Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many train delays have there been each year since 2020 caused by trains hitting animals on the track.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Department does not hold a centrally published series showing the number of train delays that were caused specifically by trains striking non-human animals on the railway. Operational incident and delay attribution data are recorded and managed by Network Rail and train operators.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many times faults have occurred on Evero trains operating on the West Coast Main line since their introduction.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Department does not hold figures for the number of faults that have occurred on Avanti West Coast’s Class 805 and Class 807 Evero trains since their introduction into passenger service. However, the fleet performance metrics which are monitored by the Department show that the reliability of both fleets has steadily improved since they entered service, continues to do so, and is line with expectations for such fleets.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many foreign national offenders who volunteered under the Early Return Scheme have been removed for the UK since 1 April 2024.

Answered by Anna Turley - Minister of State (Home Office)

The information you have requested on the longest time period to return a foreign national offender (FNO) under the Early Removal Scheme (ERS) since 1 April 2024 is not available from published statistics.

The Home Office does publish data on FNOs removed under ERS in the ad-hoc transparency release, which can be found here: Returns from the UK between 1 July 2024 and 31 July 2026 - GOV.UK

FNOs are referred to the Home Office for deportation immediately following sentencing. Time spent on remand means many prisoners will reach their ERS window immediately or very soon after they are sentenced. It is therefore not always possible for the Home Office to carry out all the case working and administrative processes as soon as an FNO becomes eligible for removal under ERS, even when they wish to return voluntarily.

The Home Office has worked closely with HM Prisons and Probation (HMPPS) to ensure the ERS runs as efficiently as possible and in the last year (ending July 2026) delivered a record number of ERS returns, 3,141 which is a 20% increase compared to the same period 12 months prior.

We are committed to delivering justice for victims and safer streets for our communities. Foreign nationals who commit crime should be in no doubt that the law will be enforced and, where appropriate, we will pursue their deportation.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what has been the longest time period to return a foreign national offender who volunteered under the Early Return Scheme since 1 April 2024.

Answered by Anna Turley - Minister of State (Home Office)

The information you have requested on the longest time period to return a foreign national offender (FNO) under the Early Removal Scheme (ERS) since 1 April 2024 is not available from published statistics.

The Home Office does publish data on FNOs removed under ERS in the ad-hoc transparency release, which can be found here: Returns from the UK between 1 July 2024 and 31 July 2026 - GOV.UK

FNOs are referred to the Home Office for deportation immediately following sentencing. Time spent on remand means many prisoners will reach their ERS window immediately or very soon after they are sentenced. It is therefore not always possible for the Home Office to carry out all the case working and administrative processes as soon as an FNO becomes eligible for removal under ERS, even when they wish to return voluntarily.

The Home Office has worked closely with HM Prisons and Probation (HMPPS) to ensure the ERS runs as efficiently as possible and in the last year (ending July 2026) delivered a record number of ERS returns, 3,141 which is a 20% increase compared to the same period 12 months prior.

We are committed to delivering justice for victims and safer streets for our communities. Foreign nationals who commit crime should be in no doubt that the law will be enforced and, where appropriate, we will pursue their deportation.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, by what percentage the forecast 10 year programme cost of the Defence Nuclear Enterprise has increased since the Equipment plan 2023-2033: update on affordability.

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

As stated by my Rt hon. Friend the Member for Liverpool Garston (Maria Eagle) in the answer she gave on 13 June 2025 to Question 58561 to the hon. Member for Widnes and Halewood (Derek Twigg), the Defence Nuclear Enterprise (DNE) originally forecast an equipment plan spend of £117.8 billion over the period 2023-33 and, over the same period to 2033, the forecast for DNE equipment plan spend had increased by about £10 billion. This is equivalent to an increase of 8.7%.

This government is investing more than £63 billion over the next four years to strengthen the UK’s nuclear deterrent and to fund Dreadnought and SSN-AUKUS submarines, a new warhead, and other crucial nuclear work. As the Defence Investment Plan set out, the money spent on defence by the end of the decade will be 2.7% of GDP, up from 2.3% when this government took office in 2024.

Submit Evidence (by 4 Nov 2026)

This inquiry will consider the role of UK Defence in the Gulf region. It will examine the UK’s defence interests and objectives, force posture, and defence partnerships. It will cover the implications of recent crises, including the 2026 conflict involving Iran, Israel and the United States, for the UK’s future defence presence.