Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to his policy paper entitled UK position on EU's Research and Innovation Framework Programme, published on 26 September 2024, what discussions he has had with the Advanced Research and Invention Agency on the UK’s approach to the EU's Research and Innovation Framework Programme 10 since September 2024.

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

In advance of the publication of the UK’s Position Paper on the European Union’s 10th Research and Innovation Framework Programme (FP10), the Government undertook extensive engagement with a range of stakeholders across Government including UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and its constituent councils, as well as with relevant representatives of business and university sectors. This engagement was used to inform the paper.

Since then, the Department has remained in regular contact with a wide range of stakeholders on our approach to EU Research and Innovation Programmes, including through regular stakeholder meetings and public-facing engagements such as the Horizon Europe roadshows in Belfast and Cardiff. Such engagement will continue as further detail on FP10 emerges from the EU.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to the policy paper entitled UK position on EU's Research and Innovation Framework Programme, published on 26 September 2024, what discussions he has had with the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council on the UK’s approach to the European Union’s Research and Innovation Framework Programme 10 since that paper was published.

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

In advance of the publication of the UK’s Position Paper on the European Union’s 10th Research and Innovation Framework Programme (FP10), the Government undertook extensive engagement with a range of stakeholders across Government including UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and its constituent councils, as well as with relevant representatives of business and university sectors. This engagement was used to inform the paper.

Since then, the Department has remained in regular contact with a wide range of stakeholders on our approach to EU Research and Innovation Programmes, including through regular stakeholder meetings and public-facing engagements such as the Horizon Europe roadshows in Belfast and Cardiff. Such engagement will continue as further detail on FP10 emerges from the EU.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to the policy paper entitled UK position on EU's Research and Innovation Framework Programme, published on 26 September 2024, what discussions he has had with the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council on the UK’s approach to the European Union’s Research and Innovation Framework Programme 10 since that paper was published.

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

In advance of the publication of the UK’s Position Paper on the European Union’s 10th Research and Innovation Framework Programme (FP10), the Government undertook extensive engagement with a range of stakeholders across Government including UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and its constituent councils, as well as with relevant representatives of business and university sectors. This engagement was used to inform the paper.

Since then, the Department has remained in regular contact with a wide range of stakeholders on our approach to EU Research and Innovation Programmes, including through regular stakeholder meetings and public-facing engagements such as the Horizon Europe roadshows in Belfast and Cardiff. Such engagement will continue as further detail on FP10 emerges from the EU.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to the policy paper entitled UK position on EU's Research and Innovation Framework Programme, published on 26 September 2024, what discussions he has had with the Economic and Social Research Council on the UK’s approach to the European Union’s Research and Innovation Framework Programme 10 since that paper was published.

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

In advance of the publication of the UK’s Position Paper on the European Union’s 10th Research and Innovation Framework Programme (FP10), the Government undertook extensive engagement with a range of stakeholders across Government including UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and its constituent councils, as well as with relevant representatives of business and university sectors. This engagement was used to inform the paper.

Since then, the Department has remained in regular contact with a wide range of stakeholders on our approach to EU Research and Innovation Programmes, including through regular stakeholder meetings and public-facing engagements such as the Horizon Europe roadshows in Belfast and Cardiff. Such engagement will continue as further detail on FP10 emerges from the EU.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to the policy paper entitled UK position on EU's Research and Innovation Framework Programme, published on 26 September 2024, what discussions he has had with the Arts and Humanities Research Council on the UK’s approach to the European Union’s Research and Innovation Framework Programme 10 since that paper was published.

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

In advance of the publication of the UK’s Position Paper on the European Union’s 10th Research and Innovation Framework Programme (FP10), the Government undertook extensive engagement with a range of stakeholders across Government including UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and its constituent councils, as well as with relevant representatives of business and university sectors. This engagement was used to inform the paper.

Since then, the Department has remained in regular contact with a wide range of stakeholders on our approach to EU Research and Innovation Programmes, including through regular stakeholder meetings and public-facing engagements such as the Horizon Europe roadshows in Belfast and Cardiff. Such engagement will continue as further detail on FP10 emerges from the EU.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to the policy paper entitled UK position on EU's Research and Innovation Framework Programme, published on 26 September 2024, what discussions he has had with the Medical Research Council on the UK’s approach to the European Union’s Research and Innovation Framework Programme 10 since that paper was published.

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

In advance of the publication of the UK’s Position Paper on the European Union’s 10th Research and Innovation Framework Programme (FP10), the Government undertook extensive engagement with a range of stakeholders across Government including UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and its constituent councils, as well as with relevant representatives of business and university sectors. This engagement was used to inform the paper.

Since then, the Department has remained in regular contact with a wide range of stakeholders on our approach to EU Research and Innovation Programmes, including through regular stakeholder meetings and public-facing engagements such as the Horizon Europe roadshows in Belfast and Cardiff. Such engagement will continue as further detail on FP10 emerges from the EU.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to the policy paper entitled UK position on EU's Research and Innovation Framework Programme, published on 26 September 2024, what discussions he has had with the Natural Environment Research Council on the UK’s approach to the European Union’s Research and Innovation Framework Programme 10 since that paper was published.

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

In advance of the publication of the UK’s Position Paper on the European Union’s 10th Research and Innovation Framework Programme (FP10), the Government undertook extensive engagement with a range of stakeholders across Government including UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and its constituent councils, as well as with relevant representatives of business and university sectors. This engagement was used to inform the paper.

Since then, the Department has remained in regular contact with a wide range of stakeholders on our approach to EU Research and Innovation Programmes, including through regular stakeholder meetings and public-facing engagements such as the Horizon Europe roadshows in Belfast and Cardiff. Such engagement will continue as further detail on FP10 emerges from the EU.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to the policy paper entitled UK position on EU's Research and Innovation Framework Programme, published on 26 September 2024, what discussions he has had with businesses on the UK’s approach to the European Union’s Research and Innovation Framework Programme 10 since that paper was published, broken down by business.

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

In advance of the publication of the UK’s Position Paper on the European Union’s 10th Research and Innovation Framework Programme (FP10), the Government undertook extensive engagement with a range of stakeholders across Government including UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and its constituent councils, as well as with relevant representatives of business and university sectors. This engagement was used to inform the paper.

Since then, the Department has remained in regular contact with a wide range of stakeholders on our approach to EU Research and Innovation Programmes, including through regular stakeholder meetings and public-facing engagements such as the Horizon Europe roadshows in Belfast and Cardiff. Such engagement will continue as further detail on FP10 emerges from the EU.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to the policy paper entitled UK position on EU's Research and Innovation Framework Programme, published on 26 September 2024, what discussions he has had with universities on the UK’s approach to the European Union’s Research and Innovation Framework Programme 10 since that paper was published, broken down by each university.

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

In advance of the publication of the UK’s Position Paper on the European Union’s 10th Research and Innovation Framework Programme (FP10), the Government undertook extensive engagement with a range of stakeholders across Government including UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and its constituent councils, as well as with relevant representatives of business and university sectors. This engagement was used to inform the paper.

Since then, the Department has remained in regular contact with a wide range of stakeholders on our approach to EU Research and Innovation Programmes, including through regular stakeholder meetings and public-facing engagements such as the Horizon Europe roadshows in Belfast and Cardiff. Such engagement will continue as further detail on FP10 emerges from the EU.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to the policy paper entitled UK position on EU's Research and Innovation Framework Programme, published on 26 September 2024, what discussions he has had with Research England on the UK’s approach to the European Union’s Research and Innovation Framework Programme 10 since that paper was published.

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

In advance of the publication of the UK’s Position Paper on the European Union’s 10th Research and Innovation Framework Programme (FP10), the Government undertook extensive engagement with a range of stakeholders across Government including UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and its constituent councils, as well as with relevant representatives of business and university sectors. This engagement was used to inform the paper.

Since then, the Department has remained in regular contact with a wide range of stakeholders on our approach to EU Research and Innovation Programmes, including through regular stakeholder meetings and public-facing engagements such as the Horizon Europe roadshows in Belfast and Cardiff. Such engagement will continue as further detail on FP10 emerges from the EU.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to the policy paper entitled UK position on EU's Research and Innovation Framework Programme, published on 26 September 2024, what discussions he has had with Innovate UK on the UK’s approach to the European Union’s Research and Innovation Framework Programme 10 since that paper was published.

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

In advance of the publication of the UK’s Position Paper on the European Union’s 10th Research and Innovation Framework Programme (FP10), the Government undertook extensive engagement with a range of stakeholders across Government including UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and its constituent councils, as well as with relevant representatives of business and university sectors. This engagement was used to inform the paper.

Since then, the Department has remained in regular contact with a wide range of stakeholders on our approach to EU Research and Innovation Programmes, including through regular stakeholder meetings and public-facing engagements such as the Horizon Europe roadshows in Belfast and Cardiff. Such engagement will continue as further detail on FP10 emerges from the EU.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to the policy paper entitled UK position on EU's Research and Innovation Framework Programme, published on 26 September 2024, what discussions he has had with UK Research and Innovation on the UK’s approach to the European Union’s Research and Innovation Framework Programme 10 since that paper was published.

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

In advance of the publication of the UK’s Position Paper on the European Union’s 10th Research and Innovation Framework Programme (FP10), the Government undertook extensive engagement with a range of stakeholders across Government including UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and its constituent councils, as well as with relevant representatives of business and university sectors. This engagement was used to inform the paper.

Since then, the Department has remained in regular contact with a wide range of stakeholders on our approach to EU Research and Innovation Programmes, including through regular stakeholder meetings and public-facing engagements such as the Horizon Europe roadshows in Belfast and Cardiff. Such engagement will continue as further detail on FP10 emerges from the EU.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to the policy paper entitled UK position on EU's Research and Innovation Framework Programme, published on 26 September 2024, what discussions he has had with the Science and Technology Facilities Council on the UK’s approach to the European Union’s Research and Innovation Framework Programme 10 since that paper was published.

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

In advance of the publication of the UK’s Position Paper on the European Union’s 10th Research and Innovation Framework Programme (FP10), the Government undertook extensive engagement with a range of stakeholders across Government including UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and its constituent councils, as well as with relevant representatives of business and university sectors. This engagement was used to inform the paper.

Since then, the Department has remained in regular contact with a wide range of stakeholders on our approach to EU Research and Innovation Programmes, including through regular stakeholder meetings and public-facing engagements such as the Horizon Europe roadshows in Belfast and Cardiff. Such engagement will continue as further detail on FP10 emerges from the EU.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 12 February 2025 to Question 29603 on Animal Experiments: Licensing, when her Department plans to begin its internal review into the duration of project licences for animal research under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986.

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

Work is ongoing to conduct an internal review in relation to the duration of project licences for animal research under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA). The Home Office intends to report on the review by the end of 2025.

The regulatory framework has a rigorous approach to the application of the 3Rs (Replacement, Reduction and Refinement) in all applications for programmes of work involving animals. Establishments conducting research must have robust internal governance systems and processes that ensure the regulated activities carried out at the establishment are undertaken in accordance with the principles of the 3Rs. Our application of the 3Rs principles continuously evolves with scientific developments.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate she has made of the level of weekly passenger demand at the new Tempsford railway station.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

No formal assessment on forecast weekly passenger demand at Tempsford has yet been made – however, early work provided by Network Rail and East-West Rail Company has provisionally classified Tempsford as a Category C station, which could see 500,000 to 2,000,000 passengers annually.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how the defence budget is allocated across all (a) Regular and (b) Reserve Infantry Battalions.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

Regular and Reserve Infantry Battalions produce a costed programme as part of the Annual Budget Cycle. These programmes are based on their planned and prioritised commitments, as agreed in the Army Command Plan, and budgets are allocated accordingly.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what his Department's planned timetable is for the publication of the Strategic Spatial Energy Plan.

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

The Strategic Spatial Energy Plan (SSEP) will be published by the National Energy System Operator (NESO) in 2026.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Foreign and Commonwealth soldiers are in the UK Armed Forces, by nationality.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

The number of non-UK personnel serving in the Trained and Trade Trained Strength of the Regular Armed Forces and the Brigade of Gurkhas as at 1 January 2025 is shown in the table(s) below.

Notes/Caveats

1. UK Regulars comprise of Full Time Service Personnel, including Nursing Services, but excluding Full Time Reserve Service (FTRS) personnel, Gurkhas, mobilised Reservists, Military Provost Guard Service (MPGS), Locally Engaged Personnel (LEP), Non-Regular Permanent Staff (NRPS), High Readiness Reserve (HRR) and Expeditionary Forces Institute (EFI) personnel. Unless otherwise stated, includes trained and untrained personnel.
2. Nationality is as self-declared on the Joint Personnel Administration (JPA).
3. Nepalese personnel in the Regulars are those that have transferred out of the Brigade of Gurkhas.
4. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10 in line with disclosure control policy. Figures ending in 5 are rounded to the nearest 20 to avoid bias, 0 is represented by '-'. Figures below are represented by '[c]'.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what grants his Department plans to make available to support events for Armed Forces Day 2025.

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

Armed Forces Day will take place on Saturday 28 June 2025 and provides an opportunity for the country to show support for those who make up the Armed Forces community: from currently Serving personnel to Service families, Veterans and Cadets. The Ministry of Defence will, as in previous years, make a number of grants available (up to £10,000 each) for communities to help host an event. Details of eligibility and how to apply for a grant are available on our website www.armedforcesday.org.uk

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many families of (a) current and (b) former military personnel are actively pursuing legal action against his Department after receiving a cancer diagnosis after having served on UK military helicopters.

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

Currently, 27 compensation claims are being actively pursued by, or on behalf of, military personnel. Of these, five claims are from current personnel and 22 claims concern former military personnel.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of Afghan nationals with Indefinite Leave to Remain are claiming unemployment benefits.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Department does not hold the requested information on how many and what proportion of Afghan nationals with Indefinite Leave to Remain are claiming unemployment benefits.

The Department checks immigration status when assessing eligibility, but this information is not collated centrally and hence not readily available. The Department is exploring the feasibility of developing suitable official statistics related to the immigration status of non-UK / Irish Universal Credit customers.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment Network Rail has made of the potential merits of proceeding with the proposed new East Coast Main Line station at Alconbury Weald.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Department is aware of long-standing local aspirations for an East Coast Main Line station at Alconbury Weald that would align with the new housing being developed in the area.

In December 2024 the Chancellor launched the second stage of the Spending Review. This is a zero-based Spending Review, to ensure every line of spending – including the transport infrastructure portfolio – delivers the Plan for Change and provides good value for taxpayers. This will support the development of a long-term strategy for transport, that delivers a modern and integrated network with people at its heart. It will consider a fundamental reset to how we approach capital projects, to ensure that transport infrastructure can be delivered efficiently and on time, supporting our strategic objectives. We expect the Spending Review to conclude by June 2025, and will therefore be unable to comment on the status of individual scheme proposals until that point.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many reports of sexual assault have been filed by male service personnel in (a) the Royal Navy, (b) the British Army and (c) the Royal Air Force in each year since 2014.

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

An annual official statistic on cases of sexual offending handled by the Service Justice System has been published since 2015:
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/murder-manslaughter-sexual-offences-and-domestic-abuse-in-the-service-justice-system-2023

This shows the numbers of sexual assault cases investigated by the Service police by Service and, separately, the numbers of females and males who have been victims of such assaults. The latter category is not further broken down by Service. Data for 2024 will be published shortly. Cases reported to the civilian police are not captured in the official statistic.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many reports of sexual assault have been filed by female service personnel in the (a) Royal Navy, (b) Army and (c) Royal Air Force in each year since 2014.

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

An annual official statistic on cases of sexual offending handled by the Service Justice System has been published since 2015:
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/murder-manslaughter-sexual-offences-and-domestic-abuse-in-the-service-justice-system-2023

This shows the numbers of sexual assault cases investigated by the Service police by Service and, separately, the numbers of females and males who have been victims of such assaults. The latter category is not further broken down by Service. Data for 2024 will be published shortly. Cases reported to the civilian police are not captured in the official statistic.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) current and (b) former military personnel have been diagnosed with cancer after serving on UK military helicopters.

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

Ministry of Defence Analysts are undertaking a review to determine the number of Serving personnel who have served as air crew and been diagnosed with cancer. I will write to hon. Member when information is available, and a copy of this letter will be placed in the Library of The House.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the Answer of 14 February 2025 to Question 29596 on Artificial Intelligence: Safety, under which new legislation he plans to criminalise possessing, creating or distributing AI tools designed to generate harmful content.

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

We are committed to giving law enforcement agencies the powers needed to combat child sexual abuse. That is why we have introduced an offence in the Crime and Policing Bill to criminalise AI models which have been optimised to create child sexual abuse material.

UK law is clear – creating, possessing, or distributing child sexual abuse images, including those that are AI generated, is already illegal. This world leading offence makes it a crime to possess, adapt, supply or offer to supply an AI model that has been fine-tuned by offenders to create the most severe forms of child sexual abuse material.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 14 February 2025 to Question 30696 on Border Security Command, what the minimum grade is that a civil servant would need to be in order to be eligible to act as the Interim Border Security Commander.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)

If the Secretary of State were obliged at some future point to designate a civil servant as the Interim Border Security Commander, they would make the decision based on the skills and experience of the individual to perform the functions as set out in the legislation on behalf of the crown for the interim period.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how family members are vetted under the Afghan Resettlement Programme.

Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

The Afghan Resettlement Programme, announced by the Defence Secretary on 18 December 2024, is not in itself an immigration scheme, but a single approach to improve efficiency in the end-to-end relocation and in-UK resettlement of those arriving on our Afghan schemes.

To obtain entry clearance to the UK under our Afghan schemes, individuals must successfully complete the required entry clearance processes, which includes meeting the relevant suitability requirements.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to tackle hare coursing in rural areas.

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

This is a devolved matter, and the information provided therefore relates to England and Wales only.

This Government recognises the importance of tackling rural crimes such as Hare Coursing.

The previous Government made changes to address illegal hare coursing through a package of measures in the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022. This broadened the circumstances in which police can investigate and bring charges for hare coursing related activity.

Enforcement of the law is a matter for the police. This is in line with their duties to keep the peace and protect communities.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an estimate of the potential cost to the public purse of the proposed A141 upgrade north of St Ives.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The proposed A141 upgrade scheme is sponsored by the Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority (CPCA) as the Local Transport Authority. However, we understand that the current estimated capital cost of the scheme is between £225 million and £250 million.

To date, the CPCA has allocated £6 million for the development of the Outline Business Case, with £2.006 million being spent so far, funded via the Department for Transport’s Transforming Cities Fund. An additional £8.67 million has been allocated to support future business case development.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when her Department last checked conditions at Marshall BioResources in Huntingdon.

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

The Animals in Science Regulation Unit conducts both announced and unannounced audits to ensure establishments compliance with the terms of their licences, the Code of Practice and with the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA). Each establishment that holds specially protected species, such as dogs, will be audited at least once every year. All other establishments will receive an audit at least every three years.

ASPA provides protections for animals bred in the UK for use in scientific procedures. All establishments licenced to breed protected animals under ASPA are required to comply with the published Code of Practice, which sets out standards for the appropriate care and accommodation of animals.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what testing of in-service military helicopter exhaust emissions his Department has conducted since January 2021.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

Following previous announcements regarding the testing of in-service helicopters, the Ministry of Defence has commenced engine exhaust emission testing of the Puma helicopter and thereafter will commence testing of samples from our other in-service helicopters.

Since January 2021, no other helicopter engine exhaust emission testing has been conducted.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much a pair of Peltor ear defenders costs to issue.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

Information on the costs to issue individual hearing protection items is not held in the format requested. I am, further, unable to comment on the unit purchase cost of the Peltor Ear Muff and the Peltor ComTac XP/XPI, as releasing this information could prejudice commercial interests.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of foreign national offenders receive benefits.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Department does not hold the information requested.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how funding for the fire and rescue service is calculated.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)

Government funding for fire and rescue services is provided by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) through the Local Government Finance Settlement in the form of revenue support grant (RSG) and retained business rates.

The amount of funding that fire and rescue services receive is determined and distributed using a formula owned by MHCLG.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many General Practice contracts have been returned since 4 July 2024.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department does not hold data regarding how many general practice contracts have been returned.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what the current level of Government funding is for all British activity in Antarctica.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK's investment for British activity in Antarctica comprises a) British Antarctic Survey activity (BAS) which is funded by DSIT; b) deployment of HMS Protector which is funded by the MOD. Across the past three financial years, Navy Command has spent an average of £17.871million to operate Protector in Antarctic (or nearby) waters; c) small grant funding from the FCDO to the UK Antarctic Heritage Trust and British Antarctic Territory which this year amounted to £150,000.

Additionally, the Government has invested significantly into the UK's infrastructure in Antarctica over the past decade, the largest package of funding since the 1980s. The Antarctic Infrastructure Modernisation Programme (AIMP) is a multi-year programme to 2031 to upgrade the UK's facilities at Rothera Research Station. Amounting to approximately £48m per year under the current spending framework, the AIMP includes the ongoing construction of the Discovery Building, a new science and operations centre for Rothera. £40m has also been invested in refurbishing the wharf at Rothera, completed in 2020. In 2014, the then Chancellor announced that the Government would provide £200m to build BAS's state of the art vessel, the RRS Sir David Attenborough (the SDA), one of the biggest commercial shipbuilding contracts undertaken in the UK in decades. The SDA departed for her maiden voyage in November 2021 and has already transformed the way UK research is conducted in the polar regions. She is expected to operate for at least 25 years, providing a modern platform for future generations of UK polar researchers.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the oral contribution of the Minister for the Armed Forces in response to the question from the hon. Member for Huntingdon of 24 February 2025, Official Report, column 14, what the full list of qualifying roles are that entitle applicants to be accepted into the Afghan Resettlement Programme.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

While the Afghan Resettlement Programme (ARP) draws together existing resettlement routes into a single pipeline, the eligibility criteria of the schemes which make up the ARP remain the same.

The Ministry of Defence does not hold a list of job roles which make an individual eligible under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) scheme. Each application is assessed individually against the eligibility criteria using a case-by-case approach which takes into account the evidence available. The ARAP eligibility criteria are outlined under the Immigration Rules: Appendix ARAP. Further information on the ARAP eligibility criteria can be found at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/afghan-relocations-and-assistance-policy/afghan-relocations-and-assistance-policy-information-and-guidance#eligibility-under-the-arap

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the risk posed by foreign state actors’ covert military activity in Antarctica.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

The Ministry of Defence undertakes regular assessments of the risks posed by foreign state actors and works with allies and partners to ensure the commitments to the Antarctic Treaty, including through the deployment of the Royal Navy’s Ice Patrol Ship, are upheld.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) male and (b) female service personnel have been charged with offences relating to sexual assault since 2014.

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

A total of 393 male and 11 female Service personnel were charged with sexual assault (Section 3 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003) in the period from 2014 to 2024. These figures constitute individuals charged in the Service jurisdiction by the Service Prosecuting Authority, including those charged after they had left their Service. Figures provided do not include Service personnel charged in the civilian jurisdiction.

Defence has zero tolerance for such behaviour. We are committed to making the step changes required to create a safe and inclusive environment for all our Service Personnel, enabling us to deliver our Defence outputs and enhance our operational effectiveness.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) SA80 A2 and (b) SA80 A3 rifles are currently held by his Department.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

As at 25 February 2025, there are 125,276 L85 (SA80) A2 Rifles and 40,144 L85 A3 Rifles held across the Ministry of Defence.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, by how much each secondary school year group is over-subscribed in Huntingdon constituency in the 2025-26 academic year.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

The department does not hold data for the 2025/26 academic year. The latest available data on school capacity are for 2022/23. Data for 2023/24 will be available at the end of March 2025. The statutory duty to provide sufficient school places sits with local authorities.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what criteria are used by Crime Registrars to determine whether hate incidents meet the criminal threshold.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Home Office Counting Rules (HOCR) for recorded crime requires that every force in England and Wales must have a Force Crime Registrar (FCR) who has attended a College of Policing training course and been accredited as professionally competent.

The FCR is responsible for overseeing the correct application of the National Crime Recording Standards within their force which stipulate that:

An incident will be recorded as a crime for ‘victim related offences’ if, on the balance of probability:

(a) the circumstances of the victims’ report amount to a crime defined by law (the police will determine this, based on their knowledge of the law and the HOCR); and

(b) there is no credible evidence to the contrary immediately available.

Regarding hate crimes, these are defined as "any criminal offence which is perceived by the victim or any other person, to be motivated by hostility or prejudice based on a person's race or perceived race; religion or perceived religion; sexual orientation or perceived sexual orientation; disability or perceived disability and any crime motivated by hostility or prejudice against a person who is transgender or perceived to be transgender."

The FCR is the final arbiter within each force in relation to any crime recording decisions and in many forces their role extends to the recording of non-crime hate incidents.

The College of Policing publishes operational guidance known as ‘Authorised Professional Practice’ (APP) for the police, including FCRs, on how to deal with many different types of crimes or incidents. In June 2023, the College updated its APP relating specifically to non-crime hate incidents (NCHIs) to align with the previous Government’s statutory code of practice.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what guidance is available to Crime Registrars on the recording of (a) hate and (b) non-crime hate incidents.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Home Office Counting Rules (HOCR) for recorded crime requires that every force in England and Wales must have a Force Crime Registrar (FCR) who has attended a College of Policing training course and been accredited as professionally competent.

The FCR is responsible for overseeing the correct application of the National Crime Recording Standards within their force which stipulate that:

An incident will be recorded as a crime for ‘victim related offences’ if, on the balance of probability:

(a) the circumstances of the victims’ report amount to a crime defined by law (the police will determine this, based on their knowledge of the law and the HOCR); and

(b) there is no credible evidence to the contrary immediately available.

Regarding hate crimes, these are defined as "any criminal offence which is perceived by the victim or any other person, to be motivated by hostility or prejudice based on a person's race or perceived race; religion or perceived religion; sexual orientation or perceived sexual orientation; disability or perceived disability and any crime motivated by hostility or prejudice against a person who is transgender or perceived to be transgender."

The FCR is the final arbiter within each force in relation to any crime recording decisions and in many forces their role extends to the recording of non-crime hate incidents.

The College of Policing publishes operational guidance known as ‘Authorised Professional Practice’ (APP) for the police, including FCRs, on how to deal with many different types of crimes or incidents. In June 2023, the College updated its APP relating specifically to non-crime hate incidents (NCHIs) to align with the previous Government’s statutory code of practice.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what powers Crime Registrars have.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Home Office Counting Rules (HOCR) for recorded crime requires that every force in England and Wales must have a Force Crime Registrar (FCR) who has attended a College of Policing training course and been accredited as professionally competent.

The FCR is responsible for overseeing the correct application of the National Crime Recording Standards within their force which stipulate that:

An incident will be recorded as a crime for ‘victim related offences’ if, on the balance of probability:

(a) the circumstances of the victims’ report amount to a crime defined by law (the police will determine this, based on their knowledge of the law and the HOCR); and

(b) there is no credible evidence to the contrary immediately available.

Regarding hate crimes, these are defined as "any criminal offence which is perceived by the victim or any other person, to be motivated by hostility or prejudice based on a person's race or perceived race; religion or perceived religion; sexual orientation or perceived sexual orientation; disability or perceived disability and any crime motivated by hostility or prejudice against a person who is transgender or perceived to be transgender."

The FCR is the final arbiter within each force in relation to any crime recording decisions and in many forces their role extends to the recording of non-crime hate incidents.

The College of Policing publishes operational guidance known as ‘Authorised Professional Practice’ (APP) for the police, including FCRs, on how to deal with many different types of crimes or incidents. In June 2023, the College updated its APP relating specifically to non-crime hate incidents (NCHIs) to align with the previous Government’s statutory code of practice.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the cost of was of air travel by the Chancellor of the Exchequer since 4 July 2024.

Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

Costs for all overseas ministerial travel is regularly published in transparency returns. These figures are scheduled to be published in due course.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, how much funding his Department plans to allocate to scientific research projects in Antarctica.

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

The British Antarctic Survey’s current allocation from UK Research and Innovation’s Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) is £116 million for 2024/25.

DSIT's R&D budget is rising to £13.9 billion for the 2025/26 financial year. The Department will announce further details on the allocation of the budget in 2025/26 in due course. Last July, the Chancellor launched a multi-year spending review, which will conclude in June 2025, and will allow government to set out its spending plans for science and technology investment over the longer-term.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, how much funding his Department allocated to the British Antarctic Survey in the 2024-25 financial year.

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

The British Antarctic Survey’s current allocation from UK Research and Innovation’s Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) is £116 million for 2024/25.

DSIT's R&D budget is rising to £13.9 billion for the 2025/26 financial year. The Department will announce further details on the allocation of the budget in 2025/26 in due course. Last July, the Chancellor launched a multi-year spending review, which will conclude in June 2025, and will allow government to set out its spending plans for science and technology investment over the longer-term.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which standard ear defenders are issued to the armed forces.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

There is not a 'standard' ear defender that is issued throughout the British Armed Forces.

Due to the varying nature of environments and tasks that require a form of ear protection, Service personnel will be issued with ear defenders that have been assessed as the most appropriate for the situation.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has taken steps to procure a killflash system for the Elcan Specter OS4 Lightweight Day Sight.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

Whilst there are currently no plans to procure a kill flash system for the Elcan Specter OS4 Lightweight Day Sight (LDS), the British Army continues to analyse the reflective and retroreflective properties of the optics it employs across a range of operational environments. This ongoing assessment ensures that any potential vulnerabilities are understood, and where necessary, mitigations are considered as part of future procurement and capability development.

The Elcan Specter OS4 Lightweight Day Sight, which is in service, includes a removable hood for the front objective as standard. This hood serves to reduce glare, mitigate sun reflection and provides limited protection against environmental conditions.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to safeguard British claims in Antarctica from foreign state actors.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

British sovereignty over the area of Antarctica now called British Antarctic Territory (BAT) dates back to 1908. This is the oldest claim to Antarctica. The UK has maintained a permanent presence in Antarctica since 1944. The UK has no doubt about its sovereignty over the British Antarctic Territory. Our overarching objective is to support the security and the good governance of the Territory. UK presence is provided by the British Antarctic Survey, who operate three scientific stations, the UK Antarctic Heritage Trust, who manage the historical base at Port Lockroy, and the Royal Navy's Ice Patrol Ship HMS Protector. Article IV of the Antarctic Treaty 1959 effectively places in abeyance all territorial sovereignty claims to Antarctica, recognition, and non-recognition of claims, and precludes any activity to assert any new claim or enlarge any existing claim to territorial sovereignty in Antarctica. The UK remains a foremost advocate of the Antarctic Treaty and its essential principles of peace and scientific exploration.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Defence on the potential impact of changes to the taxation rules on death-in-service benefits on service families.

Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

There is a long-standing full exemption from inheritance tax when a member of the armed forces dies from a wound inflicted, accident occurring, or disease contracted on active service in certain circumstances. There is also an exemption for service personnel if they die as a result of being deliberately targeted because of their job. More information is available at www.gov.uk/hmrc-internal-manuals/inheritance-tax-manual/ihtm11301 and www.gov.uk/hmrc-internal-manuals/inheritance-tax-manual/ihtm11311.

Estates of service personnel will benefit from the normal nil-rate bands, reliefs, and exemptions available. For example, the nil-rate bands mean an estate can pass on up to £1 million with no inheritance tax liability and the general rules mean any transfers, including the payment of death benefits, to a spouse or civil partner are exempt fully from inheritance tax. The Government will bring most unused pension funds and death benefits payable from a pension into a person’s estate for inheritance tax purposes from 6 April 2027. Inheritance tax is already applied to death in service benefits for some pension schemes.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the estimated cost to the public purse is of the new railway station at Tempsford.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The current cost estimate for Connection Stages 2/3 of EWR is £5-6bn, which is inclusive of an interchange station at Tempsford. The design of Tempsford station is not sufficiently advanced to give a robust cost estimate at this time.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions he has had with the Royal Air Force on the procurement of the Aermacchi M-345 fast jet trainer.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The Royal Air Force continuously researches and assesses options for the sustainment, enhancement and development of hardware and systems to maintain competitive advantage within the flying training system. The Aermacchi M-345 fast jet trainer is one of several market options available and no formal market engagement has been conducted.

I refer the hon. Member to the answers I gave on 3 December 2024 to Question 15292 and 13 January 2025 Question 22654.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she has had discussions with Cabinet colleagues on infrastructure development alongside new housing in Huntingdon constituency.

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

MHCLG Ministers regularly collaborate with official and Ministerial colleagues across government to deliver shared priorities, including in relation to the provision of housing and infrastructure.

I otherwise refer the hon. Member to the answer to Question UIN 26106 on 5 February 2025.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the role is of the RAF Regiment.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

The role of the Royal Air Force (RAF) Regiment is to provide highly specialised Air-minded, ground combat forces to enable the delivery of Air and Space power.

As specialists in Air Force Protection, who are optimised for operations in the Complex Air Ground Environment, the RAF Regiment contributes to the defence of RAF air assets and their bases in the UK Homeland and overseas. Additionally, the RAF Regiment delivers offensive air and space capabilities, leads on the delivery of RAF State and ceremonial duties and is responsible for the provision of fixed-site counter-uncrewed air systems. The RAF Regiment also delivers all initial and continuation force protection training to the wider RAF. The RAF Regiment constitutes a Regular and an Auxiliary Reserve Force.

The RAF Regiment has been involved in operations across the globe since its inception in 1942, where more recent examples include the Falklands, the Balkans, Sierra Leone, Kuwait, Iraq, Afghanistan and broader Middle East. Most recently they have supported non-combatant evacuations from Sudan and the Middle East.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Nepalese service personnel currently serve in the British Army.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 3 March 2025 to Question 33147.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Foreign National Offenders are awaiting deportation.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)

The requested data is not available in reportable form, but I can confirm that all Foreign National Offenders (FNOs) are referred to the Home Office for deportation consideration immediately following sentencing.

This Government has worked tirelessly to increase the return of those FNOs; between 5 July 2024 and 31 January 2025, there were 2,925 enforced and voluntary returns of FNOs. This is an increase of 21% compared to 2,422 FNO returns in the same period 12 months prior.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 19 February 2025 to Question 30711 on Resettlement: Afghanistan, how many Afghans have arrived in the UK (a) legally and (b) illegally since 15 August 2021.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Home Office published the information you have requested by quarter in the Immigration system statistics quarterly release.

Data on the outcomes of entry clearance visas by nationality are published in table ‘Vis_D02’ of the detailed entry clearance dataset. A visa grant does not necessarily mean that the person arrived in the UK. For data on arrivals specifically via the Afghan Resettlement Programme, see table ‘Asy_D02’ of the detailed asylum and resettlement datasets.

Data on detected irregular arrivals by nationality is published in table Irr_D01 of the ‘Irregular migration to the UK detailed datasets’.

The latest data goes up to the end of December 2024. Data up to the end of March 2025 is due to be published on 22 May 2025. Information on how to use the datasets can be found in the ‘Notes’ pages of the workbooks.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 27 February 2025 to Question 32380 on Cambridgeshire Constabulary: Allowances, what the difference in salary is between a Cambridgeshire police officer and officers from (a) Bedfordshire and (b) Hertfordshire at each rank when South-East allowance is included in the 2024-25 financial year.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)

There is a national pay structure for all police officers of all ranks in England and Wales. The pay scales with effect from 1 September 2023 are published at Circular 003/2024: Annex F and U, Police Regulations 2003 - GOV.UK.

The pay scales with effect from 1 September 2024 will be published shortly.

In addition to basic pay, determinations made under the Police Regulations 2003 provide that officers in Hertfordshire may receive an allowance of up £3,000 and those in Bedfordshire may receive an allowance of up to £2,000. The amount paid is determined by the chief constable of the relevant force up to the maximum rate provided for in the determinations.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what individual schemes for Afghan resettlement in the UK are available to be applied to under the Afghan Resettlement Programme.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

The Afghan Resettlement Programme (ARP) is a cross-Government delivery programme which brings the existing resettlement schemes into one, single pipeline, to ensure optimal outcomes at each stage of the resettlement journey.

Under the ARP, the Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy (ARAP) is the only scheme that individuals can apply to. Eligible individuals on the ACRS will continue to be prioritised and referred through one of three pathways.

Further information on the ARP can be found on Gov.uk here: Afghan Resettlement Programme

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much was spent on recruitment advertising by the (a) Royal Navy excluding the Royal Marines, (b) Army, (c) Royal Air Force and (d) Royal Marines in (i) 2022, (ii) 2023 and (iii) 2024.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

We inherited a retention and recruitment crisis from the last administration, and we are determined to address it. Recruitment advertising is one part of our efforts to attract recruits to the UK Armed Forces.

The following information has been provided by the single Services, noting that figures for Financial Year 2024-25 are partially forecasted spend and are subject to change.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when the next police and fire commissioner elections will take place where existing boundaries are not co-terminus.

Answered by Jim McMahon - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

As set out in the English Devolution White Paper, where mayoral geographies align with police force and fire and rescue geographies, Mayors will be, by default, responsible for exercising Police and Crime Commissioner and Fire and Rescue Authority functions.

We will also explore whether a single Mayor can take responsibility for Police and Crime Commissioner and Fire and Rescue Authority functions across two or more police forces or two or more Fire and Rescue Authorities, where this would result in coterminous boundaries, and bring forward any legislative changes as part of the English Devolution Bill.

Where Strategic Authorities do not currently align with these boundaries, or where alignment is not appropriate for new devolution areas, we will take steps to ensure alignment over the longer term.

The timing of elections and the transfer of Police and Crime Commissioner functions will be determined in due course.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has taken steps to request the extradition of (a) Andrew and (b) Tristan Tate from the United States.

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

As a matter of long-standing Government policy, I can neither confirm nor deny whether any extradition request has been made or received in respect of any individual or individuals.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what security measures his Department has put in place to prevent incursions by hostile states into the proposed buffer zone around Diego Garcia.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

There will be robust security provisions to protect the base, including full UK control over Diego Garcia, control over the electromagnetic spectrum and unrestricted access to and use of the base by the UK and US; a buffer zone around Diego Garcia in which nothing can be built or put in place without UK consent; a robust mechanism and review process to ensure no activity in the other islands can impinge upon base operations; and a prohibition on the presence of foreign security forces on the outer islands, either civilian or military.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how Afghans who worked for British forces during Operation Herrick can apply for resettlement in the UK.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

The Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy (ARAP) scheme is designed specifically for those who worked for or with the UK Government in Afghanistan in exposed or meaningful roles, such as in support of wider UK national security objectives. While Afghans who worked for British Forces during Operation Herrick can apply, all applications across the scheme are assessed individually, against the eligibility criteria using a case-by-case approach which takes into account the evidence available.

ARAP forms part of the cross-Government Afghan Resettlement Programme (ARP).

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, from what year the population data used to calculate fire service funding is taken from.

Answered by Jim McMahon - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The majority of funding in the Local Government Finance Settlement, including funding for Fire and Rescue Authorities is distributed through the Settlement Funding Assessment. This formula was introduced in 2013-14 and is based on the 2013 population projections from the 2011 census data. The formula also includes other variables that have a population measure in them such as density and sparsity which uses a mix of 2001 and 2011 census data.

The previous government committed to improving and updating the way in which local authorities are funded through the “Fair Funding Review” but this was not delivered. We will make good on this commitment and implement long-awaited reforms through a multi-year settlement in 2026-27.

As a core part of this plan, the government is committed to introducing an improved and updated approach to funding local authorities from 2026-27 and endeavours to use the most up to date data as part of the fundamental improvements we will make.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will remove the cost of UK citizenship for non-UK service personnel.

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

British citizenship is not a requirement for Service in the UK Armed Forces, and not all countries we recruit from permit their citizens to have dual nationality. There are no current plans therefore to remove the cost. We are, however, committed to removing visa fees for non-UK personnel who have served for four or more years and their families, whilst maintaining the option for non-UK personnel to choose to naturalise as a British citizen whilst still serving.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will take steps with Cabinet colleagues to make indefinite leave to remain available to the dependents of non-UK service personnel at zero cost this Parliament.

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

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 25 July 2024 to Question 121 to the hon. Member for South Suffolk (Mr Cartlidge).

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the Carr-Hill formula in producing an equitable distribution of funding.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Carr-Hill formula aims to ensure that resources are directed to general practices (GPs) based on an estimate of their patient workload. It takes into account many factors under two groups, the 'drivers of workload' and the 'unavoidable costs', which includes additional needs related to morbidity and mortality. Plans to review this funding formula may be revisited in future. However, any changes would need careful planning to ensure they do not threaten stability or cause financial uncertainty for practices.

We are investing an additional £889 million in GPs to reinforce the front door of the National Health Service, bringing total spend on the GP Contract to £13.2 billion in 2025/26. This is the biggest increase in over a decade.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what is the funding allocation per child for primary school breakfast clubs.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Funding rates vary depending on uptake and pupil characteristics, for example by free school meal eligibility. All early adopter schools will receive £500 to cover initial set-up costs and a lump sum of at least £1,000 a term, to cover fixed costs such as staffing. An average school with 50% take-up of the early adopter scheme would receive around £23,000 for a full year. The purpose of the early adopter scheme is to test and learn, and the department will work closely with schools to gather evidence on funding levels in advance of national rollout.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Afghans have been granted (a) indefinite leave to remain and (b) British citizenship since 15 August 2021.

Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

The Home Office publishes information on Settlement by nationality in the Immigration system statistics quarterly release - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk), direct link to the Settlement data tables. The statistics relate to grants and refusals of settlement and refer to individuals who wish to make their right to remain in the UK indefinite.

The Home Office publishes information on Citizenship by nationality in the Immigration system statistics quarterly release - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk), direct link to the Citizenship data tables. The statistics relate to applications, grants and refusals of Citizenship.

Additionally, the Home Office publishes data on refugees resettled under resettlement schemes in the Asylum and Resettlement data tables.

The latest data relates to year 2024.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people were awarded British citizenship in 2024.

Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

The Home Office publishes information on Citizenship in the Immigration system statistics quarterly release - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk), direct link to the Citizenship data tables.

The statistics relate to applications, grants and refusals of Citizenship. The latest data relates to year 2024.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people were granted indefinite leave to remain in 2024.

Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

The Home Office publishes information on Settlement in the Immigration system statistics quarterly release - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk), direct link to the Settlement data tables.

The statistics relate to grants and refusals of settlement and refer to individuals who wish to make their right to remain in the UK indefinite. The latest data relates to year 2024.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many people have been disqualified for holding elective office under Part 5 of the Elections Act 2022.

Answered by Rushanara Ali - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Under UK law, those convicted of intimidation or abuse of candidates, campaigners or elected office holders, may be subject to a five-year ban from standing for, or holding, elective office, in addition to any standard punishment for the underlying criminal offence. The disqualification can be imposed at the point of sentence before a criminal court, unless it is unjust in the circumstances to do so.

The disqualification order came into force in November 2023, meaning that it has not been in place for a substantive period of time. We do not hold data on how many people have been disqualified

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 27 February 2025 to Question 29223 on General Practitioners: Contracts, how many General Practice contracts have been retendered in each month since 4 July 2024.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department does not hold any data regarding how many general practice contracts have been retendered

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what discussions his Department has had with the US Food and Drug Administration regarding the regulatory approval of New Approach Methods.

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

The Labour Manifesto includes a commitment to “partner with scientists, industry, and civil society as we work towards the phasing out of animal testing”. The Government is working to understand the international drivers and challenges to integrating non-animal methods into regulatory safety testing. This includes engaging with government scientists and regulators, including the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, Food Standards Agency and Environment Agency, as well as international medicines and chemicals regulators as to how we will take this commitment forward.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what discussions his Department has had with the European Medicines Agency regarding the regulatory approval of New Approach Methods.

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

The Labour Manifesto includes a commitment to “partner with scientists, industry, and civil society as we work towards the phasing out of animal testing”. The Government is working to understand the international drivers and challenges to integrating non-animal methods into regulatory safety testing. This includes engaging with government scientists and regulators, including the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, Food Standards Agency and Environment Agency, as well as international medicines and chemicals regulators as to how we will take this commitment forward.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what discussions his Department has had with Swissmedic regarding the regulatory approval of New Approach Methods.

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

The Labour Manifesto includes a commitment to “partner with scientists, industry, and civil society as we work towards the phasing out of animal testing”. The Government is working to understand the international drivers and challenges to integrating non-animal methods into regulatory safety testing. This includes engaging with government scientists and regulators, including the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, Food Standards Agency and Environment Agency, as well as international medicines and chemicals regulators as to how we will take this commitment forward.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what discussions he has had with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency on the regulatory approval of new approach methodologies.

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

The Labour Manifesto includes a commitment to “partner with scientists, industry, and civil society as we work towards the phasing out of animal testing”. The Government is working to understand the international drivers and challenges to integrating non-animal methods into regulatory safety testing. This includes engaging with government scientists and regulators, including the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, Food Standards Agency and Environment Agency, as well as international medicines and chemicals regulators as to how we will take this commitment forward.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which service arm is responsible for combat search and rescue capability.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

The Ministry of Defence does not routinely comment on combat search and rescue capabilities for reasons of operational security.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, over what time period the new funding to Ukraine under the Ukraine Bilateral Agreement will be repaid using profits from sanctioned Russian sovereign assets.

Answered by Emma Reynolds - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government is providing a £2.26bn loan to Ukraine as part of the G7 Extraordinary Revenue Acceleration initiative. The UK will be repaid using profits that are being generated from immobilised Russian sovereign assets in the EU.

The UK and wider G7 have committed to ensuring that Russian sovereign assets remain immobilised across our jurisdictions until Russia ceases its war of aggression and pays for the damage it has caused to Ukraine.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if she will provide a breakdown by country of people designated as Foreign National Offenders.

Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

A Foreign National Offender (FNO) is someone who is not a British citizen and is, or was, convicted in the UK of any criminal offence. The Ministry of Justice publishes information on the prison population and offenders supervised by the Probation Service as part of its Offender Management Statistics Quarterly.

The requested data can be found:

• Prison population (based on the prison population as at 31 December 2024; latest available published data) can be found at Table 1_Q_12 in the attached link: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6799631cd4f0d327e77071ae/prison-population-31-Dec-2024.ods

• Offenders supervised by the Probation Service (on 30 September 2024; latest available published data) can be found at Table 6_9_Caseload_Nationality in the attached link: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/67995c02636f8db3c270719c/Probation-Jul-to-Sep-2024.ods

Foreign nationals who commit crime should be in no doubt that the law will be enforced and the Ministry of Justice works closely with the Home Office to pursue their deportation. Under this government, 23% more foreign national offenders were removed during the period July 2024 to January 2025 compared with the equivalent period in 2023-24, under the previous administration.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of emergency service control rooms will have embedded domestic abuse specialists by the end of 2025.

Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

The scale of violence against women and girls in our country is intolerable and this Government is treating it as the national emergency that it is. We are going further than ever before to deliver a cross-government transformative approach to tackling violence against women and girls, underpinned by a new VAWG strategy to be published this year.

In February we announced that external domestic abuse specialists have been embedded within the first five police force control rooms under Raneem’s Law, to improve the police response to domestic abuse. These forces are Northumbria, Northamptonshire, Bedfordshire, Humberside and West Midlands.

These external specialists will work alongside staff in 999 control rooms, to advise on risk assessments, work with officers on the ground and ensure victims are referred to appropriate support services swiftly.

We intend to use learning from this first phase of implementation to develop our model and inform plans for national rollout across all 43 forces in England and Wales. Further roll-out will be announced in due course.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what is the minimum supervision ratio of adults to children required to run a primary school breakfast club.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Staffing levels and ratios should be determined by individual schools, considering the different levels of need, including special educational needs and disability, of the children attending.

Breakfast clubs may include children who attend reception class during the school day. Schools should have regard for the early years foundation stage statutory framework for group and school-based providers.

If a breakfast club programme is being delivered by a private, voluntary and independent provider, who only provides care for children aged six and above, the provider should follow the ratio requirements set out in the guidance for daycare providers on the compulsory childcare register.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Boxer Armoured Vehicles have been delivered to the British Army.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The Mechanised Infantry Vehicle (BOXER) programme deliveries from industry are progressing in line with the current forecasted targets. To date, two BOXER platforms have been delivered to the British Army.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 13 February 2025 to Question 30203 on Undocumented Migrants: Repatriation, how many individual voluntary returns were awarded (a) up to £1,000, (b) between £1,000 and £2,000 and (c) between £2,000 and £3,000 by the Voluntary Returns Service between 4 July 2024 and 31 January 2025.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)

I refer the Honourable Member to the Answer I gave him on 6 February to Question 28420.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 13 February 2025 to Question 30207 on Undocumented Migrants: Repatriation, how many voluntary returns were given financial support by the Voluntary Returns Service under the criteria of being part of a family group that will travel together, including someone under 18 years old between 4 July 2024 and 31 January 2025.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)

I refer the Honourable Member to the Answer I gave him on 6 February to Question 28420.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 13 February 2025 to Question 30206 on Undocumented Migrants: Repatriation, how many voluntary returns were given financial support by the Voluntary Returns Service under the criteria of having received a letter from the Home Office confirming they are a victim of modern slavery between 4 July 2024 and 31 January 2025.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)

I refer the Honourable Member to the Answer I gave him on 6 February to Question 28420.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 13 February 2025 to Question 30205 on Undocumented Migrants: Repatriation, how many voluntary returns were given financial support by the Voluntary Returns Service under the criteria of their claim for asylum in the UK having been refused between 4 July 2024 and 31 January 2025.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)

I refer the Honourable Member to the Answer I gave him on 6 February to Question 28420.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 13 February 2025 to Question 30204 on Undocumented Migrants: Repatriation, how many voluntary returns were given financial support by the Voluntary Returns Service under the criteria of returning to a developing country between 4 July 2024 and 31 January 2025.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)

I refer the Honourable Member to the Answer I gave him on 6 February to Question 28420.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 13 February 2025 to Question 30350 on Undocumented Migrants: Repatriation, how many voluntary returns were given financial support by the Voluntary Returns Service under the criteria of being under 21 and a care leaver between 4 July 2024 and 31 January 2025.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)

I refer the Honourable Member to the Answer I gave him on 6 February to Question 28420.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 13 February 2025 to Question 30349 on Undocumented Migrants: Repatriation, how many voluntary returns were given financial support by the Voluntary Returns Service under the criteria of being under 18 and travelling alone between 4 July 2024 and 31 January 2025.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)

I refer the Honourable Member to the Answer I gave him on 6 February to Question 28420.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 13 February 2025 to Question 30351 on Undocumented Migrants: Repatriation, how many voluntary returns were given financial support by the Voluntary Returns Service under the criteria of having been sleeping rough between 4 July 2024 and 31 January 2025.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)

I refer the Honourable Member to the Answer I gave him on 6 February to Question 28420.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 14 February 2025 to Question 30375 on Undocumented Migrants: Organised Crime, what progress the Border Security Command has made through participation in the UK-Italy Illicit Finance Taskforce.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)

The UK and Italy are global leaders in disrupting economic crime and under the taskforce both nations will be sharing law enforcement strategies, policy, and expertise to maximise our disruptive effect on financial flows into the UK, Italy and across Europe.

The inaugural UK/Italy Illicit Finance Taskforce meeting was held in Rome, Italy on the 4^th of February 2025. It was attended by UK law enforcement officials from the Border Security Command, NCA, HMRC and Immigration Enforcement. Attendees, including representatives from the Guardia Di Finanza, discussed organised immigration crime commonalities, joint initiatives and irregular migration flows impacting illicit finance activity in both Italy and the UK.

The Taskforce is now focussed on agreeing deliverables, including consideration of the new Irregular Migration and OIC Sanctions regime and joint operational activity.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 14 February 2025 to Question 30379 on Europol, whether the Border Security Command is one of the UK agencies that continues to undertake operations with European law enforcement partners.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Border Security Command (BSC) is focused on strategic oversight and system leadership to secure the UK border. As part of that leadership the BSC works closely with a range of UK agency partners who do undertake operations with European law enforcement partners such as Europol.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many 30mm APSE Rarden cannon rounds have been supplied to the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

We have provided over 10 million rounds of small arms/light weapons ammunition to Ukraine. We cannot comment on specific calibres of ammunition due to operational security.

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Found: _NC17 Dr Ben Spencer Alan Mak Ben Obese-Jecty Peter Fortune Joe Robertson Stuart Andrew Saqib Bhatti

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