Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of developing unmanned amphibious and maritime drone technology.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

Integrating uncrewed systems with our crewed platforms is a critical part of ensuring the Royal Navy can effectively respond to competition, crisis and conflict in the future. Delivering uncrewed systems will feature heavily in the design specifications of the Multi-Role Support Ships – the next generation of amphibious ships to support the Commando forces. The Ministry of Defence is collaborating with industry to assess the merits of uncrewed systems with trials and spiral development, while learning operational lessons from Ukraine.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has plans to extend the Nature for Climate Fund beyond 2025.

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

The Nature for Climate Fund was established in 2020 as a five-year programme aimed at tackling climate change and boosting biodiversity and it is due to finish in March 2025.

This Government is committed to protecting and restoring nature, trees and peat, which are important to our plans to reduce emissions. We have pledged up to £400 million for tree planting and peatland restoration over the current (2024-25) and next (2025-26) financial year. The detail of how this funding is allocated for 2025-26 is now being finalised through internal business planning, and we will be able to share more once this has concluded.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the £400 million in capital spend confirmed in the 2024 Autumn Budget for (a) tree planting and (b) peatland restoration is (i) in addition to or (ii) included in the Nature for Climate fund for 2024-255 and 2025-266.

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

We have pledged up to £400 million in capital spend for tree planting and peatland restoration over the current (2024-25) and next (2025-26) financial year. This includes funding of the Nature for Climate Fund for 2024-25. The detail of how this funding is allocated for 2025-26 is now being finalised through internal business planning, and we will be able to share more once this has concluded.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the UK-Ukraine 100-year Partnership Declaration, what steps his Department has taken to ensure the (a) safety of navigation and (b) protection of trade in the Black and Azov Seas.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

We are working with Ukraine and international partners to secure commercial shipping and shipping routes in the Black Sea, including Ukraine's maritime corridor. The 100 Year Partnership will help with this endeavour through the provision of training and equipment to Ukraine, to prevent and deter Russian attacks.

The 100 Partnership Declaration has made clear that freedom of navigation for commercial shipping in the Black Sea and beyond must be upheld and the UK will continue to do all it can to help Ukraine through the strengthening of its maritime forces.

The UK co-leads the maritime capability coalition with Norway and this work supports Ukraine’s maritime capabilities now and in the future.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of NATO membership for Ukraine; and what his planned timeframe is for accession for proposed membership of NATO.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

NATO made a long-term commitment to Ukraine and has been clear that Ukraine’s rightful place is in NATO. The Prime Minister has reaffirmed the UK’s commitment to Ukraine’s irreversible path to NATO membership, as agreed by all Allies at the Washington Summit.

That is a process that will take time, and for now our priority is to make sure Ukraine is in the strongest possible position on the battlefield and in any potential negotiations to come.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department has taken to reform Companies House to tackle illicit finance.

Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 (ECCTA) will fundamentally reform Companies House, enabling it to play a greater role in tackling economic crime.

The first of these reforms came into force in March 2024 and included new powers to query, challenge and remove inaccurate information, stronger checks on company names, stricter address requirements and greater information sharing powers. These reforms were backed by £63 million of investment and increased fees to fund greater investigation and enforcement capabilities.

Further reforms under the ECCTA, including the introduction of Identity Verification later this year, are in the process of being implemented.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to tackle Serious and Organised Crime linked to Russia.

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

The Home Office works across Government to tackle the Serious Organised Crime threat linked to Russia including Russia-linked illicit finance in the UK.

This was recently demonstrated through the NCA’s Operation DESTABILISE which exposed and disrupted Russian money laundering networks supporting serious and organised crime.

In addition to our domestic efforts, we work with like-minded international partners to build capacity in key law enforcement institutions and the judiciary to help tackle, and enhance resilience against, Russia-linked organised crime groups.

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Debbie Abrahams (Chair); Johanna Baxter; Steve Darling; Damien Egan

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Debbie Abrahams (Chair); Johanna Baxter; Mr Peter Bedford; Amanda