Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
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.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
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.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
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.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
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.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
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.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
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.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
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.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
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.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
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.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, with reference to paragraph 20 of the Explanatory Notes to the Northern Ireland Troubles Bill, whether the requirement for the Legacy Commission and coroners to consider the welfare of witnesses when requesting or requiring them to give evidence will include alleged members of paramilitary organisations.
Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
The Northern Ireland Troubles Bill includes strong safeguards for veterans that were not included in the 2023 Act, and that respond directly to the concerns expressed during engagements that the Government has undertaken. The Government is also taking forward some measures on a non-legislative basis. All of the measures that the Government has announced are being introduced in order to protect and ensure fair treatment of any veteran who is asked to engage with legacy mechanisms.
Some measures will apply only to veterans, including the protection from cold calling and the new safeguard that ensures veterans from giving unnecessary evidence on historical context and general operational details.
Other measures, including the right to give evidence remotely and having regard to the welfare of witnesses, will necessarily apply to others. This will ensure, for example, that former police officers are able to avail of these measures.