Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will hold discussions with NHS England on the adequacy of funding for children's palliative care services.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Children’s palliative care services, including hospices, do incredible work to support people and their families when they need it most. Palliative care services are included in the list of services an integrated care board (ICB) must commission. This promotes a more consistent national approach and supports commissioners in prioritising palliative and end of life care. To support ICBs in this duty, NHS England has published statutory guidance and service specifications.

We are providing £26 million in revenue funding to support children and young people’s hospices for 2025/26. I can also now confirm the continuation of this vital funding for the three years of the next Spending Review period, from 2026/27 to 2028/29 inclusive. This funding will see approximately £26 million, adjusted for inflation, allocated to children and young people’s hospices in England each year, via their local ICBs on behalf of NHS England, as happened in 2024/25 and 2025/26. This amounts to approximately £80 million over the next three years.

Additionally, we are supporting the hospice sector with a £100 million capital funding boost for eligible adult and children’s hospices in England to ensure they have the best physical environment for care.

Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, pursuant to the Answer of 21 October to Question 82702 on Terrorism: Northern Ireland, which are the nine cases that will be able to resume.

Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland

The provisions of the Northern Ireland Troubles Bill set out the criteria for the restoration of a select number of inquests based on their progress through the coronial system at 1 May 2024. These criteria are set out at Clause 84.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Department's press release entitled Groundbreaking Ukraine tech sharing agreement to deliver drones and support jobs, published on 10 September 2025, what proportion of the manufacture of drones will take place in (a) the United Kingdom and (b) Ukraine.

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

The advanced new air defence interceptor drone, named Project Octopus, will be mass produced in the UK with a target to produced thousands per month to provide to Ukraine to support its ongoing fight for freedom against Russia’s illegal full scale invasion. No decision has yet been made on the proportion of manufacturing to be conducted in the UK and in Ukraine.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Department's press release entitled Groundbreaking Ukraine tech sharing agreement to deliver drones and support jobs, published on 10 September 2025, what the in-service date is for the new air defence interceptor drone.

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

The new industrial partnership between UK and Ukraine has already made significant progress.

We have agreed project arrangements and we expect to start UK manufacturing of OCTOPUS drones within weeks.. Through project Octopus, our Ukrainian friends will share the technology and intellectual property with the UK – in turn we’ll develop this further and mass produce it to supply thousands of interceptor drones back to Ukraine monthly.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Department's press release entitled Groundbreaking Ukraine tech sharing agreement to deliver drones and support jobs, published on 10 September 2025, what his planned timeframe is for delivering Project Octopus.

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

The new industrial partnership between UK and Ukraine has already made significant progress.

We have agreed project arrangements and we expect to start UK manufacturing of OCTOPUS drones within weeks.. Through project Octopus, our Ukrainian friends will share the technology and intellectual property with the UK – in turn we’ll develop this further and mass produce it to supply thousands of interceptor drones back to Ukraine monthly.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Department's press release entitled Groundbreaking Ukraine tech sharing agreement to deliver drones and support jobs, published on 10 September 2025, whether Project Octopus will solely produce interceptor drones.

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

As part of the groundbreaking new technology sharing agreement with Ukraine, the first project, Octopus, will focus solely on the joint development of an advanced new air defence interceptor drone.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Department's press release entitled Groundbreaking Ukraine tech sharing agreement to deliver drones and support jobs, published on 10 September 2025, how many UK jobs will be created as a result of that partnership.

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

UK support to Ukraine has already generated hundreds of new British jobs. The partnership will enable the UK to manufacture and jointly develop cutting-edge military equipment in collaboration with Ukrainian industry. This will continue to support hundreds of British jobs and strengthen the national security of both the UK and Ukraine.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Department's press release entitled Groundbreaking Ukraine tech sharing agreement to deliver drones and support jobs, published on 10 September 2025, how many drones will be manufactured as part of that partnership.

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

As part of the groundbreaking new technology sharing agreement with Ukraine, an advanced air defence interceptor drone, named Project Octopus, will be mass-produced in the UK. The programme targets the production of thousands of drones each month to support Ukraine in its ongoing fight for freedom against President Putin’s illegal full-scale invasion, while also strengthening the UK defence industry.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of levels of protection of British satellites from (a) stalking and (b) disruption.

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

The Strategic Defenvce Review reinforced this Government's commitment to increasing defence spending and strengthening the UK's space capabilities, with clear recommendations to invest in nationally separable capability to control the domain at a time and place of our choosing, global decision advantage, and space-based sensors to understand and act.

Owing to the sensitive nature of UK Space Command's mission and work, we cannot disclose details on its capabilities or assessments on the resilience of UK military space systems.

The Ministry of Defence cannot comment on the decisions made by other British satellite manufacturers and operators regarding measures to protect against stalking and disruption.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions he has had with (a) NATO allies and (b) European counterparts on the deployment of British service personnel to Israel to monitor the ceasefire in Gaza.

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

A small team of UK planning officers, led by a 2* deputy commander, have embedded in the US-led Civil Military Coordination Centre (CMCC) in Israel to ensure that the UK remains integrated into the US-led planning efforts for Gaza post-conflict stability. This team is not monitoring the ceasefire in Gaza. The UK continues to work with international partners to support the Gaza ceasefire to see where the UK can best contribute to the peace process.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of protections in place for British service personnel deployed to Israel to monitor the ceasefire in Gaza.

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

A small team of UK planning officers, led by a 2* deputy commander, have embedded in the US-led Civil Military Coordination Centre (CMCC) in Israel to ensure that the UK remains integrated into the US-led planning efforts for Gaza post-conflict stability. This team is not monitoring the ceasefire in Gaza. The UK continues to work with international partners to support the Gaza ceasefire to see where the UK can best contribute to the peace process.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will publish the rules of engagement for British service personnel deployed to Israel to monitor the ceasefire in Gaza.

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

A small team of UK planning officers, led by a 2* deputy commander, have embedded in the US-led Civil Military Coordination Centre (CMCC) in Israel to ensure that the UK remains integrated into the US-led planning efforts for Gaza post-conflict stability. This team is not monitoring the ceasefire in Gaza. The UK continues to work with international partners to support the Gaza ceasefire to see where the UK can best contribute to the peace process.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether there is a formal timeframe for the deployment of British service personnel to Israel to monitor the ceasefire in Gaza.

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

A small team of UK planning officers, led by a 2* deputy commander, have embedded in the US-led Civil Military Coordination Centre (CMCC) in Israel to ensure that the UK remains integrated into the US-led planning efforts for Gaza post-conflict stability. This team is not monitoring the ceasefire in Gaza. The UK continues to work with international partners to support the Gaza ceasefire to see where the UK can best contribute to the peace process.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Department's press release entitled Groundbreaking Ukraine tech sharing agreement to deliver drones and support jobs, published on 10 September 2025, how many drones have been manufactured as part of that partnership since 10 September 2025.

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

We expect manufacture of the advanced new air defence interceptor drone, named Project Octopus, to begin within weeks. This Project will see the mass production of these drones with a target to produce thousands per month for Ukraine.

At the latest Ukraine Defence Contact Group meeting on 15 October, it was announced that over 85,000 military drones have been delivered to Ukraine in the past six months with £600 million invested by the UK to accelerate drone delivery.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many British service personnel are deployed to Israel to monitor the ceasefire in Gaza by rank.

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

A small team of UK planning officers, led by a 2* deputy commander, have embedded in the US-led Civil Military Coordination Centre (CMCC) in Israel to ensure that the UK remains integrated into the US-led planning efforts for Gaza post-conflict stability. This team is not monitoring the ceasefire in Gaza. The UK continues to work with international partners to support the Gaza ceasefire to see where the UK can best contribute to the peace process.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has held discussions with the Secretary of State for Education on the availability of state school places for children of armed forces personnel who are relocated during the academic year.

Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

Ministry of Defence (MOD) officials collaborate with colleagues in the Department for Education (DfE) regarding the education of children from Armed Forces families. MOD officials are members of the DfE Admissions Working Group and are presently engaged with the DfE in helping to shape revisions to the 2021 School Admissions Code.

The Code already recognises the unique circumstances of Armed Forces families and includes specific provisions to help mitigate disadvantage due to mobility, and the revision will include a focus upon improving Service children’s transition arrangements when they move between schools.

In addition, the MOD works with key local authorities and is formally consulted by MOD Local Authority Partnership (MODLAP) admissions authorities when changes to their school admissions arrangements are proposed.

Further, this Government plans to extend the Armed Forces Covenant Legal Duty to more policy areas and across the UK so that Armed Forces personnel and their families will have their unique circumstances legally protected by central and devolved governments for the first time. The Covenant Legal Duty will be extended to cover a broader scope of policy areas, including education.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the average cost of an individual school place in a UK private school for a child of service personnel since the introduction of VAT on school fees.

Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

The Ministry of Defence does not hold information on the average cost of private school places for Service personnel in general. The Department collects data only for those Service personnel in receipt of the Continuity of Education Allowance (CEA); some Service personnel are not eligible to receive CEA despite sending their children to private schools.

CEA contributes towards boarding school fees where Service mobility would otherwise disrupt a child’s education. Service parents in receipt of CEA typically pay a 10% contribution towards fees. The overall average cost for an individual school place for a CEA claimant is £2,924 per year since the introduction of VAT on school fees.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has held discussions with the Secretary of State for Education on the availability of state school places for children of armed forces personnel.

Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

Ministry of Defence (MOD) officials collaborate with colleagues in the Department for Education (DfE) regarding the education of children from Armed Forces families. MOD officials are members of the DfE Admissions Working Group and are presently engaged with the DfE in helping to shape revisions to the 2021 School Admissions Code.

The Code already recognises the unique circumstances of Armed Forces families and includes specific provisions to help mitigate disadvantage due to mobility, and the revision will include a focus upon improving Service children’s transition arrangements when they move between schools.

In addition, the MOD works with key local authorities and is formally consulted by MOD Local Authority Partnership (MODLAP) admissions authorities when changes to their school admissions arrangements are proposed.

Further, this Government plans to extend the Armed Forces Covenant Legal Duty to more policy areas and across the UK so that Armed Forces personnel and their families will have their unique circumstances legally protected by central and devolved governments for the first time. The Covenant Legal Duty will be extended to cover a broader scope of policy areas, including education.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has had discussions with (a) NATO allies and (b) his European counterparts on plans to develop a defence space shield to protect British (a) military and (b) communication satellites.

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

The UK works closely with its NATO and European Allies to improve collective understanding of evolving threats, integrate space more effectively into defence operations, and pursue interoperability and resilience across our space assets and space-based services.

In addition to working with partners, the UK continues to invest in its national capabilities, including through the work of UK Space Command and the development of advanced satellite technologies. These efforts are aimed at enhancing Space Domain Awareness strengthening the resilience of critical space assets, and ensuring the UK can respond effectively to emerging threats in the space domain.

Working nationally and with Allies and partners, the UK remains committed to maintaining the security and operational integrity of British satellites, as part of a broader strategy to safeguard and ensure we can deter and, if necessary, protect our interests in space.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 2 October 2025 to Question 64587 on Defence Growth Board, on which dates the Defence Growth Board has met since 3 April 2025; and who attended.

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

The Defence Growth Board met on 30 July 2025. It was attended by the Secretary of State for Defence, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Secretary of State for Business, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) Permanent Secretary, the MOD interim National Armaments Director and other senior officials from Departments.

Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, pursuant to the Answer of 23 October 2025 to Question 82705 on Terrorism: Northern Ireland, whether the right to anonymity is included in the other measures that will apply to non-veterans.

Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland

All of the measures that we have announced seek to directly benefit veterans who are asked to engage with legacy mechanisms, responding to discussions that the Government has undertaken. Some measures, including the protection from cold calling and protecting veterans from giving unnecessary evidence on historical context and general operational details, will apply only to veterans.

Other measures - including the right to seek anonymity, which is already a feature of the Coronial System - will necessarily apply to everyone. This will ensure that other witnesses, including former police officers, are able to avail of these measures when giving witness evidence to both the reformed Legacy Commission and the small number of Inquests that will proceed.

Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, pursuant to the Answer of 21 October 2025 to Question 82702 on Terrorism: Northern Ireland, what information he holds on the nine cases that will be able to be resumed.

Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland

Clause 84(3) of the Northern Ireland Troubles Bill sets out the criteria for resumption of inquests that had started and were halted by the Legacy Act. It is only right that these are discussed with the affected families in the first instance.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his department is taking to reduce delays in listing Crown Court cases involving serious domestic violence.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

This Government is committed to improving victims’ experience of the justice system. We have funded a record-high allocation of 111,250 Crown Court sitting days to tackle the outstanding caseload, but we need to go further.

This is why we commissioned Sir Brian Leveson to propose bold and ambitious measures to deliver swifter justice for all victims, including for victims of domestic abuse, in his Independent Review of the Criminal Courts. The Government will respond to Part 1 of the report in due course. Work on Part 2 of the report, which is looking at how the criminal courts can operate as efficiently as possible, is also underway.

We know how important support services are in keeping victims engaged through the criminal justice process. The Ministry of Justice provides funding for victim and witness support services, including community-based domestic abuse services. To ensure these services can continue to be delivered, we have protected dedicated violence against women and girls' victims spending in the Department by maintaining 2024-25 funding levels for ringfenced domestic abuse support this year.