Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 3 July 2026 to question 10063 on Intelligence Services: Recruitment, for what reason are white candidates not eligible to apply for the MI5, MI6 and GCHQ Summer Intelligence Internship.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security) (Jointly with the Cabinet Office)
The UK Intelligence Community (UKIC) runs a number of internships and placement schemes. They are designed to provide insight about what it is like to work in UKIC to individuals who have particular skills and experience, want to work in a particular area, and/or are from demographics and backgrounds under-represented within UKIC. This is a lawful measure (as set out in the Equality Act 2010) used to encourage people from under-represented demographics to consider national security careers.
The eligibility criteria for specific internship schemes in UKIC are made publicly available on agency websites at the time when they are advertised. Any internship participant wishing to subsequently apply for employment with UKIC or the Civil Service is required to take part in fair and open competition, with selection based on merit.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Defence Investment Plan, published on 30 June 2026, paragraph 31, what steps will be taken to deliver advantage in denied and degraded environments.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Taskforce RAID is taking steps to deliver advantage in denied and degraded environments by improving our understanding of how adversaries operate in the electromagnetic environment, and by strengthening the UK’s ability to counter that activity. This work will support a real-time understanding of the electromagnetic environment, drawing on information from multiple sources to help deliver operational effect at a time and place of the UK’s choosing.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress he has made on developing the joint complex weapons portfolio office.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
As set out in the Department's announcement of 1 April 2026, the United Kingdom and France agreed to establish a Joint Complex Weapons Portfolio Office. Work is progressing with the French Government to define, sequence and implement the most efficient arrangements required to support future UK-France Complex Weapons cooperation.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Defence Investment Plan, published on 30 June 2026, chapter 3, paragraph 14, does the £70 million allocation for Veterans between FY26/27 and FY29/30 include provision for waiving visa fees for spouses and children of service personnel who have served for more than four years.
Answered by Calvin Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans and People)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 26 January 2026 to Question 107232.
https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2026-01-20/107232.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to paragraph 6 of the Defence Investment Plan, published on 30 June 2026, which projects on the current specified and prioritised list are yet to be started as new capability work as assessed by the Principal Accounting Officer.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
This Government has taken difficult but necessary choices to prioritise capability that reflects modern warfare, ensuring resources are focused on what will deliver advantage in the years ahead.
The Ministry of Defence will only start new capability work on a specified and prioritised list of investments at the point each capability is demonstrably affordable and deliverable within its overall budget as assessed by the Principal Accounting Officer. The prioritised list of projects is classified, and therefore will not be made publicly available.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Defence Investment Plan, published on 30 June 2026, paragraph 49, what novel funding mechanisms will be used to increase the resilience and protection of critical underwater infrastructure.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
As set out in the Defence Investment Plan, the Ministry of Defence will invest £330 million over the next four years in critical underwater infrastructure protection, including enhanced capabilities for RFA PROTEUS. We will also explore opportunities to partner with industry and investors on commercially provided solutions to increase the resilience and protection of associated capabilities. The timelines associated with programme delivery remain will be determined as specific capability solutions are down selected.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Defence Investment Plan, published on 30 June 2026, paragraph 49, by what date does he plan to introduce additional specialist shipping.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
As set out in the Defence Investment Plan, the Ministry of Defence will invest £330 million over the next four years in critical underwater infrastructure protection, including enhanced capabilities for RFA PROTEUS. We will also explore opportunities to partner with industry and investors on commercially provided solutions to increase the resilience and protection of associated capabilities. The timelines associated with programme delivery remain will be determined as specific capability solutions are down selected.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, on how many occasions has the Defence Investors’ Advisory Group met since its formation.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
We have established a Defence Investors Advisory Group (DIAG) to support the development of the Defence Finance and Investment Strategy (DFIS). Since its establishment, the DIAG has met on five occasions over a nine-month period. This has been supplemented by wider stakeholder engagement sessions and targeted bilateral discussions with key industry and investment partners.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the answer of 10 July 2026 to question 16168 on Investment: Strait of Hormuz, how much has she approved from the HMT reserve to deploy additional capabilities in the Middle East for the Multinational Hormuz Mission.
Answered by Emma Reynolds - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
As set out in the Defence Investment Plan, the UK and France stand ready to deploy the wider Multinational Military Mission to support freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Defence Investment Plan, published on 30 June 2026, paragraph 109, what is the a) full scope and b) breakdown of the £1.7 billion for Defence Support and Counter-CBRN.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The £1.7 billion for ‘Defence Support and Counter CBRN’ in the Defence Investment Plan (DIP) includes equipment projects managed by the National Armaments Logistic and Support organisation in National Armaments Director Group and selected other key enabling projects, such as the costs for running the British Forces Post Office, rail services and the supply of food to deployed personnel. The chapters and items in the DIP are mutually exclusive so, for example, support costs for individual platforms will appear in other chapters.
The DIP has provided an additional £50 million investment in ‘logistics support’, recognising its foundational role in enabling and sustaining the Integrated Force. This targeted investment reflects the critical importance of Defence Support in delivering the logistics, information systems, operational stocks, and enabling functions required to maintain military readiness, resilience, and effectiveness across Defence. By strengthening key support capabilities, the investment will help ensure that our Armed Forces are better equipped to generate, sustain, and deploy force elements at the readiness levels required to meet current and future operational demands, while enhancing the resilience and efficiency of the wider Defence Support enterprise.
It is not Ministry of Defence policy to comment on the exact numbers or scope of Counter-Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear capabilities, as disclosure of such detail could undermine operational and national security.