Asked by: Lincoln Jopp (Conservative - Spelthorne)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his planned timetable is for a new fleet of cars to be circulated into service after the Land Rover vehicles have been recalled and retired.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Light Mobility Vehicle Programme will identify a modern and enduring successor to the in-service Land Rover and Pinz Gauer fleets. The programme aims to commence delivery of the first replacement vehicles to the Integrated Force before 2030, subject to the outcome of a competitive procedure and subsequent departmental investment approvals process.
Asked by: Lincoln Jopp (Conservative - Spelthorne)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what information his Department holds on whether studies have been done on potential links between military aircraft exhaust emissions and rare cancers.
Answered by Calvin Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans and People)
Two studies have been commissioned by the Ministry of Defence (MOD) to examine the potential links between military aircraft exhaust emissions and rare cancers.
In 2022, the Institute of Naval Medicine examined if there were any causal links between exposure to benzene from Sea King helicopter exhaust and the incidence of leiomyosarcoma and multiple myeloma.
In 2024, the Independent Medical Expert Group was commissioned to assess whether there is a causal link between helicopter exhaust emissions and rare cancers.
Both reports found that the available evidence did not meet internationally accepted causation criteria.
Asked by: Lincoln Jopp (Conservative - Spelthorne)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to support pubs in Spelthorne constituency.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Pubs in the Honourable Member’s constituency and nationwide are an important part of day-to-day community life, and we are mindful of the challenges many have faced in recent years.
In response, we are reviewing the approach to valuing pubs for business rates ahead of the 2029 revaluation, informed by engagement with the industry.
We are also taking forward changes to the licensing system, including permitting longer opening hours for Home Nations World Cup fixtures and legislating to allow pubs and other hospitality venues to use more Temporary Events Notices.
Asked by: Lincoln Jopp (Conservative - Spelthorne)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate she has made of the amount of revenue received from forecourt fuel in January to March in (a) 2025 and (b) 2026.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
Based on available data, fuel duty receipts are estimated to be around £6 billion between January and March 2025 and £5.7 billion between January and March 2026.
The Treasury does not hold figures specifically for “forecourt fuel”, as fuel duty is paid at refineries or import terminals, and covers all uses.
Asked by: Lincoln Jopp (Conservative - Spelthorne)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the potential impact of a sanitary and phytosanitary agreement with the EU on Scotland's fishing sector.
Answered by Kirsty McNeill - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Scotland Office)
The UK Government remains steadfast in our commitment to maintaining world-leading food safety and animal health standards. All food and drink products imported into the UK must comply with our regulatory standards.
But we want to limit red tape for our exporters as much as possible. As my Right Honourable Friend the Chancellor advised the House on 24 March, we aim to conclude negotiations with the EU this year on the sanitary and phytosanitary agreement. This will positively impact food prices in our shops and make it easier to trade with our biggest market. This is good news for Scottish exporters in seafood and many other sectors.
Asked by: Lincoln Jopp (Conservative - Spelthorne)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, how many AI-related MOUs, strategic partnerships and service agreements have been signed by government departments since July 2024.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
A total of 26 AI‑related MOUs, strategic partnerships, and service agreements have been signed by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology since July 2024.
Asked by: Lincoln Jopp (Conservative - Spelthorne)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help improve research and innovation in the defence sector.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Strategic Defence Review and Industrial Strategy were clear. Innovation is central to deterrence and decisive factors in war.
DSIT is working closely with the Ministry of Defence to implement the Defence Industrial Strategy. UKRI are delivering £550m into the Defence and National Security sector.
We are partnering with MOD as they commit at least 10% of their equipment budget on novel technologies. Ensuring cutting-edge UK research and innovation delivers for defence.
Asked by: Lincoln Jopp (Conservative - Spelthorne)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of the potential implications of the US CLOUD Act for UK government data held on infrastructure provided by (a) Microsoft, (b) Google Cloud and (c) Amazon Web Services under agreements entered into since July 2024.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
DSIT has not made any central assessments of the US CLOUD Act and the implications for UK government data.
Under UK data protection laws, UK organisations, including UK Government, must ensure personal data is appropriately protected when transferred internationally.
The UK has an adequacy decision for certain transfers to the US under the UK Extension to the EU-US Data Privacy Framework, which included an assessment of US government access laws and practices, such as the US CLOUD Act. Where adequacy is not relied upon, organisations must use alternative safeguards, such as standard contractual clauses, in accordance with Article 46 of the UK GDPR.
Asked by: Lincoln Jopp (Conservative - Spelthorne)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether specific, measurable deliverables have been agreed with (a) Anthropic, (b) OpenAI and (c) Google DeepMind under the Memoranda of Understanding signed since February 2025.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government has signed Memoranda of Understanding with these companies to support industry cooperation. You can read the full details of these agreements on the GOV.UK website for each company: Anthropic, OpenAI, and Google DeepMind.
The Government is already working with these firms to deliver on UK objectives. For example, Anthropic are developing an AI assistant to transform GOV.UK services, and OpenAI are collaborating with the Ministry of Justice to support businesses with AI innovation.
Our AI Security Institute also collaborates closely with these companies to research the serious risks that advanced AI could pose. Through this collaboration, the Institute helps to identify vulnerabilities in developers' models; both OpenAI and Anthropic have addressed dozens of such issues before releasing their models.
Asked by: Lincoln Jopp (Conservative - Spelthorne)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, how many meetings Ministers and senior officials have held with representatives of (a) Anthropic, (b) OpenAI, (c) Google, (d) Microsoft, (e) Meta and (f) Palantir since July 2024.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The full details of Ministerial and senior civil servant-level meetings will be published publicly in quarterly transparency returns.