Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department plans to take to support international election observation and rule-of-law monitoring mechanisms in Nigeria ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

I refer the Rt Hon Member to the answer provided on 10 March 2026 in response to Question 117243.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps she is taking to support democratic participation in Nigeria ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

I refer the Rt Hon Member to the answer provided on 10 March 2026 in response to Question 117243.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of the level of the independence of the Nigerian judiciary; and whether judicial independence forms part of the Government’s criteria in assessing the credibility of Nigeria’s 2027 elections.

Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

I refer the Rt Hon Member to the answer provided on 10 March 2026 in response to Question 117243.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of Saudi Arabia air strikes against anti-Houthi coalition partners in southern Yemen and the potential impact of those air strikes on the expansion of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, in Hadramout and other governorates.

Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

I refer the Hon Member to the statement the I made to the House on 5 January, where I noted that the United Kingdom remains committed to supporting Yemen's unity, including the Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council and the Government of Yemen. The United Kingdom continues to stay in regular contact with our partners in Yemen, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates about the situation, and we will continue to work closely with them. The Government does not comment on operational intelligence, or security matters, but will continue to work with regional and international partners to tackle the threat posed by Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether his Department has made an assessment of the effectiveness of the Foreign Enlistment Act 1870 in relation to British nationals serving with the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

Travel advice for Ukraine, issued by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, makes clear that if a British national travels to Ukraine to fight, or to assist others engaged in the war, their activities may amount to offences under UK legislation.

Anyone, regardless of their citizenship, who travels from the UK to take part in conflicts overseas may be investigated by the police on return to determine if they have committed criminal offences, and to ensure that they do not pose a threat to our national security.

The UK remains steadfast in its support for Ukraine and the Ukrainian people. That commitment has never wavered. Together with our partners and allies, we continue to stand firmly with Ukraine in the face of Russia’s aggression.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to help provide legal clarity to British nationals who volunteer to serve in Ukraine.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

Travel advice for Ukraine, issued by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, makes clear that if a British national travels to Ukraine to fight, or to assist others engaged in the war, their activities may amount to offences under UK legislation.

Anyone, regardless of their citizenship, who travels from the UK to take part in conflicts overseas may be investigated by the police on return to determine if they have committed criminal offences, and to ensure that they do not pose a threat to our national security.

The UK remains steadfast in its support for Ukraine and the Ukrainian people. That commitment has never wavered. Together with our partners and allies, we continue to stand firmly with Ukraine in the face of Russia’s aggression.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she is taking steps to celebrate the 100th anniversary of greyhound racing in the UK.

Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The Government recognises the contribution that greyhound racing has made to the nation’s economy and cultural landscape since the first race on 26th July 1926 in Manchester. DCMS officials regularly engage with the Greyhound Board for Great Britain on a range of issues, and are exploring opportunities to celebrate the sport’s centenary.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Royal Navy destroyers and frigates were fully operational and deployable at immediate readiness in each of the last 12 months.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The Royal Navy maintains a high state of operational readiness across its core capabilities, including the Continuous At Sea Deterrent, Carrier Strike, frigates and destroyers, submarines, aviation, the Royal Marines and the Royal Fleet Auxiliary. The Fleet is deployed globally to protect the UK’s security and interests, working alongside allies and partners.

It is important to understand readiness as a constant cycle with ships moving regularly through maintenance, training, deployment and recovery phases. For reasons of operational security, the Ministry of Defence does not give detailed information on past or current levels of readiness for individual Royal Navy warships.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the operational readiness of the Royal Navy.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The Royal Navy maintains a high state of operational readiness across its core capabilities, including the Continuous At Sea Deterrent, Carrier Strike, frigates and destroyers, submarines, aviation, the Royal Marines and the Royal Fleet Auxiliary. The Fleet is deployed globally to protect the UK’s security and interests, working alongside allies and partners.

It is important to understand readiness as a constant cycle with ships moving regularly through maintenance, training, deployment and recovery phases. For reasons of operational security, the Ministry of Defence does not give detailed information on past or current levels of readiness for individual Royal Navy warships.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the written answer to Question 108177 of 3 February 2026 whether any exempt vignettes were granted to family members of consular officers who do not fall into the aforementioned categories.

Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

The information requested is not centrally held and could only be collected and verified for the purpose of answering this question at disproportionate cost.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the UK’s military capability to defend the Falkland Islands from potential aggression.

Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)

I refer the hon. gentleman to the response given to Question 118648 on 16 March 2026.

For operational and personnel security reasons we do not disclose the precise force levels deployed in the South Atlantic.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, for what reason the French Navy responded more quickly than the Royal Navy to the recent drone incident in Cyprus.

Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)

We cannot comment on the deployment decisions of other nations.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when his Department last conducted a review of the UK’s defence posture in the South Atlantic; and whether he plans to commission a new assessment.

Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)

I refer the hon. gentleman to the response given to Question 118648 on 16 March 2026.

For operational and personnel security reasons we do not disclose the precise force levels deployed in the South Atlantic.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the force levels are at RAF Mount Pleasant; and whether he plans to review them.

Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)

I refer the hon. gentleman to the response given to Question 118648 on 16 March 2026.

For operational and personnel security reasons we do not disclose the precise force levels deployed in the South Atlantic.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what factors contributed to the time taken between the drone attack on Cyprus and the deployment of HMS Dragon from Portsmouth.

Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)

We do not comment on deployment decisions for reasons of operational security.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to project 1 entitled Defining the role of G protein coupled receptors in the brain and the therapeutic potential of targeting these receptors in neurological disease and addiction, in her Department's document entitled Non-technical summaries for project licences granted October – December 2025 that require a retrospective assessment, published in February 2026, what assessment she has made of the scientific relevance to humans of injecting opioids into the veins of mice and then dipping the tail of some mice into hot water .

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

This project, among other research, sits within the Government’s broader strategy to support research that advances the understanding of major public health challenges – including addiction and neurodegenerative disease.

The non-technical summary for this research project is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/non-technical-summaries-granted-in-2025.

The use of mice and the procedures in question were assessed as appropriate and scientifically justified because they allow researchers to study learning, memory, reward-related behaviour and withdrawal symptoms in a way that cannot be replicated using non-animal methods alone.

All project licence applications under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA) are assessed by medically or veterinary qualified inspectors within the Animals in Science Regulation Unit (ASRU). Under ASPA, no project can be granted without a harm-benefit analysis, where an ASRU inspector makes a rigorous assessment of the scientific rationale, and must assess that the harms of the proposed project are justified by the likely benefits.

The project must also demonstrate full application of the legal requirements of replacement, reduction and refinement (the 3Rs). This means that animal use cannot be approved if a practicable non-animal alternative method exists, the number of any animals used must be minimised, and the most refined methods must be used for animal testing to minimise harms.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of trends in the number of (a) beagles, (b) non-human primates, (c) rabbits and (d) other animals that are estimated to be used in scientific procedures in the next three years.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Home Office publishes annual statistics on the use of animals in science which contain information on the number of procedures conducted, including break down by species of animals.

Animals may be used more than once in certain circumstances. These instances are counted as separate, additional procedures. As a result, the number of procedures is usually slightly higher than the number of animals used.

The annual statistics are published at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/animals-in-science-statistics

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