Asked by: Johanna Baxter (Labour - Paisley and Renfrewshire South)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent progress he has made on the Protector programme.
Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Protector training has now transferred to the UK having completed four aircrew basic qualification courses in the United States. Further, four Protector Air Vehicles have now been delivered to RAF Waddington, where they are being maintained by 31 Squadron engineers. The required Test and Evaluation activity and UK training is underway, ahead of the planned platform in-service declaration later in 2025.
From a broader perspective, the UK is leading the MQ-9 International Cooperation Support Partnership which now has seven participant members (UK, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Spain) and five observer nations (Greece, Lithuania, Norway, Qatar, Sweden), with an expectation of further growth. The UK is working closely with the NATO Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Force to scope options to provide Protector in support of operations in the Northern Atlantic and Arctic regions. Opportunities for NATO investment in RAF Waddington to support growth are also progressing.
Asked by: Johanna Baxter (Labour - Paisley and Renfrewshire South)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent progress he has made on the HMNB Clyde Infrastructure programme.
Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
As part of the Government's Major Project Portfolio, details on the Clyde Infrastructure programme are routinely released as part of this Government's annual transparency return to Parliament.
Asked by: Johanna Baxter (Labour - Paisley and Renfrewshire South)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent progress he has made on the Spearcap 3 programme.
Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The programme achieved a significant milestone with the successful first SPEAR guided firing conducted at the end of 2024, demonstrating progress despite the challenges outlined in the Infrastructure and Project Authority's Annual Report 2023-24, which remain ongoing. Since the report, the programme has faced additional challenges stemming from interdependencies with international partners, requiring significant adjustments to maintain progress. The SRO, in collaboration with Defence Equipment and Support and Industry, is prioritising the development of a revised and viable baseline, which is planned to be finalised in Quarter two of financial year 2025-26.
Asked by: Johanna Baxter (Labour - Paisley and Renfrewshire South)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent progress he has made on the E7 Wedgetail programme.
Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Wedgetail programme has seen the first aircraft complete three test flights, be painted in the markings of 8 Squadron and continues with the installation of mission equipment at STS Aviation at Birmingham Airport, before entering the test and evaluation phase later this year. Aircraft two and three are progressing with integrating their modifications as planned.
The infrastructure programme at RAF Lossiemouth has delivered the combined Poseidon and Wedgetail engineering line facility, as well as 8 Squadron headquarters office accommodation, with the final elements of the technical facility expected to be handed over in March 2025.
Asked by: Johanna Baxter (Labour - Paisley and Renfrewshire South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, What recent work has been undertaken by the Defending Democracy Taskforce.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Taskforce has reflected on last year’s elections and is now taking forward a programme of work to ensure lessons are learned.
This includes work to tackle the unacceptable instances of harassment and intimidation of our elected representatives that we saw during the General Election.
This vital work is ongoing, and I will update the House in due course.
Asked by: Johanna Baxter (Labour - Paisley and Renfrewshire South)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of including (a) cats and (b) kittens in legislation to prevent pet smuggling.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government recently announced its support for the Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill, a Private Members’ Bill sponsored by Dr Danny Chambers MP. The measures in the Bill will extend to cats and kittens, and close loopholes exploited by unscrupulous pet traders.
Asked by: Johanna Baxter (Labour - Paisley and Renfrewshire South)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the consultation entitled Introducing fees in the Employment Tribunals and the Employment Appeal Tribunal, which closed on 25 March 2024, what her policy is on introducing a £55 issue fee for claimants.
Answered by Heidi Alexander - Secretary of State for Transport
The consultation to introduce Employment Tribunal fees was published under the last Government and no decisions have yet been made on the proposal.
Asked by: Johanna Baxter (Labour - Paisley and Renfrewshire South)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps he is taking to help protect people online.
Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
In line with our Safer Streets Mission, the Online Safety Act brings much needed protections to the online world by protecting children from harmful and age-inappropriate content, tackling violence against women and girls, and taking down criminal activity. The new laws apply to search services and all companies that allow users to share and post content online or interact with each other, even if the companies providing them are outside the UK.