Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he expects the Joint Requirements Oversight Committee meeting to take place for Project Grayburn.

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

On current plans, the Joint Requirements Oversight Committee (JROC) is expected to meet this Autumn regarding Project GRAYBURN.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 20 October 2025 to Question 79415 on Air Force, what the scope is of the Chief of the Air Staff's Optimise Directive.

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

The principal focus of the Optimise Directive is to increase the operational readiness and resilience of the Royal Air Force by targeting effectiveness, driving change and maximising the potential of existing resource.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 20 October 2025 to Question 79409 on Navy: Patrol Craft, what recent progress has he made in identifying the replacement for Batch 1 OPVs ahead of their out-of-service date.

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

All decisions on capabilities will be taken in the Defence Investment Plan.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the answer of 18 October 2025 to Question 79357 on Navy: North Atlantic Ocean, what capability options under Atlantic Bastion have been submitted for consideration in the Defence Investment Plan.

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

The Atlantic Bastion capability options submitted for consideration in the Defence Investment Plan include a blend of uncrewed systems, underwater payloads, options to increase lethality, and improvements to crewed platforms. These are consistent with the transition to a Hybrid Navy and reflect industry maturity to deliver, as set out in the Strategic Defence Review.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 20 October 2025 to Question 79317 on Defence: Industry, from which FTSE100 companies he has invited senior executives to participate in defence education courses.

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

In accordance with the Strategic Defence Review, the Defence Academy is assessing options to invite FTSE100 executives to attend courses at Shrivenham.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum hotels have been closed since 5 July 2024.

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

This Government recognises that hotels are not a sustainable solution for accommodating asylum seekers and remains committed to ending their use, already reducing the number in operation. We do not provide a running commentary on hotel numbers, our objective is to close all asylum hotels by the end of this Parliament, reducing costs to the taxpayer and restoring control to local communities.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he plans to deliver the Global Decision Support System.

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

The Global Decision Support System is in the capability planning and concept development stage. The establishment of a funded project remains dependant on Defence investment prioritisation.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

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

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

Project Shamer is a Defence procurement project. For reasons of operational security, I cannot provide any further details.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the scope is of the Future Asylum Contract Transformation project.

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

The focus of the Future Asylum Contract Transformation Project is scoping potential procurement and implementation of a new delivery model, to replace the current Asylum Accommodation and Support Contracts, due to expire in 2029, the Advice Issue Reporting and Eligibility (AIRE) and Asylum Support Payments contract.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

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

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

Project Shrinker is a Defence procurement project. For reasons of operational security, I cannot provide any further details.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions her Department has had this year with (a) the Speaker of the House of Commons and (b) the Speaker of the House of Lords on lifting the ban on China’s Ambassador to the UK entering Parliament.

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

Access to Parliament is a matter for the Speaker of the House of Commons and the Speaker of the House of Lords. It would not be appropriate for the Home Office to comment on any conversations with the Speakers on these matters.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 20th October 2025 to Question 79746 on Food: Public Sector, by when will the Government complete its assessment of what food the public sector buys and where it comes from.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Work to assess the food bought by public bodies and where it comes from is underway. When the results of this work become available, they will help inform Government’s approach on public sector food procurement.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 20 October 2025 to Question 79746 on Food: Public Sector, what her planned timetable is for making this assessment.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Work to assess the food bought by public bodies and where it comes from is underway. When the results of this work become available, they will help inform Government’s approach on public sector food procurement.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment has he made of the effect of the order of 20 Eurofighter Typhoons on the timeline of the delivery of the Phase 4 Enhancement Programme for the UK Typhoon fleet.

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

The order of 20 Eurofighter Typhoons for Türkiye aligns with long term goals of supplying a NATO member with advanced military equipment.

A sale of this significance will bring benefits to UK Industry, the Eurofighter Partner Nations and NATO.

It has been assessed that there will be no impact on the delivery of the Phase 4 Enhancement Programme for the UK Typhoon fleet.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Government's news story entitled, Update on Gaza medical evacuation scheme, published on 22 August 2025, what estimate he has made with Cabinet colleagues on the number of Gazan (a) children and (b) immediate family members that will be accepted for evacuation and treatment in the UK.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

I refer the Hon. Member to the Written Statement HCWS899 made to the House on 1 September 2025 by my Rt. Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care.

The safety, privacy, and wellbeing of these severely ill and vulnerable patients and their families remains our absolute priority. We will not be providing further operational details on the numbers who have arrived at this stage.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 20 October 2025 to Question 77257 on North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust: Medical Records, when he expects discussions between NHS England regional and national colleagues to take place on the (a) approvals and (b) funding for the outline business case.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust is currently part way through the business case process for a new Electronic Patient Record, working to submit its outline business case (OBC) in 2026. NHS England is supporting them to produce a robust and affordable OBC which meets their core capabilities as set out by the NHS England Frontline Digitisations Programme. This includes providing procurement support, subject matter expertise, and funding, including capital and revenue.

Hinchingbrooke has also recently submitted its strategic outline case for its new hospital as part of the NHP, which was considered by the Joint Investment Committee on 22 October 2025, and a decision is pending.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 20 October 2025 to Question 77257 on North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust: Medical Records, by when the outline business case would need to be approved to meet the timeline for the new hospital opening at Hinchingbrooke.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust is currently part way through the business case process for a new Electronic Patient Record, working to submit its outline business case (OBC) in 2026. NHS England is supporting them to produce a robust and affordable OBC which meets their core capabilities as set out by the NHS England Frontline Digitisations Programme. This includes providing procurement support, subject matter expertise, and funding, including capital and revenue.

Hinchingbrooke has also recently submitted its strategic outline case for its new hospital as part of the NHP, which was considered by the Joint Investment Committee on 22 October 2025, and a decision is pending.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 20 October 2025 to Question 79246 on Military Alliances, what steps he has taken to enhance cooperation through the EU's Security Action for Europe instrument.

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

I refer the Member to the answer I gave on Friday 31 October to Question 84841.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what tranche of Eurofighter Typhoon has been purchased by Turkey.

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

Turkey have purchased Tranche 4 aircraft.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 20 October 2025 to Question 79398 on NATO Countries: Armoured Fighting Vehicles, what recent progress he has made in appointing a new Director General International Collaboration and Exports.

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

Avril Joliffe is the Director General for International Collaboration and Exports. This is a permanent position with no current plans for recruitment.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what vehicles are in scope to be procured under the Common Armoured Vehicle System programme.

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

The Army has joined the Technical Agreement for Common Armoured Vehicle System joining several European partners in early scoping of a modular single platform which can be adapted for different roles. The vehicle roles in scope are General Purpose, Utility, Communications, Maintenance, Medical, Troop Carrying, Protected Patrol, Tactical Mobility and Air Defence.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps his Department would expect employers to take to check a person's digital ID to validate evidence of a right to work.

Answered by Josh Simons - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

Employers will be required to conduct digital right to work checks by the end of this parliament.

We will be consulting on the details of the programme in due course, including how to help employers of all sizes onboard onto the system and how they will validate the credential to prove an employee's right to work.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the proposed digital ID would be the only means of evidencing a person's right to work in the UK.

Answered by Josh Simons - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

Employers will be required to conduct digital right to work checks by the end of this parliament.

We will be consulting on the details of the programme in due course, including how to help employers of all sizes onboard onto the system and how they will validate the credential to prove an employee's right to work.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to page 54 of the Defence Industrial Strategy: Making Defence an Engine for Growth, published on 8 September 2025, when he plans to issue updated procedures to enable the use of the (a) Crown Development and (b) Urgent Crown Development routes.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Crown Development planning regulations in England came into force on 1 May 2025. The government has no current plans to change those regulations.

The reference to updated procedures in the Defence Industrial Strategy relates to how the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and the Ministry of Defence will work together when the latter identifies potential applications for Crown development routes. Further details will be published in due course.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what the scope of the College of British Diplomacy will be.

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

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer provided on 20 October to Question 79228.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much funding her Department has allocated for the establishment of the College of British Diplomacy.

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

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer provided on 20 October to Question 79228.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when she plans to establish the College of British Diplomacy.

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

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer provided on 20 October to Question 79228.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what nations form the European Carrier Group Initiative.

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

The European Carrier Group Interoperability Initiative comprises the UK, France, Italy and Spain (Carrier Nations), alongside the non-Carrier members of Portugal, Greece, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands and Denmark.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 20 October 2025 to Question 79365 on Navy: Military Aircraft, what the scope is of the Royal Navy’s approach to Maritime Aviation Transformation.

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

Maritime Aviation Transformation is the Royal Navy’s strategy to shift towards a digitally led, crewed-uncrewed operating model that supports the Hybrid Air Wing outlined in the Strategic Defence Review. By 2040, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR), Strike and Logistics Lift will be delivered by a mix of crewed and uncrewed systems, with autonomous aircraft increasingly deployed in warfighting roles. Investment decisions to support this transformation will be published in the Defence Investment Plan.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the scope is of the combat edge human performance optimisation programme.

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

The Combat Edge Human Performance Optimisation Programme is a strategic initiative led by the Royal Air Force (RAF) to enhance the effectiveness of the UK Military Flying Training System (UKMFTS). It represents a mindset shift in military aviation and aims to deliver aircrew who are mentally and physically prepared to operate in increasingly complex and contested environments.

The programme includes cutting-edge approaches to human performance and cognitive agility, including psychological resilience and human performance enhancements in relation to fitness, nutrition, and sleep.

It will maximise the use of technology enhanced learning, such as simulators and synthetics, as well as digital analysis. It draws on best practices from elite sport, academic research, and allied air forces to embed Psychological Skills Training, coaching and mentoring within UKMFTS.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 17 October 2025 to Question 79608 on Military Bases, how many of the projects in the Defence Estate Optimisation Portfolio are (a) completed and (b) under construction.

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

17 construction projects within the Defence Estate Optimisation Portfolio have been completed and a further five projects are currently in construction.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many veterans have accessed support via Op ASCEND since its launch.

Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to question 83061 on 27 October 2025.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 17 October 2025 to Question 79203 on NATO, what (a) plans and (b) capability targets have been set for the UK armed forces through NATO's Defence Planning Process.

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

NATO capability targets are designed to ensure Allied have the capabilities they need to strengthen NATO’s collective deterrence and defence. They cover the full spectrum of military capabilities, across all domains, and include personnel, equipment, logistics, and readiness. The specific targets and associated plans are classified secret and are being withheld for reasons of national security and operational effectiveness.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 17 October 2025 to Question 79390 on Armed Forces, when he plans to publish the review of future workforce requirements.

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

The Ministry of Defence continues to make progress in enhancing Standing Joint Command (SJC), including a directed increase in resource to meet immediate priorities. Longer term workforce and capability requirements are being considered and, on current plans, will be announced as part of the Defence Investment Plan.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 18 October 2025 to Question 79364 on Defence Safety Authority, what recent progress the Maritime and Coastguard Authority has made on the development of its own maritime autonomy programme.

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

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency have developed multiple workstreams to support the UK’s maritime autonomy industry. This includes marine guidance notices and the third edition of the UK’s Workboat Code, which provide a regulatory framework within which autonomous vessels can operate. In addition, the recently developed Remote Operator Training and Certification Pilot Framework provides a voluntary scheme for training and certification of Remote Operators, which will lead to an experienced and qualified workforce.

The existing provisions under the Merchant Shipping Act have been maximised to support various sizes and types of vessels, and as parliamentary time allows, we will go further to enable emerging use cases.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his planned timetable is for the (a) completion and (b) publication of the Defence Accreditation Review.

Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is committed to ensuring that the Defence Accreditation Review is conducted thoroughly and effectively to support the development of a robust and future-focused training strategy for Defence.

The MOD is currently aiming to complete the Defence Accreditation Review by the middle of 2026. However, it is important to note that the complexity and scale of this task, alongside the need to establish a strong foundation for Defence’s future training and accreditation framework, may necessitate additional time to ensure the review is comprehensive and fit for purpose.

The Defence Accreditation Review is an internal review designed to inform policy development; the MOD has no plans to publish it externally. It is being delivered in phases, allowing the MOD to address challenges systematically and engage meaningfully with stakeholders. The MOD is working closely with partners across Defence, Government, and industry to ensure that the review reflects a wide range of perspectives and expertise, and to drive progress in this critical area.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how much funding her Department has allocated to preparations for UEFA Euro 2028.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

As part of the government’s Plan for Change, we are investing more than £500 million in the upcoming Spending Review period to support the delivery of world class sporting events being held in the UK over the coming years, including UEFA EURO 2028 and the Tour de France/Tour de France Femmes Grands Départs 2027.

Following the conclusion of a comprehensive review of the tournament hosting budget, the Government will be able to disclose to Parliament details of our funding allocated to the preparations for and delivery of UEFA EURO 2028 in the near future.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many new house builds have been (a) started and (b) completed since 5 July 2024.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The government publishes quarterly data on planning applications and housing starts and completions.

The latest data on planning application statistics can be found on gov.uk here.

Data on housing starts and completions can be found on gov.uk here.

The main measure of housing supply is net additional dwellings, the latest data on which can be found on gov.uk here.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the projected house building completion targets are in (a) 2025, (b) 2026, (c) 2027, (d) 2028 and (e) 2029 in the context of the Government’s pledge to build 1.5 million new homes.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 19066 on 20 December 2024.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 17 October 2025 to Question 79715 on Guided Weapons: Procurement, what conditions must be met in order for FASGW (Light) to progress from initial to full operating capability by December 2025.

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

In order to move from Initial Operating Capability to Full Operating Capability the full set of User Requirements will need to have been delivered and signed off by the Defence Lines of Development owners.

The substantive elements of the programme have been delivered and so this final step is completion of the paperwork. Once this process is complete, a recommendation will be made to the Programme Sponsor that Full Operating Capability is declared.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many staff redundancies there will be following the abolition of NHS England.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Following the Prime Minister’s announcement of the abolition of NHS England, we are clear on the need for a smaller centre, as well as scaling back integrated care board running costs and National Health Service provider corporate costs in order to reduce waste and bureaucracy.

Good progress is being made, with NHS England having sought expressions of interest for a voluntary redundancy scheme. We are still in the process of prioritising funding for exits, there is detailed design work to do on the structure of the new organisation, and there will be natural turnover that means not all reductions will be delivered by voluntary exit or redundancy. At this point we do not therefore have a firm estimate for numbers of staff redundancies.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many murders have been committed by asylum seekers in each year since 2020.

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

The information you have requested is not available from published statistics.

Work is currently underway to improve the quality of information held by the department on foreign national offenders (FNOs). If this work progresses as planned, the Home Office intend to publish more detailed information on FNOs subject to deportation. Further information on this work can be found at: Statistics on foreign national offenders and the immigration system - GOV.UK.

We are committed to delivering justice for victims and safer streets for our communities. Foreign nationals who commit serious crimes will face the full force of the law and be deported at the earliest opportunity.

This government has already removed almost 5,200 foreign national offenders in its first year of office, a 14 per cent increase on the previous twelve months (5 July 2024 to 4 July 2025) and we will continue to crack down on any foreign nationals who come to this country and break our rules.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of reviewing the Submarine Telegraph Act 1885.

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

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer given on 17 July 2025 to Question UIN 66464.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to page 130 of the Strategic Defence Review, published on 2 June 2025, what progress he has made with Cabinet colleagues to help ensure that the NHS is prepared for mass military casualties in the event of a major war.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

There is a strong foundation of cross-government working between the Department of Health and Social Care and the Ministry of Defence (MOD).

A series of joint Emergency Preparedness Resilience and Response exercises have taken place, and planning continues so that the National Health Service and the MOD can respond to a wide range of incidents and emergencies which could affect health or patient care. As part of this planning, the MOD and DHSC are exploring the United Kingdom’s ability to manage various combat scenarios and the treatment of casualties.

MOD is also participating in DHSC’s cross-government Exercise PEGASUS, the national Tier 1 pandemic preparedness exercise set to assess the UK’s ability to respond to a pandemic. Both activities focus on understanding system-wide capacity and capability, potential future need and shared plans for delivery.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to page 130 of the Strategic Defence Review, published on 2 June 2025, what recent progress he has made on creating integrated crisis plans.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The creation of integrated crisis plans are broader than health and will consider the recommendations identified in the NATO Medical Action Plan. These recommendations and the creation of integrated crisis plans will be discussed as part of the ongoing engagement between the Department of Health and Social Care, NHS England and the Ministry of Defence.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of replacing the L16 81mm mortar.

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

The L16A2 81 mm mortar remains an effective piece of equipment. The Army is regularly assessing the effectiveness of its capabilities to ensure that soldiers have the best possible range of weapons to help them achieve their mission.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of online misinformation spread by AI Large Language Models on social media platforms.

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

The Government recognises the risks posed by mis- and disinformation on social media, including that which is spread by Large Language Models (LLMs). The Online Safety Act already provides protections against material that is AI-generated, where it is illegal or harmful to children.

The Government continues to invest in assessing and countering the risks posed by AI on misinformation. We work with industry, academics and civil society to understand how the risk picture is developing, and to consider options for future mitigations. One example of this is the Deepfake Detection Challenge, co-led by the Home Office and DSIT.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 15 October 2025 to Question 82447 on Ministry of Justice: ICT, how many of the 1026 devices lost were (a) secure laptops, (b) secure mobile phones and (c) authentication devices.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

Of the 1026 devices lost, 317 were laptops (30.9%), and 709 were mobile phones (69.1%). There were 0 authentication devices.

All of these devices were secured to HMG standards, using encryption and other methods to ensure that data on them remains inaccessible if the device is lost or stolen.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans she has to update data used to construct indicators for the calculation of Police Main Grant.

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

This Government is committed to ensuring that policing has the resources it needs and the allocation of funding to police forces remains an important consideration.

The Chancellor has announced a real terms increase in police spending power over the next three years. As with previous years, decisions on police force funding allocations for 2026-27, including the police main grant, will be set out at the forthcoming police funding settlement.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the answer of 20th October 2025 to question 79734 on Prison Accommodation: Procurement, by when a programme is planned to be developed to recommence delivery.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

Pursuant to the answer of 20 October 2025 to Question 79734, new replacement contractors have been appointed on all the projects previously supplied by ISG and ESS across the Houseblocks and Refurbishments and Category D Expansion Programmes in line with contingency plans.

Work is underway to enable us to recommence delivery across these projects. We are committed to delivering an additional 14,000 prison places and are on track to do so by 2031, with places fully operational by 2032. We have already delivered c.2,600 of these since taking office.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the answer of 20th October 2025, to question 79734 on Prison Accommodation: Procurement, which projects previously supplied by ISG have now been taken over.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

Pursuant to the answer of 20 October 2025 to Question 79734, new replacement contractors have been appointed on all the projects previously supplied by ISG and ESS across the Houseblocks and Refurbishments and Category D Expansion Programmes in line with contingency plans.

Work is underway to enable us to recommence delivery across these projects. We are committed to delivering an additional 14,000 prison places and are on track to do so by 2031, with places fully operational by 2032. We have already delivered c.2,600 of these since taking office.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) people have applied to and (b) applications have been approved for the UK/European Applicant Transfer Scheme since that scheme was established.

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

Detailed figures on applications or approvals under the UK/European Applicant Transfer Scheme are not currently published. However, we have set out that as of 5 November 2025, 57 people have been transferred from France to the UK under this scheme. We continue to monitor engagement with the scheme to ensure it is being accessed by those wishing to consider making an application.

This scheme is part of a pilot initiative designed to be responsive and scalable, and operational details are sensitive. We will not be disclosing such information as it could inadvertently assist the organised immigration crime gangs that are behind small boats crossings.

A full evaluation of the pilot will be completed following its conclusion in June 2026.

Found: Ealing Central and Acton) Leigh Ingham (Labour; Stafford) Jessica Morden (Labour; Newport East) Ben Obese-Jecty