Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment she has made of the compatibility of the US National Security Strategy with the UK's Strategic Defence Review.

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

It is for the US to answer questions about the specifics of their own National Security Strategy. The UK shares the US’s objectives of bringing the war in Ukraine to an end, strengthening Euro-Atlantic security, burden sharing through NATO and increased defence spending, which are all set out in our Strategic Defence Review. The Defence Secretary discussed this when he met with US Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, in December. Our commitment to NATO and to European security is ironclad.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the viability of the purchase of F-35As as an expansion of the UK nuclear deterrent in the context of the US National Security Strategy.

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

The United Kingdom is purchasing at least 12 F-35A aircraft. The aircraft will allow the UK to participate in NATO's Dual Capable Aircraft (DCA) nuclear mission. The nuclear weapons allocated to the NATO DCA nuclear mission are United States (US) nuclear weapons and the US retains control and custody over them.

NATO’s 2022 Strategic Concept states that the strategic nuclear forces of the Alliance, particularly those of the US, are the supreme guarantee of the security of the Alliance.

The Government has no plans to expand the UK nuclear deterrent beyond our existing submarine-based system but continues to keep its nuclear posture under constant review in light of the international security environment and the actions of potential adversaries.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent assessment he has made of the potential merits of community energy networking.

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

The Government is ambitious about the role of local and community energy in delivering our mission to make Britain a clean energy superpower. We will publish our Local Power Plan soon which will set out how we will work with communities to deliver significant growth in community energy.

Ministers and officials in the department, have visited community energy projects and attended events held by community energy affiliated organisations throughout this year, such as Community Energy England's Annual conference on 1^st July 2025.

In March 2025, the department also hosted the DESNZ ‘Community Energy Day’, bringing together over 100 representatives from community energy groups and around 40 civil servants from across Government departments. The event provided a platform to showcase innovative projects, foster collaboration, and was widely regarded as a highly successful and energising day, with both ministerial and official attendance.

We also fund the Net Zero Hubs. The Net Zero Hubs also organise events, conferences and webinars across England to increase collaboration between local authorities and community groups, showcase funding opportunities, and increase the pipeline of community energy projects, like Northumberland Community Energy’s planned further rollout of rooftop solar panels.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of increasing deer populations on drivers in rural communities.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

My Department has made no assessment of deer populations and road safety.

We recognise that drivers are at risk of collisions with wild animals. Traffic signs warning that wild animals, including deer, may be in the road ahead are available for local authorities to install where they consider it appropriate. Advice on their use is given in Chapter 4 of the Traffic Signs Manual, available at:

www.gov.uk/government/publications/traffic-signs-manual.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment has her Department made of the potential merits of amending the Hunting Act 2004 to allow only for the retrieval of a dead or wounded animal by a single dog.

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

The Department has not made any such assessment of the potential merits.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent modelling has her Department made of the impact of the Hunting Act 2004 on fox populations and welfare.

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

The Department has not undertaken any recent modelling of the impact of the Hunting Act 2004 on fox populations or welfare.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure that the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025 is enforced proportionally across venues of varying capacity.

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

The Government is committed to ensuring the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025 is implemented in a proportionate and practicable way.

An implementation period of at least 24 months is now underway, giving those responsible for premises and events sufficient time and support to meet their new obligations. It will also allow time for the Security Industry Authority (SIA) to establish its new regulatory function.

The public deserve to feel safe when visiting premises and attending events and it is right that people responsible for certain premises and events should take appropriate, reasonably practicable steps to protect the public and those working at the venues from the harmful impacts and effects of terrorism.

The Act establishes a tiered approach, with those responsible for premises and events in scope required to fulfil different requirements according to the number of individuals it is reasonable to expect may be present.

Whether the Act applies to a particular premises or events will depend on several factors. Premises may be in scope if they consist of at least one building, are wholly or mainly used for one or more of the uses specified in Schedule 1, and 200 or more people can reasonably be expected to be present at the premises at the same time.

Where it can be reasonably expected that between 200 and 799 people will be present at the premises at the same time, it will be a ‘standard tier’ premises. Should the premises reasonably expect 800 or more people to be present at the premises at the same time, it will be an ‘enhanced tier’ premises.

Events may be in scope, and will be in the ‘enhanced tier’, if they take place in a building or on land, 800 or more people are reasonably expected to be present at the same time, and it is accessible to members of the public who have paid, have a ticket or pass, or are members or guests of a club, association or similar body.

The requirements of each tier vary accordingly, acknowledging that larger premises and events may be impacted to a greater extent by an attack and should be expected to do more.

For the standard tier, requirements are centred around simple, low-cost activities surrounding procedures, with costs relating primarily to time spent. There is no requirement to put in place physical measures in the standard tier.

Furthermore, the reasonably practicable standard of requirements allows procedures and measures to be tailored to the specific circumstances of a premises or event and the person responsible for them.

The Security Industry Authority (SIA) will act as the regulator. Whilst the SIA will have enforcement powers under the Act, the Government’s clear direction is for the regulator to provide support, advice and guidance in the first instance.

The SIA will only use formal enforcement tools where necessary to drive compliance. Such enforcement measures are an important component of compliance, as they give the SIA the necessary powers to deal with persistent or serious non-compliance.

Any subsequent sanctions will be determined based on whether the non-compliance is at a location in scope of the standard tier or the enhanced tier and will be proportionate to the individual circumstances of the premises or event.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent assessment he has made of the potential merits of isolating the cost of electricity from natural gas.

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

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 24^th October to my hon Friend the Member for Slough (TanmanJeet Singh Dhesi) to question UIN [14374].

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment her Department made of the potential impact of deer populations on rural environments.

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

Defra supports survey programmes that assess the ecological condition of woodlands in England. This includes the National Forest Inventory woodland ecological condition assessment, which indicated in 2020 that 40% of woodland habitat in unfavourable condition due to herbivore damage, including from deer. A further large-scale woodland survey, known as the Bunce survey, reported in 2024 that 33% of English woodlands are impacted by deer.

Defra funded an assessment of the cost of invasive non-native species to Great Britain in 2023 as part of the GB Invasive Non-native Species Strategy. This included invasive non-native species of deer and indicated that their impacts result in costs to society of around £47.7 million annually.

Defra provides a range of support to help manage deer impacts on woodlands. This includes grants for deer management, projects and capital items such as fencing, and funding a dedicated team of Deer Officers within the Forestry Commission to provide advice.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment her Department has made of the expenditure of policing and prosecuting public order offences and assaults between trail hunt groups and saboteurs.

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

The Home Office does not hold figures on the cost of policing and prosecuting public order offences and assaults arising between trail hunt groups and saboteurs.

Policing is operationally independent, and it is for local Chief Constables to determine how best to deploy their officers and resources to meet the needs of their communities.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of trends in the level of crime solving rates in rural areas.

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

Rural crime can have devastating consequences for countryside communities and the agricultural sector. That is why this Government is committed to reducing crime in rural areas. The Home Office works in partnership with DEFRA to improve the response to rural crime. Together, we supported the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) to deliver the Rural and Wildlife Crime strategy for 2025-28. The strategy sets out operational and organisational policing priorities in respect of tackling rural crimes.

We are improving the safety of rural communities with tougher measures to clamp down on equipment theft, anti-social behaviour, strengthened neighbourhood policing and stronger measures to prevent farm theft and fly-tipping.

We are committed to implementing the Equipment Theft (Prevention) Act 2023 and fully support its aims to tackle the theft and resale of ATVs, quad bikes and GPS systems. We will introduce the necessary secondary legislation when Parliamentary time allows.

We are also introducing, through the Crime and Policing Bill, a new power for the police to enter and search premises to which items have been electronically tracked by GPS or other means, where the items are reasonably believed to have been stolen and are on those premises, and where it has not been reasonably practicable to obtain a warrant from a court. This will provide a valuable tool for police in tackling stolen equipment and machinery.

Our Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee means there will be an additional 3000 officers in neighbourhood policing teams in England and Wales by March 2026, whilst also ensuring each community, including rural communities, has a named, contactable officer to turn to.

This financial year the Home Office has provided the first funding since 2023 for the National Rural Crime Unit (NRCU) as well as continuing funding for the National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU). This funding boost of over £800,000 will help these specialist policing units tackle those crimes that predominantly affect our rural communities.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of trends in the level of agricultural crime.

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

Rural crime can have devastating consequences for countryside communities and the agricultural sector. That is why this Government is committed to reducing crime in rural areas. The Home Office works in partnership with DEFRA to improve the response to rural crime. Together, we supported the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) to deliver the Rural and Wildlife Crime strategy for 2025-28. The strategy sets out operational and organisational policing priorities in respect of tackling rural crimes.

We are improving the safety of rural communities with tougher measures to clamp down on equipment theft, anti-social behaviour, strengthened neighbourhood policing and stronger measures to prevent farm theft and fly-tipping.

We are committed to implementing the Equipment Theft (Prevention) Act 2023 and fully support its aims to tackle the theft and resale of ATVs, quad bikes and GPS systems. We will introduce the necessary secondary legislation when Parliamentary time allows.

We are also introducing, through the Crime and Policing Bill, a new power for the police to enter and search premises to which items have been electronically tracked by GPS or other means, where the items are reasonably believed to have been stolen and are on those premises, and where it has not been reasonably practicable to obtain a warrant from a court. This will provide a valuable tool for police in tackling stolen equipment and machinery.

Our Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee means there will be an additional 3000 officers in neighbourhood policing teams in England and Wales by March 2026, whilst also ensuring each community, including rural communities, has a named, contactable officer to turn to.

This financial year the Home Office has provided the first funding since 2023 for the National Rural Crime Unit (NRCU) as well as continuing funding for the National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU). This funding boost of over £800,000 will help these specialist policing units tackle those crimes that predominantly affect our rural communities.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of trends in the level of theft in rural areas.

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

Rural crime can have devastating consequences for countryside communities and the agricultural sector. That is why this Government is committed to reducing crime in rural areas. The Home Office works in partnership with DEFRA to improve the response to rural crime. Together, we supported the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) to deliver the Rural and Wildlife Crime strategy for 2025-28. The strategy sets out operational and organisational policing priorities in respect of tackling rural crimes.

We are improving the safety of rural communities with tougher measures to clamp down on equipment theft, anti-social behaviour, strengthened neighbourhood policing and stronger measures to prevent farm theft and fly-tipping.

We are committed to implementing the Equipment Theft (Prevention) Act 2023 and fully support its aims to tackle the theft and resale of ATVs, quad bikes and GPS systems. We will introduce the necessary secondary legislation when Parliamentary time allows.

We are also introducing, through the Crime and Policing Bill, a new power for the police to enter and search premises to which items have been electronically tracked by GPS or other means, where the items are reasonably believed to have been stolen and are on those premises, and where it has not been reasonably practicable to obtain a warrant from a court. This will provide a valuable tool for police in tackling stolen equipment and machinery.

Our Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee means there will be an additional 3000 officers in neighbourhood policing teams in England and Wales by March 2026, whilst also ensuring each community, including rural communities, has a named, contactable officer to turn to.

This financial year the Home Office has provided the first funding since 2023 for the National Rural Crime Unit (NRCU) as well as continuing funding for the National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU). This funding boost of over £800,000 will help these specialist policing units tackle those crimes that predominantly affect our rural communities.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to help tackle rural crime.

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

Rural crime can have devastating consequences for countryside communities and the agricultural sector. That is why this Government is committed to reducing crime in rural areas. The Home Office works in partnership with DEFRA to improve the response to rural crime. Together, we supported the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) to deliver the Rural and Wildlife Crime strategy for 2025-28. The strategy sets out operational and organisational policing priorities in respect of tackling rural crimes.

We are improving the safety of rural communities with tougher measures to clamp down on equipment theft, anti-social behaviour, strengthened neighbourhood policing and stronger measures to prevent farm theft and fly-tipping.

We are committed to implementing the Equipment Theft (Prevention) Act 2023 and fully support its aims to tackle the theft and resale of ATVs, quad bikes and GPS systems. We will introduce the necessary secondary legislation when Parliamentary time allows.

We are also introducing, through the Crime and Policing Bill, a new power for the police to enter and search premises to which items have been electronically tracked by GPS or other means, where the items are reasonably believed to have been stolen and are on those premises, and where it has not been reasonably practicable to obtain a warrant from a court. This will provide a valuable tool for police in tackling stolen equipment and machinery.

Our Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee means there will be an additional 3000 officers in neighbourhood policing teams in England and Wales by March 2026, whilst also ensuring each community, including rural communities, has a named, contactable officer to turn to.

This financial year the Home Office has provided the first funding since 2023 for the National Rural Crime Unit (NRCU) as well as continuing funding for the National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU). This funding boost of over £800,000 will help these specialist policing units tackle those crimes that predominantly affect our rural communities.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to increase funding for police forces in rural areas.

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

Rural crime can have devastating consequences for countryside communities and the agricultural sector. That is why this Government is committed to reducing crime in rural areas. The Home Office works in partnership with DEFRA to improve the response to rural crime. Together, we supported the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) to deliver the Rural and Wildlife Crime strategy for 2025-28. The strategy sets out operational and organisational policing priorities in respect of tackling rural crimes.

We are improving the safety of rural communities with tougher measures to clamp down on equipment theft, anti-social behaviour, strengthened neighbourhood policing and stronger measures to prevent farm theft and fly-tipping.

We are committed to implementing the Equipment Theft (Prevention) Act 2023 and fully support its aims to tackle the theft and resale of ATVs, quad bikes and GPS systems. We will introduce the necessary secondary legislation when Parliamentary time allows.

We are also introducing, through the Crime and Policing Bill, a new power for the police to enter and search premises to which items have been electronically tracked by GPS or other means, where the items are reasonably believed to have been stolen and are on those premises, and where it has not been reasonably practicable to obtain a warrant from a court. This will provide a valuable tool for police in tackling stolen equipment and machinery.

Our Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee means there will be an additional 3000 officers in neighbourhood policing teams in England and Wales by March 2026, whilst also ensuring each community, including rural communities, has a named, contactable officer to turn to.

This financial year the Home Office has provided the first funding since 2023 for the National Rural Crime Unit (NRCU) as well as continuing funding for the National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU). This funding boost of over £800,000 will help these specialist policing units tackle those crimes that predominantly affect our rural communities.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he will take in the forthcoming National Cancer Plan to improve diagnosis and treatment for penile cancer.

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

Reducing the number of lives lost to cancer, including penile cancer, is a key aim of the National Cancer Plan. The plan will be published early this year. It will include further details on how we will improve outcomes for patients with cancer, as well as speeding up diagnosis and treatment, ensuring patients have access to the latest treatments and technology, and ultimately driving up this country’s cancer survival rates. This will benefit all cancer patients, including penile cancer patients.

The Government supports Scott Arthur’s Private Members Bill on rare cancers which will make it easier for clinical trials into rare cancers, including penile cancer patients, to take place in England by ensuring the patient population can be easily contacted by researchers. This will ensure that the National Health Service will remain at the forefront of medical innovation and is able to provide patients with the newest, most effective treatment options, and ultimately boost survival rates.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he will take in the forthcoming National Cancer Plan to improve diagnosis times for myeloma.

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

It is a priority for the Government to support the National Health Service to diagnose cancer, including blood cancers, as early and quickly as possible, and to treat it faster, to improve outcomes.

To tackle the late diagnoses of blood cancers, the NHS is implementing non-specific symptom pathways for patients who present with symptoms such as weight loss and fatigue, which do not clearly align to a tumour type. We will get the NHS diagnosing blood cancers earlier and treating them faster, and we will support the NHS to increase capacity to meet the demand for diagnostic services through investment, including for magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography scanners.

The National Cancer Plan will have patients at its heart and will cover the entirety of the cancer pathway, from referral and diagnosis to treatment and ongoing care, as well as prevention, and research and innovation. It will seek to improve every aspect of cancer care to better the experience and outcomes for people with cancer. Our goal is to reduce the number of lives lost to cancer over the next 10 years. This will benefit all cancer patients, including leukaemia and myeloma patients.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to support farmers who are victims of agricultural crime.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

The Government is committed to ensuring all victims, including victims of agricultural crimes, get the information and support they need to navigate the criminal justice system. Under the Victims’ Code, victims of agricultural crimes are entitled to be given information about and be referred to victim support services by the police to help them cope and recover from the impact of a crime. A consultation on a new Victims’ Code will take place in due course to ensure it gets the foundations right for all victims.

The Ministry of Justice continues to provide all 42 Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) areas in England and Wales with annual grant funding to commission local support services for victims of all crimes, including those affected by agricultural crime. PCCs are best placed to understand their local communities and providers, and to commission appropriate support to meet the need of victims in their area.

Career of Ann Lambert

Prior's Court Children Home Ofsted Outstanding rating

Social media for under 16s

Deregistration of international non-governmental organisations in the Occupied Palestinian Territories

UN Convention on the Rights of Older Persons

Gambling harms

Halie Selassie and Bath

Commemorating National Care Leaver’s Month November 2025

Public health campaign on tackling stigma towards suicide

Dolly Parton's birthday

Nuclear Regulatory Review and habitats regulations

Iran protests

Peter Hill, visiting every pub in the CAMRA Good Beer Guide 2020

Use of UK bases by the United States and international law in relation to Greenland

Less Survivable Cancers Week

Found: Q6 Mr Dillon: I have just one question: no. 18, Cameron Thomas, is Lib Dem, not Labour.

Found: Q132 Cameron Thomas: Professor Orben, do you have anything to add?