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 27 January 2026 to question 107527 on Ajax Vehicles: Procurement, what the status is of the first 100 Ajax-vehicles.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The majority of the first 100 Ajax vehicles were withdrawn from units in 2024, with the final vehicle withdrawn from 6 Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME) in October 2025. These vehicles are currently located in Merthyr Tydfil, Llanelli, and the Bicester Holding Area, where they are awaiting planned upgrades to meet the requirements for the current Capability Drop level before being delivered into service.
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 27 January 2026 to question 107527 on Ajax Vehicles: Procurement, for what reason the first 100 Ajax-vehicles are not in service with any unit.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The majority of the first 100 Ajax vehicles were withdrawn from units in 2024, with the final vehicle withdrawn from 6 Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME) in October 2025. These vehicles are currently located in Merthyr Tydfil, Llanelli, and the Bicester Holding Area, where they are awaiting planned upgrades to meet the requirements for the current Capability Drop level before being delivered into service.
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, whether NHS England collects data on the (a) performance and (b) downtime of hospital decontamination units.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England does not hold or collect the information requested.
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, which NHS Trusts operate on-site endoscope (a) reprocessing and (b) decontamination centres.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England does not hold or collect the information requested.
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 adopting the US military’s business operators for national defence scheme.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Ministry of Defence has no plans to recruit a dedicated cadre of former defence industry executives.
Nevertheless, the Department is conscious of the value that those with private sector experience can bring. This can be seen in the appointment in October last year of Rupert Pearce as the UK National Armaments Director (NAD), bringing over 40 years of experience across law, technology, telecommunications, energy, and venture capital. His track record of managing large-scale organisations, driving innovation and building international partnerships make him ideally suited to lead the transformation of how defence works with industry to deliver for the UK Armed Forces.
The commitment to recruiting individuals with a breadth of experience can also be seen in the current competition for a new Director General UK Defence Innovation, in which the Department is accepting applications from both within and outside the Civil Service.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his Department's timetable is for delivering a minimum viable product for the Digital Targeting Web.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer provided to the hon. Member for South Suffolk (James Cartlidge) to Question 96241 on 10 December 2025.
The Department aims to deliver the first elements of the Digital Targeting Web, or a 'Minimum Viable Product', in 2026. Plans will be continually reviewed to respond to emerging threats and adjusted as necessary.
The Digital Targeting Web is not a single, discrete system or platform but rather an interconnected ecosystem of systems, processes, and capabilities designed to enhance the UK’s targeting effectiveness. As such, it does not conform to traditional definitions and milestones that would be expected of a platform-centric project or capability. Its development will be an ongoing, iterative process to ensure the UK remains competitive in a rapidly evolving operational environment.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions her Department has had with Syrian Democratic Forces on the repatriation of Islamic State-linked individuals to the United Kingdom from the al-Roj camp.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the written ministerial statement I made on 28 January on the situation in North-East Syria, and I will provide further updates to the House in due course as the situation evolves.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many Islamic State-linked a) men, b) women and c) children have been allowed to return to the UK following detention in camps within Syria.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the written ministerial statement I made on 28 January on the situation in North-East Syria, and I will provide further updates to the House in due course as the situation evolves.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to improve the Royal Navy’s targeting decision cycle, including through the Navy AI Cell.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Subject to the Defence Investment Plan, the Royal Navy intends to use digital systems, data tools, and structures that allow maritime forces to contribute to a Digital Targeting Web that is effective across different domains and integrates with NATO allies.
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 integration between Project Asgard and Project Boyd.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Strategic Defence Review outlined how the Armed Forces must complete the journey from a joint force to an Integrated Force underpinned by a common digital foundation and shared data. Project BOYD and Project ASGARD represent the Royal Air Force (RAF) and British Army’s respective contributions to this endeavour.
While Project BOYD is led by the RAF’s Rapid Capabilities Office and Project ASGARD from the Army’s Information Directorate, both fall under the effort to establish the digital targeting web to connect ‘sensors’, ‘deciders’ and ‘effectors’ which will be implemented across all domains by the Integrated Force model. Learning captured by Project ASGARD and Project BOYD will be shared by both teams to inform future acquisition decisions.