Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what information her Department holds on cases of British nationals in Mongolia a) subject to arbitrary detention and b) prohibited from leaving that country.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office provides consular assistance to British nationals abroad 24/7. In Mongolia, consular officials aim to visit detained British nationals every six weeks initially and every three months following sentencing, although this is kept under review according to individual circumstances. We are not aware of any British nationals currently detained in Mongolia. If the Honourable Member wishes to raise a specific case, he is welcome to write to me separately.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to ensure the welfare of British nationals detained in Mongolia, including access to legal representation.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office provides consular assistance to British nationals abroad 24/7. In Mongolia, consular officials aim to visit detained British nationals every six weeks initially and every three months following sentencing, although this is kept under review according to individual circumstances. We are not aware of any British nationals currently detained in Mongolia. If the Honourable Member wishes to raise a specific case, he is welcome to write to me separately.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many British nationals are detained in Mongolia.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office provides consular assistance to British nationals abroad 24/7. In Mongolia, consular officials aim to visit detained British nationals every six weeks initially and every three months following sentencing, although this is kept under review according to individual circumstances. We are not aware of any British nationals currently detained in Mongolia. If the Honourable Member wishes to raise a specific case, he is welcome to write to me separately.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, for what reason PhD stipends do not count towards the work requirement for free hours of childcare; what information does her Department hold on the number of PhD researchers who are having to withdraw from their PhDs or are unable to start PhD courses due to childcare costs: and whether she has made an estimate of the potential cost to the public purse of permitting PhD stipends to count towards the work requirement for free childcare hours.

Answered by Paul Waugh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Students who work alongside their studies may be eligible for 30 hours free childcare if they meet the income requirements. PhD stipends are non-taxable income and therefore do not count towards the income requirements of the 30 hours childcare entitlement.

The department does not hold information on the number of PhD researchers who have withdrawn from, or have been unable to commence, PhD study as a result of childcare costs. The department has not estimated the potential cost to the public purse of allowing PhD stipends to count towards the work and income requirements for the 30 hours free childcare entitlement.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether Defence Business Services record data relating to (a) the number of complaints received, (b) complaint resolution times and (c) complaint trends.

Answered by Calvin Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans and People)

Yes. Defence Business Services collects different sets of monthly complaints data in relation to the complaints processes which are specific to different sets of service lines. These include complaint resolution times and, for the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme and War Pensions Schemes, rolling 12-month trend data.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps have been taken within the NHS to ensure compliance with the Records Management Code of Practice.

Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

On 8 July, NHS England issued new guidance concerning unlawful access to patient records, including advice for information governance professionals on how their organisations can prevent and monitor unlawful access to records, and the steps they should take when it is identified. This also includes guidance for patients on the safeguards in place to protect their records, and what to do if they think their data has been accessed inappropriately. The new guidance is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/preventing-unlawful-access-to-patient-records/

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Ministry of Defence personnel were affected by the reported cyberattack that compromised data associated with the Police National Legal Database and related systems.

Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)

There has been no compromise of MOD networks. The reported cyberattack was against the Police National Legal Database (PNLD) system, which some MOD personnel use.

Defence worked with the Police National Management Centre to identify data of potentially affected personnel. Of the 409 individuals initially assessed as having MOD links, Defence notified 361; the remaining 48 records were invalid.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent steps he has taken to ensure compliance with the (a) Equality Act 2010 and (b) Renters' Rights Act 2025 within the rented housing sector.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Renters’ Rights Act 2025 provides local authorities with strong investigatory and enforcement powers to bear down on rental discrimination practices in the private rented sector.

It addresses both overt discriminatory practices, such as ‘No DSS’ adverts, and situations where landlords or letting agents use other indirect practices in order to prevent someone entering into a tenancy.

The government is increasing ring-fenced civil penalties to support a ‘polluter pays’ approach to enforcement of the new tenancy system.

In accordance with the New Burdens Doctrine, we will ensure additional net costs on local authorities resulting from the Act are fully funded. To that end, my Department is providing £41.12 million to local housing authorities for this financial year to help them undertake their new enforcement responsibilities. This funding is in addition to the £18.2 million provided in 2025/26.

Our aim over the long term is to establish a sustainable funding system for private rented sector enforcement based on future Private Rented Sector Database fee revenues. We will set out further details in due course.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps have been taken to ensure the availability of early diagnosis services for osteoporosis in Slough.

Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government is supporting earlier diagnosis of osteoporosis through the NHS Elective Reform Plan and the 10-Year Health Plan, including improving access to diagnostic services such as DEXA scanning and supporting integrated fracture liaison services (FLS), which identify and assess people at risk of osteoporosis after a fracture.

Recent steps have been taken to strengthen the early diagnosis and management of osteoporosis for residents in Slough through the introduction of a dedicated FLS at the Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust. The service proactively identifies people aged 50 years old and over who have sustained a fragility fracture, recognising that these patients are at significantly increased risk of future fractures if osteoporosis is not diagnosed and treated promptly. Patients are systematically identified using the trust's Epic electronic patient record system, enabling the service to capture patients presenting with fractures and arrange timely assessment, including DEXA scanning, blood tests, and falls risk evaluation where appropriate. This ensures that underlying osteoporosis can be diagnosed earlier and appropriate treatment initiated to reduce the risk of subsequent fractures.

The trust has also strengthened case identification through enhanced use of digital systems. Non-vertebral fragility fractures are identified through Epic reporting, while vertebral fractures can be detected through radiology reporting processes, with further opportunities to expand early diagnosis through the use of artificial intelligence-supported identification of vertebral fractures. Patients requiring bone density assessment can access DEXA scanning through Frimley Health services, with the nearest DEXA scanner to Slough located at St Mark's Hospital in Maidenhead, alongside additional provision at Aldershot. The FLS service follows the evidence-based model developed with the support of Public Health England and National Health Service partners.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to improve the safety and resilience of the rail network to a) flash flooding, b) prolonged drought and c) other environmental and weather impacts associated with a warming climate.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The rail industry is taking a range of measures to improve the safety and resilience of the railway to the effects of climate change.

Flash flooding: Network Rail is investing in improved drainage systems, flood resilience schemes, remote monitoring technologies and enhanced weather forecasting to identify and manage flood risks.

Prolonged drought: The rail industry is assessing and managing risks associated with hotter, drier conditions, including embankment and earthwork stability, subsidence, and vegetation-related impacts.

Other environmental and weather impacts: Network Rail and Train Operating companies have developed Weather Resilience and Climate Change Adaptation Plans. These plans incorporate future climate projections into asset management, maintenance and renewal decisions. This includes measures to address extreme rainfall, higher temperatures, coastal change, storms, high winds, overheating of infrastructure and vegetation management.

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to attract Canadian tourists to the UK and increase the annual number of Canadians who visit the UK for tourism.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)

DCMS works with VisitBritain to promote visits to Britain worldwide, including from Canada, with a focus on ensuring the benefits of tourism are felt across all regions and nations.

VisitBritain works with the Canadian travel trade through campaigns, trade events and familiarisation trips to promote Britain’s nations and regions. Over the past two years, this has resulted in approximately 45 new bookable itineraries with 15 Canadian partners, increasing the range of regional tourism products available to Canadian visitors.

In September 2025, VisitBritain promoted its ‘Starring GREAT Britain’ campaign at the Toronto International Film Festival, using film and TV locations to inspire visits to Britain. VisitBritain found that 87% of Canadian visitors considering a UK trip were interested in visiting a film or TV location.

In 2026, VisitBritain is building on this work through initiatives connecting Canadian buyers with regional suppliers, including a Manchester Spotlight in November and a familiarisation trip covering Liverpool, Chester, Wrexham, Conwy and Manchester.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the level of funding available for research into (a) Alzheimer's disease and (b) other forms of dementia.

Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

No assessment has been made. I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 2 June 2026 to Question 3358. Information on dementia research funding broken down by dementia sub-type is not centrally held.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the progress of research on treatments for (a) Alzheimer's and (b) dementia.

Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

No assessment has been made. I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 2 June 2026 to Question 3358. Information on dementia research funding broken down by dementia sub-type is not centrally held.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of calls to HMP Dovegate were answered in each of the last three months.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

All calls to the establishment's main public telephone number are recorded as answered by the automated call-handling system.

No further call-answering data are collected.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment they have made of the adequacy of government funding for Private Finance Initiative schools in the constituency of Slough.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The department supports Private Finance Initiative (PFI) contracts through the funding arrangements agreed when contracts were signed. This includes revenue support grant funding (RSG) paid to local authorities over the contract term. RSG funding forms part of the overall affordability package for these projects, alongside contributions from local authorities and schools.

Further support is provided through the schools national funding formula PFI factor, and Slough will receive £1.1 million in the 2026/27 financial year through the PFI factor.

The department works with local authorities to assess affordability, determine appropriate levels of support and review PFI factor funding.

Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what recent steps he has taken to increase trade with Canada.

Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade) (Jointly with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The UK and Canada share a strong trading relationship, underpinned by our existing free trade agreement and worth £34 billion in 2025[1]. It was bolstered on September 1^st by Canadian ratification of the UK’s accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership. This will provide further opportunities for businesses.

In addition, the UK-Canada Economic and Trade Working Group was set up to strengthen bilateral trade ties as joint trusted and reliable partners. It has a number of priority workstreams to further grow trade and drive cooperation, including a review of the UK-Canada Trade Continuity Agreement’s Rules of Origin chapter. This work is currently underway, and we aim to conclude it over the coming months.

[1] Canada trade and investment factsheet

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to protect the UK consulate in Jerusalem from unlawful obstruction by Israel.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The Israeli authority decision to close the British Consulate-General in Jerusalem is deeply regrettable. The focus now is on ensuring we can continue our diplomatic work and supporting efforts towards a two-state solution. The UK stands by the announcements made by the Foreign Secretary on 8 September.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to a) detect individuals who persistently evade fares on public transport, b) prevent those individuals from future fare evasion, and c) recover money owed to public transport networks lost as a result of fare evasion.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Government is working with the rail industry to reduce and deter fare evasion, including through the development of a new cross-industry framework and improved data sharing. These measures will help identify repeat offenders, deter future fare evasion, and support operators in recovering unpaid fares and taking proportionate enforcement action where appropriate.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer on 09 September 2026 to Question 26088 on Warships: Republic of Ireland, whether a Royal Navy vessel provided air defence support during the recent meeting of EU defence ministers in County Wicklow.

Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)

The UK and Ireland work closely together under the refreshed UK-Ireland Defence Memorandum of Understanding which prioritises cooperation in both the air and maritime domains. The UK does not comment on operational taskings.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions she has had with water companies on the timely repair of water infrastructure.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Ministers and officials regularly engage with water companies and regulators on operational and customer service matters. Companies are responsible for keeping customers informed about planned and emergency repairs.

Customers are protected through the Guaranteed Standards Scheme which requires water companies to provide information about planned interruptions or emergency supply losses which may occur because of repairs. Customers may be entitled to compensation where required standards may not be met.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions she has had with water companies to ensure customers are adequately informed on (a) planned and (b) unplanned water infrastructure repairs.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Ministers and officials regularly engage with water companies and regulators on operational and customer service matters. Companies are responsible for keeping customers informed about planned and emergency repairs.

Customers are protected through the Guaranteed Standards Scheme which requires water companies to provide information about planned interruptions or emergency supply losses which may occur because of repairs. Customers may be entitled to compensation where required standards may not be met.

Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what recent steps have been taken alongside (a) local authorities and (b) police forces to prevent the illegal use of fireworks in public spaces.

Answered by Kate Dearden - Minister of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade)

The Government continues to work with local authorities, Trading Standards, police forces and other enforcement partners to tackle the illegal use of fireworks. Local authorities and the police already have powers under the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, including Community Protection Notices and Public Spaces Protection Orders, which can be used to address fireworks misuse in public spaces. We have also supported public awareness campaigns promoting the safe and considerate use of fireworks, published guidance for community display organisers.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent steps his Department has taken to support people holding vocational qualifications to secure employment.

Answered by Andrew Western - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

This Government is committed to delivering an employment support system that is personalised to individual needs.  All jobseekers are entitled to tailored and flexible support through Jobcentre Plus. Work Coaches offer personalised advice to help individuals secure roles which reflect their skills, qualifications and prior experience, alongside targeted job‑search support.

Participants with vocational qualifications receive personalised support tailored to their individual skills, qualifications and employment goals. This can include support with identifying suitable vacancies, developing sector-specific skills and qualifications where appropriate.

Our reforms to the Jobs and Careers Service will place greater focus on career advice and progression and better matching of people’s experience and qualifications with employer’s needs.  Through Jobcentre Plus, and from October 2026 the JCS, employers can access tailored recruitment support, including vacancy promotion, candidate matching, and recruitment campaigns. This helps ensure employment support reflects current employer demand and enables individuals to identify opportunities where their vocational skills and qualifications can be put to effective use.

The Department also offers the Restart Scheme which provides 12 months of personalised and tailored support targeted at those who have been on Universal Credit for 6 months or more and in the Intensive Work Search regime. Providers support participants to break down their employment barriers by developing a bespoke action plan built on understanding their employment history, skills and needs.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent discussions she has had with schools operating under Private Finance Initiative contracts on the adequacy of funding available for school meals.

Answered by Paul Waugh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The department has a dedicated Private Finance Team which regularly engages with schools and responsible bodies on issues arising from Private Finance Initiative (PFI) contracts, including funding pressures where relevant.

There are currently 637 PFI schools in England. Most are covered by contracts procured and managed by local authorities, and the department does not hold information on whether catering services are included within those contracts.

The department's five most recent privately financed school contracts, covering 46 schools, were procured under the PF2 model and do not include catering services.

The department supports PFI schools through both Revenue Support Grant funding for local authority-managed contracts and the PFI Factor within the National Funding Formula. In addition, the department's Private Finance Team provides advice and assistance to schools and responsible bodies on issues arising during the lifetime of PFI contracts and as contracts approach expiry.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to provide support to victims of investment fraud in (a) Slough constituency and (b) the South East.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security) (Jointly with the Cabinet Office)

As part of the Fraud Strategy 2026-2029 the Government committed to ensuring all victims of fraud receive the support they need. This includes operating Report Fraud, the new, streamlined reporting service, to provide a robust and improved reporting mechanism for victims of fraud. Further, all victims who report fraud to Report Fraud will receive support either directly from their local police force, or through Report Fraud Victim Services. Additionally, the Government has committed to producing a Victims Charter which will set out a minimum standard of care across all support providers, to ensure consistent victim support.

Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what recent steps have been taken to improve public awareness regarding legislation relating to the use of fireworks.

Answered by Kate Dearden - Minister of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade)

The Government will launch a safe and considerate use campaign ahead of this fireworks season to promote responsible use and raise awareness of existing legal requirements. This builds on activity undertaken last year, strengthening public understanding of the rules around use of fireworks.

I have also launched a public consultation on proposals to reform fireworks and pyrotechnics legislation. The consultation sets out the existing regulatory framework, reinforcing current legal requirements, while gathering evidence on how best to reduce harm and distress from consumer fireworks. The consultation is supported by engagement with a wide range of stakeholders across the UK.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department plans to review the six-month qualifying period for Attendance Allowance for pensioners who develop (a) immediate and (b) substantial care needs following (i) a stroke and (ii) diagnosis of another life-changing condition.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government) (Equalities)

Entitlement to Attendance Allowance (AA) is based on the need for frequent personal care and attention, or supervision to ensure their safety, rather than on a particular medical condition. The six-month qualifying period helps establish that the disability and the resulting care or supervision needs are of a long-term nature and ensures the benefit goes to those for whom it is intended. For people nearing the end of life, special rules apply, and there is no requirement to satisfy the six-month qualifying period.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will take steps to assess and mitigate any increased risks to British Jews which have arisen as a result of recent UK sanctions towards Israel and Israel’s response to the UK.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Government is committed to the safety and security of Jewish communities across the United Kingdom.

In July, the Government announced a £251 million package over three years to strengthen the protection of Jewish communities. This includes funding for additional officers in the Metropolitan Police, Greater Manchester Police, and seven other force areas with significant Jewish communities, and national surge capabilities available to all forces in England and Wales.

The Government has also made £32.4 million available for Jewish community protective security in 2026/27. The Jewish Community Protective Security Grant provides funding for security measures at synagogues, Jewish educational establishments and other communal locations.

Police assess the threat picture and adjust their operational response where necessary to keep Jewish communities safe.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to help (a) halt and (b) reverse species decline in the UK.

Answered by Jenny Riddell-Carpenter - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

This Government is committed to restoring nature and achieving our legally binding species targets. These include targets to halt the decline in species abundance by 2030, reverse these declines by at least 10% by 2042 when compared with 2030, and to reduce the risk of species extinction by 2042.

To achieve these targets, we have ramped up action to support nature recovery. We are investing £60 million over the next three years into the Species Recovery Programme, marking the largest ever Government investment in directly supporting threatened species. A further £30 million will be dedicated to fund species recovery on the national forest estate. Earlier this year beavers were released in Somerset and Cornwall following the Government’s landmark decision last year to allow the legal reintroduction of beavers into the wild in England since they were hunted to extinction around 400 years ago and we recently approved £1m of additional funding to explore a reintroduction programme for golden eagles in England. The Government has also announced the largest nature friendly farming budget in history, with £11.8 billion to be spent across this Parliament.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the financial contribution from Ireland is towards the deployment of a Royal Navy vessel for security at an event in Ireland.

Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)

Matters relating to Ireland's defence posture and expenditure rest with the Irish authorities, and any enquiries on those issues should be directed to them.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what the time was between his Department receiving an initial request to obtain location data from Apple for UK nationals missing in Nepal and a request being made.

Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office staff and our embassy teams have been working around the clock to support British nationals and their families, and to lead the humanitarian response to the devastating floods, including over the weekend and bank holiday. The UK is working with the Nepalese and Chinese authorities to support their crisis response efforts on the ground. The UK acted on information provided in relation to missing individuals as soon as practicable and shared relevant details with the appropriate authorities. Police Family Liaison Officers have been deployed to support individual families, including on any information that could help efforts to locate the missing. Family Liaison Officers are available to discuss the utility or otherwise of mobile phones given the impact on the physical infrastructure and communications in the area. The information picture is changing continuously as Nepalese search and rescue teams work in the affected areas, and UK staff are in close contact with the authorities to understand the latest situation.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether the British Embassy in Nepal was closed (a) during the August bank holiday weekend and (b) on bank holiday Monday.

Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office staff and our embassy teams have been working around the clock to support British nationals and their families, and to lead the humanitarian response to the devastating floods, including over the weekend and bank holiday. The UK is working with the Nepalese and Chinese authorities to support their crisis response efforts on the ground. The UK acted on information provided in relation to missing individuals as soon as practicable and shared relevant details with the appropriate authorities. Police Family Liaison Officers have been deployed to support individual families, including on any information that could help efforts to locate the missing. Family Liaison Officers are available to discuss the utility or otherwise of mobile phones given the impact on the physical infrastructure and communications in the area. The information picture is changing continuously as Nepalese search and rescue teams work in the affected areas, and UK staff are in close contact with the authorities to understand the latest situation.

Found: Blackman Dame Karen Bradley Liam Byrne Ruth Cadbury Alistair Carmichael Sarah Champion Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi

Found: MP put it, improving consistency is a matter of “best practice” being “extended”.45 40 Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will take steps to speed up the a) development and b) deployment of new mine hunting capabilities for the Royal Navy.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 23 March 2026 to Question 120373 to the hon. Member for Slough (Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi):

The Mine Hunting Capability (MHC) programme continues to deliver an advanced suite of uncrewed surface vessels (USVs), uncrewed underwater vehicles (UUVs) and SWEEP (the first Sovereign minesweeping capability since 2006) into service within the Royal Navy, enabling frontline mine warfare specialists to enhance operational effectiveness. These cutting-edge autonomous mine-hunting systems are deployed by the Mine and Threat Exploitation Group for evaluation, training, and operational deployment.

The comprehensive scope of the MHC programme encompasses multiple USVs, UUVs, remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) for identification and neutralisation, and a state-of-the-art, sovereign mine-sweeping capability. Additionally, the programme has delivered HMS STIRLING CASTLE, a dedicated support vessel designed to enhance the deployment and sustainment of autonomous systems.

Submit Evidence (by 4 Nov 2026)

This inquiry will consider the role of UK Defence in the Gulf region. It will examine the UK’s defence interests and objectives, force posture, and defence partnerships. It will cover the implications of recent crises, including the 2026 conflict involving Iran, Israel and the United States, for the UK’s future defence presence.