Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of losses in (a) personnel and (b) ships on the capability of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary.

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

Recruitment and retention of Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) personnel remains a priority. We welcome the recent agreement between the Government and the Maritime Trade Unions of a pay award for the RFA, which is a significant step forward in the plan for RFA reforms. These reforms will improve the wider employee offer for those serving in the RFA and ensure that it can continue to perform its vital role supporting the Royal Navy and our allies.

The retirement of RFA Wave Knight and RFA Wave Ruler will have no impact on the RFA. Neither tanker was due to go to sea again and nor had they been to sea in years. The RFA continues to operate the newer Tide class tankers and is preparing for the introduction of all three Fleet Solid Support ships by 2032.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to (a) retain and (b) recruit personnel into the Royal Fleet Auxiliary.

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

The Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) are highly valued, specialist personnel. We welcome the recent agreement of a pay award for the RFA and thank the Maritime Trade Unions for their support in reaching this resolution.

This agreement is a significant step in a plan to reform the RFA. These reforms will improve the wider employee offer for those serving and ensure the RFA can continue to perform its vital role supporting the Royal Navy and our allies.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what proportion of his Department's procurement contracts have been awarded to UK-based manufacturers in the last 12 months; and what steps he is taking to promote the growth of domestic defence manufacturing.

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

The Department does not record within our systems directly where a contract is manufactured or the location of the supplier manufacturing. The Department do however collect the prime location of the contract as marked by the contact owner on Contract Purchasing and Finance system (CP&F) when the contract is first created.

Between 16 Dec 2023 to 15 Dec 2024 there have been 2,266 contracts created on the Mkinistry of Defence's CP&F commercial system.

Of these contracts 583 (26%) have been marked with a known location for the contract.

Of these 583 contacts, 531 (91%) have a prime contract location of the UK, while 52 (9%) are marked as a foreign country.

By contract value this works out as £3.85 billion of £20.68 billion (19%) having a known location.

This equates to 78% of the total contract spend with a prime contract location of UK (£2.99 billion UK vs £0.85 billion foreign country).

The UK’s defence manufacturing industry is vital not only to our national security but to our prosperity and economic growth. The Government’s new Defence Industrial Strategy will aim to align the imperatives of national security and a high growth economy.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether any funding previously allocated to the Dental Recovery Plan has been withdrawn.

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

We are currently reviewing the Dental Recovery Plan that was published on 7 February 2024 and the policies that can be taken forward effectively and within National Health Service budgets. It is clear the plan did not go far enough and so we are also working on further measures, prioritising initiatives that will see the biggest impact on access to NHS dental care.

Dental budgets remain ringfenced as per the 2024/25 revenue and contracting guidance, and integrated care boards should continue to seek to invest the full amount in dental activity.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent progress his Department has made on designating a successor to the standard issue L85A3 service rifle.

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

The L85 rifle (‘SA80’) will be replaced over the coming decade through Project GRAYBURN.

The project has entered the concept phase, where the capability requirements are being identified and understood in depth.

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 ensure that pornographic sites remove content that promote a sexual interest in children.

Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The Online Safety Act will place strict safety duties on user-to-user online platforms, including pornography-sharing sites, to proactively tackle any child sexual exploitation and abuse (CSEA) content on their services. These sites need to start assessing for CSEA and other illegal content risks now. Their duties to tackle this content are scheduled to fully take effect this spring.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 17 December 2024 to Question 18824 on UK Border Force: Seasonal Workers, what steps her Department has taken to mitigate the potential loss of capacity provided by the Border Force seasonal workforce.

Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

Border Force’s seasonal workforce staff were recruited on fixed-term contracts to assist at the UK Border, covering shifts when operationally required, such as during peak periods of travel, and subject to their availability. These contracts utilised an authorised exception for short-term recruitment into the Civil Service.

Following an ongoing review of the recruitment process by the Civil Service Commission, Border Force has ceased to use these contracts and now recruits through a regular Civil Service recruitment process. All seasonal workforce staff on existing fixed-term contracts have been invited to apply through this recruitment process.

Our operational priority remains the protection of our border security, and this change will not affect the capacity of Border Force to deliver on that priority.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 17 December 2024 to Question 18824 on UK Border Force: Seasonal Workers, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the decision to stand down the Border Force seasonal workforce on the operational capacity of Border Force.

Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

Border Force’s seasonal workforce staff were recruited on fixed-term contracts to assist at the UK Border, covering shifts when operationally required, such as during peak periods of travel, and subject to their availability. These contracts utilised an authorised exception for short-term recruitment into the Civil Service.

Following an ongoing review of the recruitment process by the Civil Service Commission, Border Force has ceased to use these contracts and now recruits through a regular Civil Service recruitment process. All seasonal workforce staff on existing fixed-term contracts have been invited to apply through this recruitment process.

Our operational priority remains the protection of our border security, and this change will not affect the capacity of Border Force to deliver on that priority.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent progress has been made on the Future Combat Air System.

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

Progress continues to be made on the Future Combat Air System (FCAS). The core platform, that will sit at its heart, is being delivered through the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP). The Prime Minister and his Italian and Japanese counterparts have reiterated their commitment to GCAP. The GCAP International Government Organisation to oversee delivery on behalf of all the partner governments has been created. On 13 December 2024, BAE Systems (UK), Leonardo (Italy), and Japan Aircraft Industrial Enhancement Co Ltd (JAIEC), reached an agreement to form a new company under a business joint venture for GCAP, subject to regulatory approvals. The new joint venture will be accountable for the design, development and delivery of the next generation combat aircraft.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to replenish stockpiles of precision-guided munitions; and what steps he plans to take to help increase domestic production capacity.

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

The Ministry of Defence is carefully investing to improve the health of our munitions stockpiles, including precision-guided munitions, within the available financial envelope. Through investing in munitions we seek to grow domestic production, strengthen our resilience and self-reliance, boost our sovereign defence industrial capacity, increase our exports and create good jobs in the UK. The Department will continue to develop our approach as the outcomes of the Strategic Defence Review become clear.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent steps his Department has taken to enhance interoperability between the Armed Forces and allied nations' forces on joint operations.

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

Enhancing interoperability continues to be at the core of our work, both between the branches of our Armed Forces and with our Allies. UK Strategic Command is defence's Integrated Design Authority ensuring integration across capabilities. Internationally, the UK continues to play a leading role in exercises and training, such as through hosting the upcoming Exercise Formidable Shield - the world's largest maritime Integrated Air and Missile Defence exercise. We continue to develop our key international partnerships - such as the Joint Expeditionary Force - to ensure our capabilities are interoperable across both NATO and wider allies.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has made a comparative assessment of the relationship between switching off lighting on stretches of (a) motorways and (b) major trunk roads and trends in the level of accidents on these roads.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

National Highways assesses the benefits and costs of any potential changes in lighting provision. This is in line with the design and appraisal standards set out in the Design Manual for Roads and Bridges, which ensures that road lighting is provided at a sufficient level to support road safety, whilst also being cost effective, energy efficient and not causing unnecessary light pollution.

Where National Highways determines lighting should be removed, the implementation plan includes a full switch-off for an initial period of one year. This enables the collision and casualty rates to be monitored to determine if there is an impact on safety and if mitigating action is required.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many road lighting schemes on (a) motorways and (b) all-purpose trunk roads that were switched off following completion of the TA 501 appraisal process were in the final 18 months of their design life in each of the last five years.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The answer could only be provided at a disproportionate cost.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many miles worth of road lighting on (a) motorways and (b) all-purpose trunk roads have been permanently switched off following completion of the TA 501 appraisal process each of the last five years.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The answer could only be provided at a disproportionate cost.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will take steps to help ensure that emergency services are provided with up to date information on the (a) location and (b) status of defibrillators installed at train stations.

Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government is committed to improving access to automated external defibrillators (AEDs) in public spaces and reducing inequalities in access to these life saving devices. Following the depletion of the existing AED fund, launched in in September 2023, the Government approved a further £500,000 in August 2024 to fulfil existing applications to the fund.

The Department does not hold data on AEDs installed in train stations or whether those AEDs are registered on The Circuit, a national defibrillator and ambulance service database, operated independently by the British Heart Foundation in collaboration with the National Health Service.

However, AEDs procured through the Department’s AED fund, once installed, are required to be registered on The Circuit. Upon registration, contact details are provided for the nominated AED guardian or guardians who are local to the defibrillator’s location and conduct checks when required. The registered guardian receives an automatic email or SMS text message notification if the defibrillator has potentially been used, therefore prompting the guardian to conduct a check. The Circuit records the potential use of each registered defibrillator. The registered guardian of the defibrillator will automatically be contacted if their AED is potentially used, and may therefore require replacement pads. In addition, The Circuit will also send out an automatic notification to the guardian approximately three months before the AED battery or pads expire.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will take steps to ensure that all defibrillators installed at train stations are (a) registered and (b) visible on The Circuit national defibrillator network website.

Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government is committed to improving access to automated external defibrillators (AEDs) in public spaces and reducing inequalities in access to these life saving devices. Following the depletion of the existing AED fund, launched in in September 2023, the Government approved a further £500,000 in August 2024 to fulfil existing applications to the fund.

The Department does not hold data on AEDs installed in train stations or whether those AEDs are registered on The Circuit, a national defibrillator and ambulance service database, operated independently by the British Heart Foundation in collaboration with the National Health Service.

However, AEDs procured through the Department’s AED fund, once installed, are required to be registered on The Circuit. Upon registration, contact details are provided for the nominated AED guardian or guardians who are local to the defibrillator’s location and conduct checks when required. The registered guardian receives an automatic email or SMS text message notification if the defibrillator has potentially been used, therefore prompting the guardian to conduct a check. The Circuit records the potential use of each registered defibrillator. The registered guardian of the defibrillator will automatically be contacted if their AED is potentially used, and may therefore require replacement pads. In addition, The Circuit will also send out an automatic notification to the guardian approximately three months before the AED battery or pads expire.

Found: Strathallan) James Murray (Labour; Ealing North) Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat; Richmond Park) Rebecca Paul

Found: Strathallan) James Murray (Labour; Ealing North) Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat; Richmond Park) Rebecca Paul

Found: Clive Betts; Mr Luke Charters; Anna Dixon; Rachel Gilmour; Sarah Hall; Lloyd Hatton; Chris Kane; Rebecca Paul

Found: Clifton-Brown (Chair); Mr Clive Betts; Nesil Caliskan; Anna Dixon; Peter Fortune; Rachel Gilmour; Rebecca Paul