to ratification, in the usual way.

The Agreement reached on 3 October will ensure the continued full, long-term, secure and effective operation of the Joint UK/US base on Diego Garcia. The Agreement is subject to the finalisation of a treaty, which will address the specific issues raised by the Noble Lord. The UK and Mauritius have committed to finalising and signing such a treaty as quickly as possible following Mauritian elections. After signature, the treaty is required to be ratified by both the UK and Mauritius before entry into force. Parliament will have the opportunity to scrutinise the detail of the Treaty prior to ratification, in the usual way.

We keep the list of proscribed terrorist organisations under constant review. Iran's destabilisation of the Middle East, human rights violations, nuclear escalation and threats against people in the UK are abhorrent. We will not hesitate to take the most effective measures against the regime and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Recently, we imposed sanctions against four IRGC individuals responsible for facilitating the work of Iran's proxies and partners in the region. Overall, the UK has more than 400 sanctions designations in place on Iranian individuals and entities in response to the regime's malign influence internationally.