Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 3 July 2025 to Question 62858 on HMS Protector: Atlantic Ocean, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the modernisation of the Russian submarine fleet on national security.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
As stated in the Strategic Defence Review (SDR), there is a persistent and growing underwater threat to the UK and NATO from a modernising Russian submarine force. We cannot disclose further details for operational security reasons.
The SDR endorsed Atlantic Bastion, which is the Royal Navy's plan to secure the North Atlantic for the UK and NATO against this threat. All capability requirements to deliver the SDR vision are being considered as part of the Defence Investment Plan, to be published in autumn 2025.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of a high altitude nuclear explosion on the UK.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) continually works across government to understand, deter, and where possible mitigate, the impact of a nuclear attack on the UK. As set out in the Strategic Defence Review, the Cabinet Office led Home Defence Programme will consider the impact of a range of threats to the UK and how they could be mitigated.
The MOD routinely tests the nuclear survivability, including Nuclear Electromagnetic Pulse survivability, of its critical capabilities to understand the ability of our armed forces to operate in a nuclear environment. Due to operational security, we can not provide details on the outcomes of these tests.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of a replacement to the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
Since ARAP launched in 2021, the Government has relocated over 34,000 individuals under the Afghan Resettlement Programme. As over 95% of all ARAP applications considered so far have been found ineligible, ARAP is considered to have fulfilled its original objectives. The Government closed the ARAP and ACRS schemes to new applicants on 1 July 2025. There are currently no plans to develop a replacement for ARAP.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the Answer of 2 July 2025 to Question 63169 on MBR Acres, what support his Department is providing to MBR.
Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Due to national security concerns, I cannot provide more detailed information.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
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 4 July 2025 to Question 63361 on Floods: Huntingdon, what the condition is of the St Ives Staunch Sluice.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Environment Agency will continue to provide updates via their website which is here: St Ives and Brownshill Staunch Sluices Information Page - Environment Agency - Citizen Space.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
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 4 July to Question 63361 on Floods: Huntingdon, if will she publish the (a) hydraulic modelling and (b) real-world data from flood events relating to the St Ives Staunch Sluice.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Information on the Environment Agency’s work on the St Ives Staunch Sluice structure is publicised online here: St Ives and Brownshill Staunch Sluices Information Page - Environment Agency - Citizen Space
This page and Frequently Asked Questions included within it, contains this information and guidance on how to request the detailed hydraulic modelling report for anyone who wishes to review it. The local Environment Agency team have been providing this information as and when requested by any interested party.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of a replacement to the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The Immigration White paper, published on 12 May 2025, announced new measures on a wide range of issues including refugee sponsorship and resettlement, further details of which will be set out in due course.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
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 potential impact of banning the advertising of alcohol products on the alcohol industry.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department has made no formal assessment of the impact of banning the advertising of alcohol products on the alcohol industry.
As part of the Plan for Change, the Government is committed to five missions. We will continue to work across Government to ensure all policies under consideration are assessed in order to understand the range of potential impacts both on public health and the health system, and on industry.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
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 4 July 2025 to Question 63361 on Floods: Huntingdon; what works the Environment Agency will undertake on the St Ives Staunch Sluice in the next two years.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
A project is currently underway to ensure that the Environment Agency (EA) is able to maintain river levels for navigation. There is £2 million available for this work across two financial years 2025/26 and 2026/27. The full scope of the works has yet to be determined but the EA will continue to provide updates via their website, here: St Ives and Brownshill Staunch Sluices Information Page - Environment Agency - Citizen Space.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the additional cost is to the purchase of the 12 F-35A aircraft of specifying their air-to-air refuelling capability as probe-and-drogue.
Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The procurement of 12 F-35A rather than 12 F-35B as part of the next procurement package is expected to deliver a saving of up to 25% per aircraft for the taxpayer.