Asked by: Lord West of Spithead (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what number of beagles and non-human primates were authorised for use in live experiments between October and December 2025; and what assessment they have made of these approval procedures.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
Statistics about the use of animals in live experiments, including beagles and non-human primates, in 2025 will be published later this year.
The Home Office publishes annual statistics on the use of animals in science which contain information on the number of procedures conducted, including breakdowns by species of animals and beagles specifically. This data is reported to the Home Office as an annual total and so monthly or quarterly breakdowns are not available. Animals may be used more than once in certain circumstances. The statistics report both the total number of procedures conducted and the number of animals used for the first time in a given year.
The Home Office also publishes non-technical summaries for every project licence granted under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986. The non-technical summaries include the species and number of animals expected to be used over the lifetime of the project licence.
The use of animals in scientific procedures is only authorised by the Home Office Regulator where the expected benefits to human and animal health, and the environment, are assessed as justifying the harms. The Regulator assures that the principles of replacement, reduction and refinement are fully implemented for all programmes of work involving animals. This means that non-animal methods must be used wherever practicably possible, the number of animals used must be minimised, and the most refined techniques must be employed to minimise harm.
Asked by: Lord West of Spithead (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government for what reason Maritime Counter-Terrorism forces are not used to interdict ships of the Russian shadow fleet when transiting the Channel or other waters close to the UK.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The UK is committed to countering the Russian Shadow Fleet, a web of rising shadow activity that fuels and finances nefarious activity across the globe, which helps it fuel its illegal war in Ukraine. We are determined to tackle sanctions evasion and shadow fleet activity that threatens our national security and undermines global trade. Working in concert with our allies and partners, we will use the range of tools at our disposal to crackdown on sanctions evasion and illegal maritime activity.
The UK has undertaken a range of actions, such as sanctioning over 500 vessels, to disrupt and deter shadow fleet activity. HMG, including the MOD, is working with international allies to intensify action to have a more assertive approach to counter sanction busting vessels, whilst upholding the international law of the sea.
Asked by: Lord West of Spithead (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether any ships of the Russian shadow fleet have entered British waters.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The UK Government monitors all vessels in UK waters which are of interest to the safety of mariners, the marine environment and the UK’s national security, and has observed suspected Russian shadow fleet vessels transiting through the UK’s territorial sea.
Since October 2024, the Department for Transport’s Voluntary Insurance Reporting Mechanism has challenged over 600 suspected shadow fleet vessels with unknown insurance, a significant portion of the shadow fleet, to provide their insurance as they transit the English Channel.
Asked by: Lord West of Spithead (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Coaker on 18 December 2025 (HL13064), whether only one Type 45 destroyer in the Royal Navy is operational.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Type 45 destroyers HMS Dauntless, Dragon and Duncan are operational.
Type 45 Power Improvement Project upgrades remain on target and Class availability is maximised to ensure that the Royal Navy has been able to fulfil all of its operational commitments.
Asked by: Lord West of Spithead (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of tankers owned by individuals outside Russia which are acting as part of the shadow fleet by transporting sanction-breaking oil shipments.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The UK has now sanctioned 545 ships under its Russia sanctions regulations. Russian oil cargoes carried on ships specified by the UK in the first half of 2025 dropped off by an estimated 28 per cent and were worth approximately $4.5 billion less, comparing prior cargoes to the three months post-specification. Establishing a shadow fleet, including replacing capacity lost to UK and partner sanctions has cost Russia at least $14 billion. Russia's oil export revenues are now at their lowest since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. At the start of last month (December 2025), nearly 180 million barrels of Russian oil were sitting in tankers undelivered - up 28 per cent since August 2025.
Asked by: Lord West of Spithead (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the monetary value to Russia of sanction-breaking oil carried in the shadow fleet.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The UK has now sanctioned 545 ships under its Russia sanctions regulations. Russian oil cargoes carried on ships specified by the UK in the first half of 2025 dropped off by an estimated 28 per cent and were worth approximately $4.5 billion less, comparing prior cargoes to the three months post-specification. Establishing a shadow fleet, including replacing capacity lost to UK and partner sanctions has cost Russia at least $14 billion. Russia's oil export revenues are now at their lowest since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. At the start of last month (December 2025), nearly 180 million barrels of Russian oil were sitting in tankers undelivered - up 28 per cent since August 2025.
Asked by: Lord West of Spithead (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of ships in the Russian shadow fleet.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The UK has now sanctioned 545 ships under its Russia sanctions regulations. Russian oil cargoes carried on ships specified by the UK in the first half of 2025 dropped off by an estimated 28 per cent and were worth approximately $4.5 billion less, comparing prior cargoes to the three months post-specification. Establishing a shadow fleet, including replacing capacity lost to UK and partner sanctions has cost Russia at least $14 billion. Russia's oil export revenues are now at their lowest since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. At the start of last month (December 2025), nearly 180 million barrels of Russian oil were sitting in tankers undelivered - up 28 per cent since August 2025.
Asked by: Lord West of Spithead (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to hasten the delivery of F-35 Lightning jets.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Defence Investment Plan outcome will inform any update to F-35 procurement timelines.
Asked by: Lord West of Spithead (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government when they expect to have taken delivery of 74 F-35 Lightning jets.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Department expects to take delivery of its 75th F-35 aircraft by the end of 2033.
Asked by: Lord West of Spithead (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to fit defensive laser systems to the UK's aircraft carriers.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Queen Elizabeth Class (QEC) aircraft carriers were designed with adaptability in mind, enabling capability upgrades throughout their service life. This flexibility ensures the Royal Navy can integrate emerging technologies and maintain operational advantage.
The Royal Navy remains committed to building combat mass while staying at the forefront of innovation. As part of this effort, a £316 million contract has been awarded to deliver the advanced DragonFire laser weapon system from 2027. This cutting-edge capability will augment the Type 45 destroyers and operate alongside the QEC carriers within the Carrier Strike Group, enhancing layered defence and future-proofing the fleet against evolving threats.