Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - South Shropshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what engineering capabilities the armed forces maintain to rapidly restore damaged critical national infrastructure assets during national emergencies.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
It is the responsibility of Critical National Infrastructure (CNI) Lead Government Departments to set and enforce standards for the protection and resilience of infrastructure within their sector, in partnership with CNI operators in the private and public sectors. If there is a requirement for military support, the Military Aid to Civil Authority process is a mechanism through which Defence can be engaged.
As outlined in the Strategic Defence Review, it is important that CNI is protected from attack above and below the threshold of conflict. Under Home Defence planning, Cabinet Office and CNI Lead Government Departments are seeking to deliver measures to ensure CNI is safeguarded against a range of threats from hybrid to conventional conflict. Defence is supporting these efforts by developing plans to ensure we align Defence resources and capabilities to the protection of the most important infrastructure in a conflict scenario.
Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - South Shropshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what degree of parliamentary scrutiny applies to emergency transport orders enacted during sudden national blockades.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
In the circumstances of a blockade, different legal powers and options will apply depending on the mode of transport. This could include police action, injunctions sought via the courts, or it might also mean exercising existing legislative powers. For example, unauthorised blockades of a public road will likely constitute an obstruction offence under the Highways Act and/or the Road Traffic Act and may give rise to enforcement action.
A traffic authority may also approve for a road to be blocked in an emergency using a temporary traffic regulation order, under s14 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984, for example where the emergency relates to: “works, likelihood of danger or serious damage to the road’, or under s22C(4): “ for a purpose related to danger or damage connect with terrorism". These are administrative orders and are not subject to parliamentary scrutiny.
The Civil Contingencies Act 2004 contains emergency powers that are only to be used in the most extreme circumstances. Emergency Orders are made as Orders in Council or can be made directly by the Minister where this must be brought forward urgently. An emergency order is subject to parliamentary scrutiny.
Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - South Shropshire)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what proportion of businesses in South Shropshire constituency have access to gigabit-capable broadband.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
Arts Council England will run a process to identify those who can best deliver this ambition, and to identify the places or people who could most benefit.
This Government is determined to give every child the best start in life and this programme will aim to put books in the hands of up to 300,000 more young children, to improve their readiness for school; while giving parents some breathing space with costs.
We will work with the Arts Council to ensure the programme is effectively targeted at the children who need it most, and this could include consideration of geographical indicators of disadvantaged communities.
Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - South Shropshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the size of the workforce in the Defence Nuclear Enterprise.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Defence Nuclear Enterprise (DNE) workforce, taking account of the supply chain of more than 6,000 UK-based businesses, currently comprises more than 47,000 people. Based on current demand projections, the DNE workforce is expected to grow to around 65,000 by 2030.
The Department keeps the workforce requirements of the DNE under regular review through strategic workforce planning and delivery of the Nuclear Skills Plan.
The Department's assessment is that sustained workforce growth will be required to support the DNE's expanding programme of activity, including submarine delivery, infrastructure investment and wider Defence nuclear programmes. This growth will be supported by delivery of the Nuclear Skills Plan and continued collaboration with industry, academia and partners across government.
Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - South Shropshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the size of the Defence Nuclear Enterprise workforce by 2030.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Defence Nuclear Enterprise (DNE) workforce, taking account of the supply chain of more than 6,000 UK-based businesses, currently comprises more than 47,000 people. Based on current demand projections, the DNE workforce is expected to grow to around 65,000 by 2030.
The Department keeps the workforce requirements of the DNE under regular review through strategic workforce planning and delivery of the Nuclear Skills Plan.
The Department's assessment is that sustained workforce growth will be required to support the DNE's expanding programme of activity, including submarine delivery, infrastructure investment and wider Defence nuclear programmes. This growth will be supported by delivery of the Nuclear Skills Plan and continued collaboration with industry, academia and partners across government.
Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - South Shropshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the impact of the Defence Industrial Strategy on regional growth.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Defence Industrial Strategy commits £250 million to five Defence Growth Deals in Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Plymouth and South Yorkshire, alongside a £182 million defence industry skills package. These measures are designed to build on local industrial and dual-use strengths to attract investment, support skilled jobs and strengthen supply chains, supporting long-term regional growth.
The Deals’ performance will be assessed against their objectives to determine their contribution to regional growth and the UK’s defence supply chain.
Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - South Shropshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much funding has been allocated to the Dreadnought programme since its inception.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The 2015 National Security Strategy and Strategic Defence and Security Review, under the previous government, estimated that to build four Dreadnought submarines, the likely cost would be £41 billion. The current forecast to completion remains within that estimate.
Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - South Shropshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many jobs his Department estimates will be created as a result of planned defence investment by 2030.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Ministry of Defence announced a significant increase in spending in the Defence Investment Plan published on 30 June.
Following a review ahead of the Budget 2026, we continue to estimate that this investment could support approximately 60,000 additional jobs by 2029-30, compared with 2023-24, across the defence industry and supporting industries. This remains consistent with the estimate underpinning the Defence Investment Plan.
Skills are fundamental to delivering the plan and supporting growth. Defence is continuing to engage with partners across Government and industry to understand the specific skills needed to deliver this investment.
Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - South Shropshire)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether an independent oversight body evaluates the integrity of standards proposed within the Cyber Security and Resilience Bill.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
The Cyber Security and Resilience (Network and Information Systems) Bill does not rely on separate independent oversight body to evaluate standards proposed under the Bill. Instead, the Bill is informed by expertise and provides for appropriate scrutiny through statutory consultation and parliamentary oversight.
The Government proposes to use powers in the Bill to introduce mandatory Security and Resilience Requirements (SRR) in secondary legislation. These proposals will be aligned with the National Cyber Security Centre’s Cyber Assessment Framework (NCSC; CAF) and consistent with international standards and established good practice.
The CAF is owned, developed and maintained by the NCSC, the UK’s technical authority for cyber security, and is widely used by NIS regulators and regulated entities to support the assessment of cyber security and resilience. It is also designed to work alongside international standards. Organisations can use evidence from recognised international standards and frameworks to demonstrate how they meet relevant CAF outcomes. The Government is working closely with the NCSC and regulators in developing the SRR proposals. They will also be subject to consultation and parliamentary scrutiny before coming into force.
Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - South Shropshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress has been made on the Team Plymouth partnership.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
Team Plymouth has brought together the Ministry of Defence, Plymouth City Council, Babcock, the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government and wider partners to support defence-led growth in the city. In September 2026, we announced funding to Team Plymouth to progress the Plymouth Defence Growth Deal, which is focused on marine autonomy, skills, housing, transport and support for local businesses, aligning with wider investment at HMNB Devonport.