Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 9 September 2025 to Question 72563 on Sanctions, which company received a penalty of £1.1 million in May 2025.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

HMRC is unable to disclose this information due to its taxpayer confidentiality obligations. The Department for Business and Trade, on behalf of HMRC, publishes a notice every quarter in respect of the number of businesses and individuals that may have been prosecuted or received a compound settlement. This data is anonymised but allows exporters to remain aware of any enforcement outcomes. These updates can be found in Notices to exporters - GOV.UK.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 9 September 2025 to Question 72563 on Sanctions, which company received a monetary penalty of £465,000 in March 2025.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

On 20th March 2025, the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI) imposed on Herbert Smith Freehills CIS LLPP (“HSF Moscow”) a monetary penalty for the sum of £465,000. HSF Moscow was the subsidiary office to the UK registered Herbert Smith Freehills LLP (“HSF London”) until its closure by HSF London on 31 May 2022 as a consequence of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The reason for the penalty was the breach of financial sanctions imposed on Russia by providing payments to designated persons without a licence. The full penalty notice can be found here.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his Department's projected completion date is for Project Morpheus.

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

Following the closure of the Evolve to Open Transition Partner Contract in 2023, the Army has sought to achieve the objectives of MORPHEUS through iterative and incremental delivery. The Army has already demonstrated some of these capability goals through Project ASGARD. The Army continues to deliver tactical communications updates and upgrades across Defence and therefore the objectives of Project MORPHEUS remain ongoing under the revised Land Domain C4 sub-portfolio.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the full scope is of Project Theia.

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

Project THEIA is the British Army’s flagship digital transformation programme. Project THEIA is structured around three core objectives; transforming digital culture and behaviours, integrating information across domains and enhancing decision-making. The project has delivered major initiatives to support the digitalisation and modernisation of the British Army.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 9 September 2025 to Question 74146 on Defence: Huntingdon, (a) what and (b) where those two projects are.

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

I hope the hon. Member will understand that I cannot place all the details in the public domain at this time, but the two projects potentially eligible for fast-track planning in Huntingdon are still under consideration. No final decision has been made with respect to the location of the projects, their design or timescales for operational readiness.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what is the out-of-service date of the Watchkeeper TUAS.

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

As announced by the Secretary of State in 2024, the Army’s Watchkeeper Mk 1 Uncrewed Aerial System is in the process of being retired from service with an Out of Service Date of March 2027.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what grain is the standard 5.56 x 45mm ball round used by the Armed Forces.

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

The standard 5.56 x 45mm ball round used by the UK Armed Forces has a bullet weight of four grams, equivalent to 62 grains.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Answer of 24 July 2025 to Question HL9397 on Typhoon Aircraft: Factories, on what evidential basis his Department calculated that Combat Air would support 40,000 long-term, high-quality UK manufacturing jobs.

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

The figure related to an estimate of the number of jobs sustained across the Combat Air sector and its supply chains by the additional investment announced in the Strategic Defence Review over the next ten years. The estimate was based on internal analysis and some open-source data from the wider Combat Air industrial base.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Answer of 24 July 2025 to Question HL9397 on Typhoon Aircraft: Factories, what proportion of the funding for Combat Air will be spent on the (a) Typhoon, (b) F-35 and (c) Global Combat Air Programme.

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

Future spending on Combat Air programmes will be determined through the Defence Investment Plan. No decisions have yet been made on either the amount to be spent on Combat Air or the proportion that will be spent on Typhoon, F-35 and the Global Combat Air Programme.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the full scope is of Project Santa-ana.

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

Project SANTA ANA is a trial of two ‘off grid’ deployable, modular and mobile energy systems to compare market solutions to;

- generate power at the point of use.

- store the energy.

- manage the energy.

- distribute the energy to electric vehicles.

The system includes micro wind turbines, battery, solar, energy management systems and Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure.

The systems are being trialled at RAF Leeming, RNAS Yeovilton, Bovington and West Moors.

The system sited at RAF Leeming is in direct line of sight of an airfield radar system as part of a test of the impact of micro wind turbines on radar.

The trial will provide learning to the Ministry of Defence (MOD) to the following areas:

- To gain experience on reducing the reliance on the hydrocarbon logistics chain.

- To produce reliable and dependable off grid energy for a deployable environment.

- To exploit micro wind turbine technology.

- To challenge policy with respect to micro wind turbine and radar.

- To inform and influence MOD stakeholders on mobile renewable energy solutions.

- To understand the challenges of managing mobile renewable power and demand.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the full scope is of Project Cavendish.

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

Project CAVENDISH will commence in October 2025 and seeks to trial novel wastewater treatment technology on an Ministry of Defence (MOD) site. It will assess the feasibility and viability of net-positive energy sewage treatment on UK MOD sites in the United Kingdom and abroad. It will trial commercially available Microbial Electrolysis Cell (MEC) technology to treat sewage wastewater, produce energy-positive hydrogen and clean effluent.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what formal agreement between the UK and France stipulates the chain-of-command within the coalition of the willing.

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

The Multi-National Force-Ukraine is a combined UK-France lead, cohering UK-French co-leadership through the basis of the Combined Joint Force, formally the Combined Joint Expeditionary Force and renamed at the UK-France Summit in July 2025.

The CJEF Concept of Operations provides a collaboratively shaped set of pre-agreed processes and procedures for planning and managing operations undertaken by the UK and French militaries. The structure offers balance between the two militaries for mutual decision-making within the policy/military space.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Question of 9 September 2025 to Question 74242 on Ajax Vehicles: Procurement, what the Army’s fielding plan is for Ares vehicles.

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

The Army’s fielding plan is reviewed and updated on a regular basis to meet the changing needs of the Army. Currently ARES will be fielded to Training Regiments, Armoured Cavalry units and Armoured Infantry units.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the full scope is of Project Effingo.

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

Project EFFINGO was a UK Defence innovation project, that started in September 2022 and concluded in July 2023. Its aim was to demonstrate that a replica adversarial Uncrewed Aerial System (UAS) could be manufactured rapidly, and at relatively low cost, and be delivered to users within UK MOD for training purposes.

Conclusion of the project allowed UK MOD to develop relevant Training, Tactics and Procedures (TTPs) for defensive (Counter-UAS) purposes for the protection personnel, assets and infrastructure.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the full scope is of Project Theia.

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

Project THEIA is the British Army’s flagship digital transformation programme. Project THEIA is structured around three core objectives; transforming digital culture and behaviours, integrating information across domains and enhancing decision-making. The project has delivered major initiatives to support the digitalisation and modernisation of the British Army.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy, CP 1337, published on 23 June 2025, what procurement reforms will his Department introduce to improve the process in order to secure government contracts.

Answered by Chris Ward - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The UK’s Procurement Act, introduced by the previous administration, came into force on 24 February 2025 alongside a National Procurement Policy Statement aligning procurement to this Government's missions.

This Government also announced on 26 June 2025 a new 10-week consultation entitled Public Procurement - Growing British industry, jobs and skills.

These reforms aim to go further to strengthen the UK’s economic resilience and support British businesses. Our proposals will protect supply chains, support our businesses, create good local jobs, and deliver greater value for taxpayers.

We will set out our response and further measures shortly.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 9 September 2025 to Question 73845 on Prison Accommodation, how many of the 2,405 prisoners places were planned (a) prior to and (b) after the 5 July 2025; and on what date was each prison expansion signed off.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

All 2,405 prison places delivered between July 2024 and 23 August 2025 referred to in Question 73845 were planned prior to 5 July 2025. The Full Business Cases (FBC) for each project were approved by HM Treasury on the following dates:

*Due to the lower cost associated with the re-role of HMYOI Cookham Wood into a category C men’s prison, and departmental delegation levels, approval was given at an internal Board level.

Despite the FBC being granted by HM Treasury before July 2024, I am pleased to confirm that all 2,400 were delivered from 5 July 2024 onwards.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to her Department's press release entitled UK-France treaty targeting illegal crossings comes into force, published on 7 August 2025, what the total capacity is of each Immigration Removal Centre.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Home Office currently operates seven immigration removal centres (IRCs) throughout the UK, (six in England and one in Scotland).

As of 13 October, the Home Office has the capacity to detain around 2,400 people in IRCs. The table below sets out the current operational capacity for each IRC:

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to her Department's press release entitled UK-France treaty targeting illegal crossings comes into force, published on 7 August 2025, how many Immigration Removal Centre there are.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Home Office currently operates seven immigration removal centres (IRCs) throughout the UK, (six in England and one in Scotland).

As of 13 October, the Home Office has the capacity to detain around 2,400 people in IRCs. The table below sets out the current operational capacity for each IRC:

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what power capacity upgrades will take place in Huntingdon constituency via the Rapid Charging Fund.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

A reliable, accessible public charging network to support EV drivers on long journeys is essential to support the EV transition.

The market has changed significantly since the Rapid Charging Fund was announced, with now over 6,000 open-access, rapid and ultra-rapid chargepoints within one mile of the Strategic Road Network – more than quadrupling in the last three years (July 2022 – July 2025, Zapmap). No grant funding was awarded via the Rapid Charging Fund to Huntingdon.

We are adapting our approach to meet the needs of industry today. The recent Spending Review announced £400m for charging infrastructure, including to support charging on the Strategic Road Network. We will use lessons from the Rapid Charging Fund pilot and continue working with industry to target financial support where it is needed most.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress she has made on delivering the 2nd generation UK search and rescue aviation programme.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Second Generation UK Search and Rescue Aviation Programme is now 12 months into its Transition phase. It remains on track for the full capability to be delivered by 01 January 2027.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many days were lost to sickness absence by civil servants in their Department (a) in total and (b) on average per employee between 5 July 2024 and 4 July 2025.

Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)

Sickness absence data for the Civil Service, including departmental breakdowns is published annually, and is available here: Sickness absence in the Civil Service - GOV.UK. The next update will be for the year ending 31st March 2025.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to page 53 of the Defence Industrial Strategy: Making Defence an Engine for Growth, published on 8 September 2025, CP 1388, when he plans to open the consultation on the British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme.

Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Department for Business and Trade will launch a consultation on the British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme before the end of this year.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many commercial flights there have been with people being removed under the UK’s migration treaty with France since 1 September 2025; and how many people have been removed under this treaty.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

As published on GOV.UK on 9 October, 2 group flights saw 19 individuals returned to France. This was following the successful returns of an additional 7 individuals prior in the weeks prior to that. Further flights to France through the UK-France Agreement on the Prevention of Dangerous journeys are scheduled to take place over the coming days and weeks.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the National Infrastructure & Service Transformation Authority Annual Report 2024/25, published on 11 August 2025, for what reasons the senior responsible officer delivery confidence assessment in the Police National Database programme has changed from amber to red.

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

The Police National Database is a live intelligence-sharing service. It provides a national view of 6.3 billion searchable records, 19.9m images and information from 198 systems/databases. It is used by 49 UK police forces and 56 Law enforcement agencies, and around 1.3m searches are made each month.

The change in confidence rating from amber to red was primarily related to delays to a platform upgrade and transition to the cloud.

The Home Office is currently considering its options for future delivery of the Police National Database transformation programme and further information will be issued once a decision has been taken.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the news story entitled Live Facial Recognition technology to catch high-harm offenders, published on 13 August 2025, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of extending the use of this capability from Bedfordshire to the tri-force area that includes Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire.

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

The Home Office has funded the roll-out of ten live facial recognition (LFR) vans to seven host police forces, with Bedfordshire Police being one of those forces. Access to the LFR vans is available to all forces including Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire, subject to operational need and local decision-making.

No formal assessment is therefore needed by the government as the capability is already available to those forces should they choose to deploy it.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to his Department's policy paper entitled AI action plan for justice, published on 31 July 2025, what his Department's projected completion date is for the roll out of Microsoft 365 Copilot to leadership judges.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

The Judicial Office, an office of the Ministry of Justice that supports the judiciary carry out its duties, purchased 300 Copilot 365 licences for leadership judges in July 2025. Leadership judges include: the Lady Chief Justice, Master of the Rolls, Heads of Division, Senior President of Tribunals, Lords and Lady Justices of Appeal, High Court Presiders, Tribunal Presidents, Senior Circuit Judges, Resident Judges, Regional Judges, Tribunal Presidents, Designated Judges, Judicial College Directors of Training, Chief Coroner, and the Chief Magistrate.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 114 of the Strategic Defence Review 2025, published on 8 July 2025, what progress he has made in enhancing protector with maritime (a) surveillance equipment and (b) connectivity.

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

The exploration of the Maritime capability for Protector is being considered as part of the Defence Investment Plan to take onboard the Review's vision and recommendations and turn them into a delivery plan. We will ensure that this Plan is affordable, considers infrastructure and people, alongside capabilities and maximises the benefits of defence spending to grow the UK economy.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to recommendation 47 of the Strategic Defence Review 2025, published on 8 July 2025, when Protector will be integrated with P-8 Poseidon.

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

The exploration of the Maritime capability for Protector is being considered as part of the Defence Investment Plan to take onboard the Review's vision and recommendations and turn them into a delivery plan. We will ensure that this Plan is affordable, considers infrastructure and people, alongside capabilities and maximises the benefits of defence spending to grow the UK economy.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to his Department's policy paper entitled AI action plan for justice, published on 31 July 2025, what steps he is taking to enhance (a) AI leadership, (b) governance, (c) ethics, (d) data, (e) digital infrastructure and (f) commercial frameworks.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

The Ministry of Justice’s AI Action Plan for Justice set out a series of bold, ambitious steps to promote the responsible use of AI tools across the department and the wider justice system. A Justice AI Unit headed up by a Chief AI Officer has been established. To embed ethics into our approach, we have developed a publicly accessible AI and Data Science Ethics Framework. This practical toolkit, created in partnership with the Alan Turing Institute, guides developers, policymakers, and decision-makers from inception through to deployment. We are also taking steps to improve the quality of our data to facilitate greater AI enablement. This includes linking offender data across systems through our BOLD and Data First programmes to improve public safety, rehabilitation, youth justice, prevention and victim services.

The Ministry of Justice is working with existing suppliers to leverage their AI capabilities to support the delivery of services and will continue to explore the opportunities available in the supplier market that will support the delivery of the AI Action Plan. Through Procurement framework including Crown Commercial Services Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Spark DPS frameworks and leveraging the benefits of Memorandums of Understanding in place between HMG and supplier in the marketplace, the Ministry of Justice will develop AI capabilities for the future.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress he has made in delivering the Collections and Packaging Reforms programme.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government has passed or is on track to pass all the necessary legislation to deliver the Collection and Packaging Reforms Programme, and making strong progress on achieving our target of 65% recycling by 2035 in England, after a decade of stagnating recycling rates.

For Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging (pEPR), The Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging and Packaging Waste) Regulations came into effect on 1 January 2025 and on Friday 27 June 2025, PackUK confirmed 2025 base fees (fees for Year 1 of pEPR) for eight packaging material categories. Packaging producers liable under the regulations have been invoiced this month.

In January 2025, the legislation for the Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) for drinks containers in England and Northern Ireland came into force. A new organisation called UK Deposit Management Organisation Ltd (UK DMO) will run the scheme, and were officially appointed in May 2025 (England & NI) and June 2025 (Scotland). UK DMO will engage regularly with shops, drinks companies, environmental groups, and the public to help design and run the scheme.

Simpler Recycling has now come into effect for all workplaces with 10 or more full-time equivalent employees in England. This requires workplaces to separately recycle dry mixed recycling (plastic, metal, glass), paper and card, and food waste. By 31 March 2026, local authorities will be required to collect the core recyclable waste streams from all households in England. This includes introducing weekly food waste collections for all homes, unless a transitional arrangement applies (a transitional arrangement is where a local authority has agreed a later implementation date set in regulations). Micro-firms (workplaces with fewer than 10 employees), have until 31 March 2027 to comply, and plastic film collections from all households and workplaces will also be required by then.

Finally, to help tackle the problem of illegal waste practices and outdated record-keeping, we are introducing mandatory digital waste tracking, which will become available for all permitted and licensed sites receiving waste in April 2026 and mandatory for permitted and licensed waste receiving sites from October 2026 in the first phase.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to his Department's policy paper entitled AI action plan for justice, published on 31 July 2025, what progress he has made in strengthening partnerships with regulators to support AI-driven legal innovation.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

The AI Action Plan for Justice commits the Ministry of Justice to working with regulators to support responsible AI adoption across the legal sector (Action 3.5). Legal Service Regulators are independent of government, but the Ministry of Justice maintains strong and close working relationships with them – for example, by offering AI-related training, facilitating knowledge-sharing, and maintaining regular engagement, including hosting a recent roundtable with a broad range of regulators to identify practical ways to support innovation across the sector. Our shared goal is to ensure regulation remains proportionate, evidence-based, and adaptable as AI technologies evolve.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many named neighbourhood officers are in place in England and Wales.

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

The Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee ensures that every neighbourhood has named, contactable officers, with details available via each local police force’s website.

As part of the Guarantee, 3,000 additional officers and PCSOs will be deployed to neighbourhood policing teams across England and Wales by March 2026.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to recommendation 47 of the Strategic Defence Review 2025, published on 8 July 2025, when will Protector be integrated with Type-26 frigates.

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

The exploration of the Maritime capability for Protector is being considered as part of the Defence Investment Plan to take onboard the Review's vision and recommendations and turn them into a delivery plan. We will ensure that this Plan is affordable, considers infrastructure and people, alongside capabilities and maximises the benefits of defence spending to grow the UK economy.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he has issued guidance on the length of time over which Council Tax equalisation can take place.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The government set out the process for council tax equalisation in The Local Government (Structural Changes) (Finance) Regulations 2008 (SI 2008/3022). These regulations set out equalisation must be completed no later than the beginning of the eighth financial year after restructuring. Councils are responsible for setting their own level of council tax, including how quickly council tax levels are equalised within this timeframe. While the government does not currently issue guidance on this, we will continue to review the FAQs published on the Local Government Association website regarding devolution and local government reorganisation.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when she expects Project Reach to be completed.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Network Rail’s Reach partners are developing a detailed delivery plan and hope to have made significant improvements to coverage this control period (end of 2029).

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what progress she has made in establishing an AI governance framework.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

AI is a general-purpose technology with a wide range of applications, which is why we believe that most AI systems should be regulated at the point of use by existing regulators. A range of rules already apply to AI systems, including data protection, competition, equality legislation and other sectoral regulation. The government is working with regulators to support them on their AI capability needs.

The most advanced systems pose distinct opportunities and risks. We are committed to ensuring the UK is prepared for the changes AI will bring.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what her responsibilities are as electromagnetic spectrum policy lead.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The Secretary of State holds overall responsibility for DSIT, the lead department for spectrum policy. Ofcom manages spectrum under two Acts of Parliament (the Communications Act 2003 and the Wireless Telegraphy Act 2006).

The Secretary of State directs Ofcom on matters of strategic importance to the Government and provides policy steers through levers including the Statement of Strategic Priorities (SSP) for telecommunications and spectrum, which Ofcom must have regard for when exercising its functions.

Ofcom also represents the UK at international negotiations on spectrum use, including the World Radio Conference (WRC), and the UK’s positions are informed by government through DSIT.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 9 September 2025 to Question 73845 on Prison Accommodation, how many of those places were approved for construction since July 2024 in each location.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

None of the places referenced in PQ 73845 were approved for construction since July 2024. They were all approved prior to July 2024.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the data tables accompanying the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority Annual Report 2024-25, published on 11 August 2025, what assessment she made of the reasons for the Infrastructure and Projects delivery confidence assessment rating of red for the 10K Additional Prison Places Estate Expansion Houseblocks and Refurbishment programme.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

At the time of the report, both the Houseblocks and Refurbishments Programme and Category D Expansion Programme had been impacted by ISG, a supplier of prison building contracts, entering in administration in September 2024. The loss of the building contractor meant the programmes had no guaranteed route to delivery or cost certainty until the reprocurement of those contracts concluded, meaning a red assessment was appropriate at the time.

As part of contingency plans in place, we have appointed a number of replacement constructors to take over projects that were previously with ISG. These contracts have been signed, and constructors are safely taking over sites and reviewing existing designs. Once this is complete, a programme will be developed to recommence delivery.

We are committed to delivering an additional 14,000 prison places and are on track to do so by 2031; we have already delivered c.2,500 of these since taking office.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent progress she has made in signing a new contract to (a) run, (b) maintenance and (c) support the Law Enforcement Cloud Platform.

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

The Law Enforcement Cloud Platform (LECP) is moving away from using an outside service provider and will start managing its own support through the in-house Shared Application Service (SAS) team.

By the end of this financial year key roles will be taken over by civil servants and other Home Office Digital staff. During 2026, service management and security for LECP will be included in a unified support model, reducing reliance on external providers.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what biometric data is stored by her Department as part of the Immigration and Asylum Biometric System.

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

Biometrics, in the form of fingerprints and facial images, underpin the UK Immigration system to support identity assurance and suitability checks on foreign nationals who are subject to immigration control. This data is stored on the Immigration and Asylum Biometric System (IABS).

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to page 46 of the National Security Strategy 2025, published in June 2025, CP 1338, what progress she has made on strengthening the UK’s asymmetric position in sovereign AI capability.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

As stated in the National Security Strategy 2025, the Government is delivering on its ambition for the UK to become world-leading in priority areas where we have a strategic edge, such as high-impact sectors like defence, healthcare, and computing. Through the £500 million-backed Sovereign AI Unit, we will combine equity investment with other levers to back British businesses to become national champions in critical domains.

In addition, the UK is scaling sovereign compute to protect national interests and unlock growth. In July, DSIT published the Compute Roadmap that sets out how we will significantly bolster compute capacity by 2030. This builds on our commitment during the Spending Review to fund over £1bn to expand the AI Research Resource at least twentyfold by 2030, and up to £750 million for a new national supercomputer in Edinburgh.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to page 12 of the National Security Strategy 2025, CP 1338, published on 24 June 2025, what recent progress he has made on building the national security agenda for (a) AI and (b) other frontier technologies.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

I refer the hon. Member for Huntingdon to the answer of 15^th September 2025 to Questions 72559 and 72560. (Q. National Security: Digital Technology)

DSIT is supporting the implementation of the National Security Strategy by identifying, nurturing, and protecting the UK’s sovereign strengths in science, technology, and innovation, and by aligning objectives and metrics to achieve measurable results.

The Government's response to the AI Opportunities Action Plan sets out a comprehensive programme of work to build national capacity and accelerate adoption. This includes our commitment to 20x public compute, establishing the sovereign AI unit backed by up to £500 million, and our investment into cutting edge research via the AI security institute. We have also committed to publishing an AI for Science strategy.

DSIT has also committed to work with the Ministry of Defence to pull through innovative capabilities to mission at speed and foster a thriving and world-leading UK defence technology sector through collaboration in multiple areas e.g. on the creation of UK Defence Innovation (UKDI) and closer working on National Security Strategic Investment Fund (NSSIF) investment programmes.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the data tables accompanying the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority Annual Report 2024-25, published on 11 August 2025, what assessment she made of the reasons for the Infrastructure and Projects delivery confidence assessment rating of red for the 10K Additional Prison Places Estate Expansion Category D programme.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

At the time of the report, both the Houseblocks and Refurbishments Programme and Category D Expansion Programme had been impacted by ISG, a supplier of prison building contracts, entering in administration in September 2024. The loss of the building contractor meant the programmes had no guaranteed route to delivery or cost certainty until the reprocurement of those contracts concluded, meaning a red assessment was appropriate at the time.

As part of contingency plans in place, we have appointed a number of replacement constructors to take over projects that were previously with ISG. These contracts have been signed, and constructors are safely taking over sites and reviewing existing designs. Once this is complete, a programme will be developed to recommence delivery.

We are committed to delivering an additional 14,000 prison places and are on track to do so by 2031; we have already delivered c.2,500 of these since taking office.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to his Department's policy paper entitled AI action plan for justice, published on 31 July 2025, what progress has he made in providing all staff with secure, enterprise-grade AI assistants by December 2025.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

The Ministry of Justice is making strong progress in delivering secure, enterprise-grade AI tools to staff in line with the AI Action Plan for Justice. Through the Department’s AI for All initiative, all staff now have access to a secure AI assistant that supports day-to-day tasks such as drafting, summarising and document handling. Work is also under way to deploy advanced AI capabilities to assist with more complex functions, including research, data analysis and case-management support, helping to improve productivity, reduce administrative burden and enable staff to focus on higher-value work.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to his Department's policy paper entitled AI action plan for justice, published on 31 July 2025, what progress he has made in piloting AI (a) transcription and (b) summarisation tools in probation services in (i) Kent, (ii) Surrey, (iii) Sussex, and (iv) Wales.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

The Ministry of Justice is piloting AI transcription and summarisation tools in probation services across Kent, Surrey, Sussex and Wales to reduce administrative burdens and free up frontline staff time for direct engagement and case management. Early user feedback and evaluations have been positive. The findings will inform future decisions on wider deployment and investment across probation services.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, is he will set out the (a) delivery and (b) in-service date for each Type 26 frigate.

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

The Type 26 programme remains on track to meet all user requirements and deliver eight world-class anti-submarine warfare frigates in time to replace the anti-submarine warfare Type 23s. All ships are expected to enter service between 2028 and 2035.

Type 26 Frigates will allow the Royal Navy to continue to play a leading role in the anti-submarine theatre of the North Atlantic, providing a crucial output to both NATO and the Joint Expeditionary Force.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 126 of the Strategic Defence Review 2025, what units are included within the single Service-designated Special Operations Forces.

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

The Strategic Defence Review was clear that the current threat environment means Defence needs greater choice and resilience across the spectrum of military effects. Units such as the Army Rangers and the Commando Force will provide the special operations-capable forces required to improve the UK’s warfighting capabilities as well as helping fulfil our contribution to NATO’s Special Operations Taskforce 2026.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which units fall under the umbrella of Special Operations Forces.

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

The Strategic Defence Review was clear that the current threat environment means Defence needs greater choice and resilience across the spectrum of military effects. Units such as the Army Rangers and the Commando Force will provide the special operations-capable forces required to improve the UK’s warfighting capabilities as well as helping fulfil our contribution to NATO’s Special Operations Taskforce 2026.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Royal Air Force Poseidon P-8 aircraft have not been airworthy for more than 12 months.

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

There have been 2 occasions when a Poseidon MRA1 has not flown for more than 12 months due to maintenance:

· ZP804 - 06/03/2024 to 04/09/2025

· ZP807 - 12/07/2023 to 13/09/2024

This was mitigated through routine fleet management and maintenance planning frameworks.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which (a) former bases and (b) other sites owned by his Department are categorised as disused and not earmarked for disposal within this Parliament.

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

There are no former bases or other sites owned by the Ministry of Defence that are disused and have no plan for disposal within this Parliament.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what DNA information is (a) recorded and (b) stored as part of the Home Office Biometrics programme.

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

The Forensic Information Databases Service (FINDS) Unit manages the National DNA Database (NDNAD) and other national DNA databases on behalf of policing. The Home Office Biometrics Programme provides maintenance and development support of the IT system which contains the databases.

The DNA databases administered by FINDS are as follows:

• The National DNA Database (NDNAD) holds DNA profile records taken from individuals arrested under the appropriate legislation (e.g. PACE) and also from crime scenes. The data provides the police with matches linking an individual to a crime scene or a crime scene to another crime scene.

• The Missing Persons DNA Database (MPDD) holds DNA profile records attributed to missing persons; including where an existing record for the missing person is available from the NDNAD, where a DNA profile is able to be developed from the belongings of a missing person, or from the close relatives of the missing person (who will have similar DNA) who have volunteered their DNA to be included on the MPDD.

• The Vulnerable Persons DNA Database (VPDD) holds the DNA profile records of people who are at risk (or who consider themselves at risk) of harm (for instance due to child sexual exploitation or honour-based abuse) and have asked for their profile to be added to the database.

• The Centralised DNA Contamination Elimination Database (CED) holds profiles generated from DNA samples provided by police officers and police staff, and from other individuals with potential to introduce contamination into the DNA supply chain, such as staff employed in DNA sampling and processing.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to his Department's policy paper entitled AI action plan for justice, published on 31 July 2025, what progress he has made in exploring new funding mechanisms to support AI adoption.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

The Ministry of Justice is working with existing suppliers to leverage their AI capabilities to support the delivery of services and will continue to explore the opportunities available in the supplier market that will support the delivery of the AI Action Plan. Through Procurement framework including Crown Commercial Services Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Spark DPS frameworks and leveraging the benefits of Memorandums of Understanding in place between HMG and supplier in the marketplace, the Ministry of Justice will develop AI capabilities for the future. The Department is also exploring funding mechanisms for AI and digital with the Department of Science, Innovation & Technology.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to his Department's policy paper entitled AI action plan for justice, published on 31 July 2025, when he expects the Assessing Risks Needs and Strengths tool to come into use.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

The Assessing Risks, Needs and Strengths (or ARNS) tool is being tested by a small group of practitioners across four probation regions currently, to support its ongoing design and development. Elements of ARNS will begin to roll out nationally from March 2026, with further capabilities being released over time.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to his Department's policy paper entitled AI action plan for justice, published on 31 July 2025, what progress he has made in delivering a dedicated AI communications plan.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

Transparency of how Artificial Intelligence (AI) is used is fundamental to earning public trust and ensuring the responsible use of AI. We are making progress against our aim to deliver a dedicated AI Communications Plan, which includes establishing internal and external-facing channels that showcase the department’s ethical use of AI. For the internal workforce, we have established a dedicated ‘AI for All’ hub which provides access to training sessions, webinars, and practical resources to support safe, responsible use of AI tools. Separately, our public-facing online hub at ai.justice.gov.uk serves as a central point of engagement for the public and provides updates on the Ministry of Justice’s ethical use of AI.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to his Department's policy paper entitled AI action plan for justice, published on 31 July 2025, what progress he has made with with the Online Procedure Rule Committee to ensure that AI-enabled digital justice services are (a) coherent, (b) user-centred and (c) legally robust.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

The Online Procedure Rule Committee is responsible for making rules governing the practice and procedure for specific types of online court and tribunal proceedings across the Civil, Family and Tribunal jurisdictions. These rules will ensure that those court and tribunal digital services are coherent, user-centred and legally robust.

The Committee published a consultation on 11 July 2025 on its draft Inclusion Framework and Pre Action Model. This sought views on a wide variety of subjects including how to ensure digital justice services that aren’t provided by government, including those that use generative artificial intelligence, are delivered in a safe, transparent and accountable way across the Civil, Family and Tribunal jurisdictions.

The consultation closed on 19 September 2025, and the committee plans to set out next steps in early 2026.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to her Department's press release entitled UK-France treaty targeting illegal crossings comes into force, published on 7 August 2025, what the eligibility checks required to qualify for the legal route are.

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

The eligibility criteria for the UK/European Applicant Transfer Scheme (the legal route) are set out in published immigration rules which can be found at the following link: Immigration Rules - Immigration Rules Appendix UK/

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what level of (a) cooperation, (b) coordination and (c) deconfliction takes place between UK Space Command and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.

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

There are several cross-Government forums where capability roadmaps are discussed and developed between UK Space Command and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology. Most notably, this includes the new ‘One Government’ approach to Space, which looks to support the alignment of UK priorities for the Space domain.

UK Space Command and the UK Space Agency (part of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology) have daily cooperation, coordination, and deconfliction as part of the National Space Operations Centre, a joint military and civilian organisation which coordinates civilian and military Space Domain Awareness capabilities, across multiple sites.

As part of the UK Space Agency’s Unlocking Space for Government programme, which aims to harness space to improve UK public service and strengthen national security, UK Space Command and UK Space Agency recently announced funding of £500,000 towards the development of a project for new detection technology to spot lasers that adversaries may use to dazzle satellites and intercept communications.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 126 of the Strategic Defence Review 2025, what specialist military capabilities Special Forces provide in support of (a) the police and (b) civil authorities.

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

It is the longstanding policy of successive Governments not to comment on the details of the activity, personnel or capabilities of the UK Special Forces.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 127 of the Strategic Defence Review, published on 2 June 2025, what progress he has made on maximising the intelligence capabilities of UK Special Forces J2.

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

It is the longstanding policy of successive Governments not to comment on the details of the activity, personnel or capabilities of the UK Special Forces.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 126 of the Strategic Defence Review 2025, what progress he has made on enhancing Special Forces.

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

It is the longstanding policy of successive Governments not to comment on the details of the activity, personnel or capabilities of the UK Special Forces.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment has he made of the potential impact of the removal of tariffs on US bio-ethanol imports on the UK bio-ethanol market.

Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The UK bioethanol industry has faced challenges for some time prior to the removal of tariffs for US imports. Both Ministers and senior officials have worked with the sector closely over the course of this year to understand these long-standing issues and the impacts of any regulatory changes.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 79 of the Strategic Defence Review 2025, what steps he is taking to uphold the Antarctic Treaty system.

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

Defence plays an important role in safeguarding UK interests in Antarctica, including the British Antarctic Territory and supporting UK roles and responsibilities to the Antarctic Treaty.

The Royal Navy’s Ice Patrol Ship, HMS PROTECTOR, routinely deploys to the Antarctic Peninsula. Activities include: undertaking hydrographic surveys to improve the safety of navigation; facilitating inspections under the Antarctic Treaty; and assistance to the British Antarctic Survey and UK Antarctic Heritage Trust.

RAF transport aircraft periodically deliver logistics to British Antarctic Survey through airdrops.

The MOD is supporting the FCDO’s work to publish a UK Antarctic strategy by the end of the year, which will set the Government’s aims and ambitions for Antarctica for the next 10 years.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 22 of the National Security Strategy 2025, CP 1338, published on 24 June 2025, what the composition is of the Joint Expeditionary Force.

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

The Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) is a coalition of ten like-minded NATO nations: Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and the UK, which acts as Framework Nation.

The JEF is a high-readiness multinational defence framework designed to respond rapidly to crises, particularly in the High North, North Atlantic, and the Baltic Sea Region. It operates flexibly, with no standing force elements, instead drawing national contributions on a case-by-case basis.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 23 of the National Security Strategy 2025, CP 1338, published on 24 June 2025, what steps the military is taking to help support the UK’s scientific presence in the British Antarctic Territory.

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

Defence plays an important role in safeguarding UK interests in Antarctica, including the British Antarctic Territory and supporting UK roles and responsibilities to the Antarctic Treaty.

The Royal Navy’s Ice Patrol Ship, HMS PROTECTOR, routinely deploys to the Antarctic Peninsula. Activities include: undertaking hydrographic surveys to improve the safety of navigation; facilitating inspections under the Antarctic Treaty; and assistance to the British Antarctic Survey and UK Antarctic Heritage Trust.

RAF transport aircraft periodically deliver logistics to British Antarctic Survey through airdrops.

The MOD is supporting the FCDO’s work to publish a UK Antarctic strategy by the end of the year, which will set the Government’s aims and ambitions for Antarctica for the next 10 years.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 11 of the National Security Strategy 2025, CP 1338, published on 24 June 2025, what recent steps he has taken to prioritise NATO in defence planning.

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

In line with the Strategic Defence Review, the UK has put NATO at the heart of our force development. This is evidenced by UK operational and force design for our Euro-Atlantic security being driven by NATO's plans and capability targets, as set through NATO's Defence Planning Process.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy, CP 1337, published on 23 June 2025, what progress she has made on making the UK the world’s most innovative full-service financial centre.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government published the Financial Services Growth and Competitiveness Strategy on 15 July, which sets out the Government’s ten-year plan to make the UK the global location of choice for financial services firms to invest, grow and sell their services throughout the UK and to the world. As part of this, the Government announced the most wide-ranging package of reforms to financial services regulation in over a decade.

Following publication, HM Treasury has been working with partners to deliver the reforms at pace. The Department for Business and Trade has published its first quarterly update on delivery of the Industrial Strategy. In relation to financial services, it confirms that the Office for Investment: Financial Services announced in the Strategy has now been launched to guide and support international investors looking to establish or grow a presence in the UK’s financial services sector. In September, the Chancellor and US Secretary to the Treasury established the Transatlantic Taskforce for Markets of the Future, to drive innovation and growth in global markets including capital markets digital assets and other innovative financial activities.

Working with industry and the regulators, the government will continue to prioritise delivery of the wide-ranging reform programme set out in the Financial Services Growth and Competitiveness Strategy.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy, CP 1337, published on 23 June 2025, what progress she has made on reducing regulation for FinTech firms.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Financial Services Growth and Competitiveness Strategy, part of the UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy, delivers on the Government’s mission to shape a regulatory environment for financial services that is proportionate, predictable and internationally competitive, embracing innovation and leveraging the UK’s Fintech leadership.

For example, the Strategy committed to make it quicker and easier for new firms to achieve regulatory authorisation, allowing them to conduct limited regulated activities with streamlined conditions, as well as the launch of the FCA and PRA’s Scale-Up Unit to enhance engagement with fast-growing, innovative regulated firms.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy, CP 1337, published on 23 June 2025, what progress she has made on enabling FinTechs to list on the stock market.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government has delivered an ambitious programme of reforms to make it easier for all firms, including fintechs, to list and raise capital on UK markets. This includes overhauling the Prospectus regime and Listing Rules, providing more flexibility to firms and founders raising capital on UK markets.

At Mansion House 2025, the Government published its Financial Services Growth and Competitiveness Strategy, setting out our ten-year plan for the UK to be the world’s centre of choice for financial services investment now and in 2035, with capital markets and fintech as core pillars of the strategy.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of changes to the UK listing regime on the number of listings.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government has delivered an ambitious programme of reforms to make it easier for all firms, including fintechs, to list and raise capital on UK markets. This includes overhauling the Prospectus regime and Listing Rules, providing more flexibility to firms and founders raising capital on UK markets.

At Mansion House 2025, the Government published its Financial Services Growth and Competitiveness Strategy, setting out our ten-year plan for the UK to be the world’s centre of choice for financial services investment now and in 2035, with capital markets and fintech as core pillars of the strategy.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 64 of the Defence Industrial Strategy: Making Defence an Engine for Growth, published on 8 September 2025, CP 1388, whether the proposed defence technology cluster at RAF Wyton will be included within the defence innovation portfolio.

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

Collaboration will be at the heart of UK Defence Innovation (UKDI). UKDI will work closely with partners across the existing defence innovation landscape, including the proposed Defence Tech Cluster at RAF Wyton, establishing the right infrastructure for testing new ideas, driving innovation, and solving challenges at pace.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 106 of the Strategic Defence Review 2025, what progress he has made in ensuring an always on supply line for shipbuilding.

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

I refer to the answer provided by the former Minister for Defence Procurement and Industry to the Commons Oral Question 904899 from Graeme Downie MP on 30 June 2025:

'As outlined in the Strategic Defence Review and in the UK's Modern Industrial Strategy, the Government are committed to supporting an "always on" shipbuilding industry by leveraging our buying power through public procurement and seeking to export our capabilities to friendly nations.'

Subsequently the Government has published the Defence Industrial Strategy (DIS), which recognises the importance of the British shipbuilding and maritime technology sector. The government will publish a shipbuilding and maritime technology action plan to deliver the commitments in the DIS relating to shipbuilding.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to recommendation 25 of the Strategic Defence Review 2025, what progress he has made on reviewing the principal elements of the Integrated Global Defence Network via the One HMG platform.

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

The Integrated Global Defence Network (IGDN) is in the initial phase of conducting the recommended review of the principal elements of Defence's Overseas network under the overall guidance of the two military and civilian 2 star directors of the IGDN, with senior engagement across Whitehall to follow.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the outcome was of the high-altitude uncrewed balloon tests conducted in South Dakota, USA under Project Aether.

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

The trials in South Dakota were successful and achieved or surpassed all intended test objectives.

The objectives included:

• Providing 24-hour Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) coverage in high-latitude winter conditions at high-altitude;
• Locating, identifying, and tracking signals, and disseminating data over both Line of Sight and Satellite communications;
• Maintaining continuous endurance at high altitude;
• and
• Enabling airborne handover of ISR coverage between different platforms.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 122 of the Strategic Defence Review 2025, what progress he has made on establishing a Spectrum Coordination Office.

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

A Joint Electromagnetic Spectrum Organisation has been designed as part of the 2 star Defence Cyber and Electromagnetic Force Headquarters. Scope, scale, basing options and timetable are dependent on the outcome of the Defence Investment Plan.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 114 of the Strategic Defence Review 2025, published on 8 July 2025, what assessment he has made of the opportunities for cost-sharing with NATO Allies in procuring more E-7 Wedgetail AEW&C aircraft.

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

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question 70763 on 8 September 2025 to the hon. Member for South Suffolk (James Cartlidge).

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the full scope is of Project AETHER.

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

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 19 September, to Question 76405.

Project AETHER is at the trial phase. Initial planning is underway for a further trial, following the completion of the project first two trials.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress his Department has made in completing the Power Improvement Project refit of the Royal Navy Type 45 fleet.

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

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my noble Friend, the Minister of State in the Ministry of Defence (Lord Coaker), on 20 January 2025 to Question number HL3859 in the House of Lords:

Completing the Type 45 Power Improvement Project (PIP) work is dependent on the availability of ships to undertake the upgrade, balanced against the Royal Navy’s (RN) current and future operational commitments.

PIP conversions have been aligned to the routine Class Upkeep cycle, which has been optimised where feasible to accelerate delivery and increase availability. This has enabled an increase in the number of ships undergoing PIP Upkeep in parallel at HM Naval Base Portsmouth, where historically there was only a single Type 45 in Upkeep at any one time. Class availability is now maximised to ensure that the RN has been able to fulfil all its operational commitments.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 34 of the National Security Strategy 2025, CP 1338, published on 24 June 2025, what recent progress he has made on strengthening the interoperability of carrier strike groups with Italy.

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

Italy is an important partner of the United Kingdom, demonstrated in the context of Carrier Strike, through our memberships of NATO, the F-35 Lightning II programme, and the European Carrier Group Interoperability Initiative (ECGII).

Interoperability has been strengthened during the ongoing deployment of the UK Carrier Strike Group (CSG) on Operation HIGHMAST, during which HMS PRINCE OF WALES worked alongside the Italian Navy’s ITS CAVOUR CSG in the Mediterranean Sea in May 2025. Combined training activity emphasised UK-Italian CSG interoperability and integration across all domains, including UK and Italian F-35B jets flying sorties by day and night, and the opportunity for Italian Navy F-35Bs to land on, and launch from, HMS PRINCE OF WALES. Further combined training opportunities to strengthen UK-Italian CSG interoperability are planned during the UK CSG’s return passage later this year.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 22 of the National Security Strategy 2025, CP 1338, published on 24 June 2025, what recent steps the Royal Navy has taken to (a) lead and (b) coordinate work to help protect undersea infrastructure.

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

The Royal Navy is acting under the direction provided in the Strategic Defence Review 2025 to lead and co-ordinate work to protect critical undersea infrastructure. This includes new investment capability options for platforms and sensor suites to counter threats.

Options for new investment to support critical undersea infrastructure protection are in the Royal Navy’s submission into the Defence Investment Plan, which will report in due course.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 89 of the Strategic Defence Review 2025, what additional resource the Royal Navy will be granted to take a new (a) leading and (b) coordinating role in securing undersea infrastructure.

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

The Royal Navy is acting under the direction provided in the Strategic Defence Review 2025 to lead and co-ordinate work to protect critical undersea infrastructure. This includes new investment capability options for platforms and sensor suites to counter threats.

Options for new investment to support critical undersea infrastructure protection are in the Royal Navy’s submission into the Defence Investment Plan, which will report in due course.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 106 of the Strategic Defence Review 2025, published on 8 July 2025, when the multi-role ocean survey ship will be deployed to counter threats to critical undersea infrastructure.

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

The Royal Navy is acting under the direction provided in the Strategic Defence Review 2025 to lead and co-ordinate work to protect critical undersea infrastructure. This includes new investment capability options for platforms and sensor suites to counter threats.

Options for new investment to support critical undersea infrastructure protection are in the Royal Navy’s submission into the Defence Investment Plan, which will report in due course.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions he has had with members of the Coalition of the Willing on the potential deployment of troops to Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire.

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

Operational discussions continue with fellow Multi-National Force Ukraine nations, but we will not be drawn into detail on the specifics of UK Armed Forces deployments at the risk of operational security.

This Government is committed to ensuring our Armed Forces remain ready to respond to all challenges, including deployment to Ukraine.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many fully deployable manoeuvre brigades does the British Army have.

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

The Army has five fully deployable manoeuvre brigades.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact on E10 petrol production following the closure of the Vivergo bioethanol plant.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

On 15 August 2025 Vivergo announced the closure of its UK bioethanol production plant in Hull, which at full capacity could produce 420 million litres of bioethanol per year from wheat for blending with petrol.

Whilst the UK retains bioethanol production capacity elsewhere, the closure of Vivergo represents a significant loss.  However, it is not considered likely to impact the production or supply of E10 petrol in the UK. It is expected that the supply of bioethanol for petrol suppliers will continue to be met by both bioethanol produced at the remaining UK plants and by imports.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 47 of the Strategic Defence Review 2025, published on 8 July 2025, what recent progress he has made on implementing the core digital platform for the warfighter.

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

The fundamental capabilities of the core common platform set out within the Strategic Defence Review already exist and are being used today; however, they are not at the scale or delivering the integrated and innovative capabilities at the speed required to support the Integrated Force model.

Progress is continuously being made. In September 2025, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) signed a Strategic Partnership Agreement with Palantir (link) which will help the UK military develop the latest digital tools and harness Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology to accelerate decision making, improve targeting and keep the nation safe from evolving threats. A contract with Google was also signed (link) to ensure that MOD has access to the latest technology developed by Google Cloud, including AI, data analytics, and cyber security, and will be used by defence intelligence and national security specialists to share secure information between our partners and outcompete our adversaries.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 47 of the Strategic Defence Review 2025, published on 8 July 2025, what recent progress he has made on developing the secret cloud.

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

A contract has been put in place with Google for the provision of Secret Cloud services to the Ministry of Defence (MOD) for at least the next five years.

Security delivered for working people as UK-US ties strengthened with new Google Cloud partnership for classified information sharing - GOV.UK

The capability is being developed jointly by MOD and Google, with workload development and testing carried out over the next six months. The aim is to have the capability available for general use across MOD in 2026.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of awarding the first certification for a remotely operated and unmanned vessel under the Maritime and Coastguard Agency’s Workboat Code Edition 3 Annex 2 to the ACUA Ocean PIONEER on (a) civilian passenger transport and (b) commercial shipping.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Department for Transport, in collaboration with the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA), recognises the certification of ACUA Ocean’s PIONEER under Workboat Code Edition 3 Annex 2 as a significant milestone in innovation in the UK’s maritime regulatory landscape. This certification marks the first formal regulatory approval for a remotely operated unmanned vessel (ROUV) under the revised Workboat Code, setting a precedent for future autonomous maritime operations.

The PIONEER is not designed for passenger carriage, is not certificated for passenger carriage and does not operate in contexts involving civilian transport. As such, the direct impact on civilian passenger transport is minimal at this stage. The Department continues to monitor technological advancements and public safety considerations in this area.

The certification of PIONEER is expected to have a more immediate and transformative impact on commercial shipping. The vessel’s hydrogen-powered propulsion and autonomous capabilities align with the UK’s Clean Maritime Plan and decarbonisation goals. It is designed for offshore surveillance, environmental monitoring, and infrastructure inspection, offering a lower-emission alternative to conventional crewed vessels.

This development supports the broader regulatory framework for autonomous and remotely operated vessels, enabling safer, more efficient, and environmentally sustainable operations in commercial sectors such as offshore energy, logistics, and hydrographic survey operations.

The Department remains committed to working with industry stakeholders to ensure that safety, environmental, and operational standards evolve in step with technological innovation.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the data tables accompanying the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority Annual Report 2024-25, published on 11 August 2025, what assessment he has made of the feasibility of participating in the Beyond Visual Range Air-to-Air Missile export market.

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

The Ministry of Defence (MOD), working closely with MBDA UK and the Meteor partner nations, supports the export of the Meteor Beyond Visual Range Air to Air Missile which is a strategically important capability manufactured and assembled in the UK. Currently, Meteor is integrated on the Eurofighter Typhoon, Gripen and Rafale combat air platforms and is operated by/on contract with 14 countries including the UK. The UK and Italy are working to integrate Meteor on F-35, which will be the most widely procured combat air platform in history. Additionally, the MOD is playing a key role in supporting Republic of Korea’s integration of Meteor on to its KF-21 aircraft. This resulted in a significant export sale of Meteor in 2023. All future UK BVRAAM development will be conducted with exportability as a fundamental requirement.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will list the disused (a) Royal Navy bases, (b) Army bases, (c) Royal Air Force bases, and (d) surplus land awaiting disposal.

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

A list of all Ministry of Defence (MOD) sites that are currently available for purchase can be found on the MOD’s disposals website via gov.uk.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/disposal-database-house-of-commons-report

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the in-service date is for the Royal Navy’s Future Anti-Surface Guided Weapon.

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

The Future Anti-Surface Guided Weapon (FASGW) requirements will be fulfilled by a “light” and “heavy” capability.

FASGW (Light), also known as Martlet, achieved Initial Operating Capability in October 2021 and has been in operational service with the Royal Navy since then. The programme is progressing towards Full Operating Capability and achievement of this milestone is forecast for December 2025.

FASGW (Heavy), also known as Sea Venom, reached Initial Operating Capability in May 2025 in time to be deployed on Operation HIGHMAST. Full Operating Capability is on-track to be delivered by 2029.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent progress he has made on migrating official tier users to the new MODNET platform.

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

16,000 devices (approx. 8%) have been enrolled to the new MODNET platform as at week commencing 6 October 2025. A site-by-site device migration is currently underway.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress he has made on migrating all users to the new managed print service.

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

The Migration Phase of the new Managed Print Service is complete. The project has achieved Full Operating Capability.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress he has made in migrating all SECRET Tier users to the new MODNET platform.

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

There are currently no plans to migrate SECRET Tier users to a new MODNET platform.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what (a) tree-planting and (b) woodland creation projects have been undertaken through the Nature for Climate Fund Programme in Huntingdon constituency since the establishment of that programme.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Forestry Commission publishes statistics on new planting of woodland, and trees outside woodland, in England. These can be found in the Forestry Commission Key Performance Indicators. These statistics are reported annually for each financial year in hectares, with interim updates where data are available at mid-year. This government has not set specific targets for individual constituencies and the reporting statistics the hon. Member has requested are not currently available. The statistics show recorded new planting from the Nature for Climate Fund Programme and other grant schemes from administrative records with estimates for new planting without grant aid.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Strategic Defence Review, published on 2 June 2025, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology on ensuring that defence requirements are reflected in cross-Government efforts to deliver resilient space-based Positioning, Navigation and Timing systems.

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

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has a longstanding relationship and regular conversation with for the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT). Staff engagement is regular and pre-dates the Strategic Defence Review.

The MOD engages with colleagues in DSIT and other Government Departments on Positioning, Navigation and Timing spans requirements, capabilities, technical details and policy considerations. This is to ensure coherency between our department's work and wider Government investment plans.

A military officer has been embedded in the DSIT National PNT Office since 2021 to aid this on a day-to-day basis and reflecting the importance of cross-departmental working.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will list the military capability projects within the Government Major Projects Portfolio rated as red.

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

The latest National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority's Annual Report for the Financial Year ending 31 March 2025 was published on 11 August 2025: NISTA Annual Report 2024-25 - GOV.UK.

This fully digital report lists the full composition of the Government Major Programmes Portfolio by Department, Category and the Delivery Confidence Assessment at that time in the Section 3.3 headline figure suite of tables.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 117 of the Strategic Defence Review, published on 2 June 2025, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of supplanting the SKYNET (a) 6A and (b) 6EC satellite communications programmes with alternatives.

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

The Ministry of Defence is continually assessing SKYNET’s capabilities against demand and potential threats. SKYNET 6A and the Enduring Capability solutions are considered operationally relevant and will form part of a resilient satellite communications enterprise out to 2040.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 128 of the Strategic Defence Review 2025, what progress he has made on aligning (a) architecture and (b) standards with the (i) defence-wide digital network, (ii) platforms and (iii) services held at above secret.

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

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) does not comment on the detail of networks operating at Secret or above for reasons of national security. While the Strategic Defence Review 2025 outlines our ambition to align architecture and standards across defence digital capabilities, it would be inappropriate to disclose specific progress or integration details relating to Secret and Above Secret systems, platforms or services.

In terms of standards, Defence Developer Services (D2S) is a containerised platform hosted on MODCloud which can be used to build, test, and deploy applications that can be a mix of own code, open-source and off-the-shelf solutions.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he expects the modernisation of the (a) two divisions and (b) Corps HQ that the British Army provides to NATO’s strategic reserve corps to be completed.

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

The delivery of the Army’s modernisation programme is ongoing and subject to review as part of the Defence Investment Plan.

Early steps that have already been made include: the elevation of key capabilities to the Corps level (Engineers, Air Defence, Aviation, Medical, Military Policing); the re-establishment of Armoured Infantry capability for 3 (UK) Division; the establishment of a new Reconnaissance Strike Brigade for 1 (UK) Division. We have also grown capabilities in a number of areas including Counter-Intelligence, Close Support Engineering, and Land Targeting.

The headmark for the delivery of the associated capability modernisation and transformation programmes remains 2035.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to recommendation 45 of his Department's Strategic Defence Review 2025, published on 2 June 2025, which battalion group of the Parachute Regiment will airborne parachute (a) capability and (b) capacity be focused on.

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

Recommendation 45 of the Strategic Defence Review is a planning assumption to inform equipment, training, and workforce readiness. The Battalion Group will be formed from across 16 Air Assault Brigade – predominantly 2 PARA and 3 PARA.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many fully deployable divisional headquarters does the British Army have.

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

The British Army has two deployable divisions: 1 (UK) Division and 3 (UK) Division.

Both have their own divisional headquarters.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 22 of the National Security Strategy 2025, CP 1338, published on 24 June 2025, what changes have been made to Royal Navy rules of engagement to track vessels suspected of (a) spying and (b) sabotage.

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

The Royal Navy and the Ministry of Defence continuously assess its Rules of Engagement to ensure our Armed Forces can act appropriately against malign activities and future threats.

For reasons of national security, I am not able to disclose specific rules of engagement, nor can I indicate when a review of our profiles was conducted and any potential changes that followed.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 127 of the Strategic Defence Review, published on 2 June 2025, what the barriers to interoperability are between defence and the UK Intelligence Community.

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

Collaboration with partners across Government, including the UK Intelligence Community (UKIC), is essential to Defence outputs-both in routine activity and on operations. The Strategic Defence Review (SDR) sets a clear ambition to strengthen collaboration and interoperability, enabling delivery of the Integrated Force and the Digital Targeting Web. Defence is already interoperable with Government partners and capable of sharing data and intelligence. However, there are further opportunities to improve. To address this, multiple programmes are ongoing which aim to enhance interoperability and remove barriers to information sharing. These initiatives vary in maturity but are already being adopted across the MOD and UKIC and delivering measurable benefits.

Additional work is underway to modernise data-handling approaches across National Security, leveraging technological advances to enable machine-speed sharing where appropriate. Combined with the MOD's broader technology modernisation programmes, these efforts will deliver improved capability, interoperability, and resilience across Defence and Government partners.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 71 of the Strategic Defence Review 2025, published on 8 July 2025, what recent progress he has made on developing a virtual training environment that is integrated into his Department's common digital architecture.

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

Defence is conducting a discovery phase to understand how this virtual training capability will work across all domains and military commands and can be integrated into Defence’s common digital architecture.

It is imperative that Defence delivers a training ecosystem that will provide an interoperable, multi-domain capability, across the military commands. This will enable training from individual to collective levels and will realise the benefits of efficiency and enhanced interoperability to, in turn, enable the Integrated Force. By embedding synthetic and virtual training requirements into procurement programmes, Defence is ensuring that its training capabilities are adaptable, innovative, and fit for purpose in the evolving operational environment.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 90 of the Strategic Defence Review 2025, what progress he has made on devising a strategy for the protection of critical national infrastructure by the (a) MOD Guard Service and (b) UK intelligence community.

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

The protection of Critical National Infrastructure (CNI) is an important pillar of work in the Home Defence Programme. This work is led by the Cabinet Office and aims to develop a cross-Government plan to strengthen the nation’s security, preparedness, and resilience in order to deter threats to and defend the UK homeland. Defence continues to play a significant contributory role with partners and the private sector to protect CNI from a full spectrum of threats.

The UK already has an existing strategy for protecting CNI which includes a partnership between intelligence agencies, and components of the UK Intelligence Community (UKIC), such as the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC).

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) Guard Service (MGS) provides unarmed security services for MOD sites. The MGS are just one of the MOD policing and guarding organisations that could contribute to the protection of CNI under the cross-Government plan.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 78 of the Strategic Defence Review 2025, what progress he has made on developing a single Integrated Global Defence Network.

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

The Integrated Global Defence Network (IGDN) has completed the first phase of its development by merging the Directorate of Overseas Bases and the Global Defence Network of Defence Attachés and Advisors into the IGDN HQ, dually lead by a 2 star military director and an SCS2 civilian director, with 3 star military oversight.

The network will now continue through to the second phase of its development through a series of projects, including the SDR-directed Network Review of Defence’s global footprint, which will include engagement with the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 122 of the Strategic Defence Review 2025, what progress he has made on empowering each of the services to develop their own electromagnetic warfare capabilities.

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

The capacity to operate within the electromagnetic spectrum is a critical component of contemporary warfare, as evidenced by ongoing events in Ukraine. By the end of the year, the newly established 2 star Defence Cyber and Electromagnetic Force will assume responsibility for developing and coordinating Electromagnetic Operations strategy and force development, including setting standards and architectures.

Meanwhile, each Single Service will continue to advance their own tactical capabilities to ensure preparedness against emerging threats and effective operation within their respective domain.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 122 of the Strategic Defence Review 2025, what progress he has made on shaping the CyberEM domain to be led in a similar way to UK Space Command.

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

The design and implementation planning process is well underway. The 4 star Cyber and Specialist Operations Command (CSOC) was officially launched on 1 September 2025. The 2 star Defence Cyber and Electromagnetic Force, previously referred to as the CyberEM Command, which operates within CSOC, is set to be established by the end of the year.

The design team has visited UK Space Command to ensure that their lessons and best practice have been incorporated and will continue to share best practice during the design and implementation phase.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 127 of the Strategic Defence Review, published on 2 June 2025, which aspects of defence intelligence capabilities his Department has assessed as (a) underpowered and (b) fragmented.

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

The Ministry of Defence keeps all areas of its capability under review to ensure we are ready to meet the threat posed by adversaries and to protect the UK, but we do not comment in detail on aspects of Defence capability that could be useful to adversaries.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 120 of the Strategic Defence Review 2025, how enterprise-wide operational defence priorities for activities in the cyber domain will be deconflicted with the National Cyber Force’s priorities.

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

We do not routinely comment on operational matters or the operational prioritisation of the National Cyber Force (NCF) due to reasons of national security.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 120 of the Strategic Defence Review 2025, what the future structure of the Army’s Cyber and Electromagnetic Effects Group will be.

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

The Department is committed to implementing the recommendations of the Strategic Defence Review, including those involving the Cyber and Electromagnetic Domain (CyberEM)

Force design work on the Army’s CyberEM Effects Group is ongoing. Until this work is fully complete, there are no changes to the current CyberEM structure.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 121 of the Strategic Defence Review 2025, what rank commands the National Cyber Force.

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

As announced in the press release dated 16 October 2023, The National Cyber Force is commanded by a 2 star Military Officer, or a Civil Servant at SCS2 level. Currently, Commander National Cyber Force is Air Vice-Marshal Tim Neal-Hopes OBE.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 120 of the Strategic Defence Review 2025, what change is required within the CyberEM domain to achieve a tech-enabled Integrated Force.

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

The aim to achieve a tech-enabled Integrated Force was a central tenet of the SDR and will require change across all domains. The Military Strategic Headquarters (MSHQ) will drive the change, with the National Armaments Director Group (NADG) responsible for delivering a strong and secure digital backbone.

Cyber and Specialist Operations Command (CSOC) will continue to be the 4 star Command responsible for the protection of Defence networks, platforms and infrastructure, in partnership with the Single Services, industry and partners across government. The newly established 2 star Defence Cyber and Electromagnetic Force, as part of CSOC, will ensure the authorities are in place to respond rapidly to both threats and opportunities in the CyberEM domain.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 120 of the Strategic Defence Review 2025, what progress he has made on fusing CyberEM activity in pursuit of (a) sovereign and (b) NATO operations.

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

The Ministry of Defence works closely with allies and partners on shared mission sets in preparing for future operational scenarios.

The newly established 2 star Defence Cyber and Electromagnetic Force (within Cyber and Specialist Operations Command) will drive the fusion of these efforts, with a particular emphasis on electromagnetic operations. This approach aims to ensure that insights from the Ukraine conflict are applied to both present and future sovereign and NATO strategy development and operational planning.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 120 of the Strategic Defence Review 2025, what progress he has made on establishing a new CyberEM Command.

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

The design and implementation planning process is well underway. The 4 star Cyber ans Specialist Operations Command (CSOC) was officially launched on 1 September 2025. The 2 star Defence Cyber and Electromagnetic Force, previously referred to as the CyberEM Command, which operates within CSOC, is set to be established by the end of the year.

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