Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many MOD sites used by Cadets have been closed under the Future Defence Infrastructure Services programme.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
No Ministry of Defence (MOD) sites used by Cadets were closed under Future Defence Infrastructure Services (FDIS) programme.
FDIS is a programme within the MOD that focuses on the delivery of facilities management and infrastructure services across the Defence estate. The FDIS Accommodation Contracts came into service on 1 April 2022 and replaced the previous National Housing Prime and Regional Prime contracts.
Asked by: Lord Weir of Ballyholme (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to increase funding for cardiovascular disease research.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department invests over £1.6 billion each year on research through its research delivery arm, the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).
The Department, through the NIHR, funds research into cardiovascular disease (CVD) that is aligned with the Government’s Health Mission, embracing digital transformation, prioritising prevention over treatment, and bringing care closer to communities to tackle health inequalities and reduce the number of lives lost to the biggest killers.
For example, in 2025 the NIHR launched a new funding opportunity to invest £50 million into innovative new research in CVD, aiming to tackle preventable causes of heart disease and its complications, save lives, and reduce inequalities in this area across the United Kingdom.
In addition, our wider investments in NIHR infrastructure, strengthening specialist facilities, the workforce, and support services to enable research in the health and care system, have enabled significant CVD funded by other funders to take place.
The NIHR continues to welcome high quality applications for research into any aspect of human health and care, including CVD. These applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to the public and health and care services, value for money, and scientific quality.
Asked by: Toby Perkins (Labour - Chesterfield)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many court days were lost in 2025 due to the unavailability of courtrooms as a result of building failures by a) crown court, b) magistrates court and c) family court.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The number of court days lost due to building failures in the last full financial year (2024/25) is as follows:
Crown Court – 258 days
Magistrates’ Court – 36 days
Family Court – 2 days
To put this into context, over the same period we sat over 107,000 days in the Crown Court.
A lost court day is defined as a planned sitting day consisting of two sessions (one morning, one afternoon session) that is cancelled, adjourned or unable to proceed due to unforeseen circumstances, structural issues or scheduling conflicts. The figures above reflect court days lost due to building failures only. Workforce shortages are also a major cause of lost time: in 2024, over 1,000 trials were cancelled owing to a lack of counsel, which is why we are investing further in legal aid and match funding pupillages for criminal barristers.
Thanks to the efforts of court staff and the judiciary, where a building failure occurs, losing court days can often be averted through our ability to move cases to another courtroom or nearby court building, or by using remote hearing arrangements.
It is vital that court infrastructure does not prevent hearings from taking place, that is why we announced a boost in court capital maintenance and project funding from £120 million in 2024/25, to £148.5 million for 2025/26.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 22 January to Question 107733 on Unmanned Air Systems: Procurement, if he will provide the reason that the Protector RG MK1 did not declare Initial Operating Capability.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
I am withholding the definition and specific criteria for achieving Initial Operational Capability as it would harm the security and capability of the Armed Forces. The milestone is clearly defined and the Ministry of Defence is working to ensure the necessary supporting requirements are in place so that it can be met at the earliest opportunity.
However, in general terms, the air vehicles are but one part of the air system and therefore milestones will be achieved when requirements are met across a number of areas including; personnel force growth, infrastructure and support contracts, crew training and competence in role, and interoperability.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 22 January to Question 107733 on Unmanned Air Systems: Procurement, how many Protector RG MK1s need to be in use in order to declare Initial Operating Capability.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
I am withholding the definition and specific criteria for achieving Initial Operational Capability as it would harm the security and capability of the Armed Forces. The milestone is clearly defined and the Ministry of Defence is working to ensure the necessary supporting requirements are in place so that it can be met at the earliest opportunity.
However, in general terms, the air vehicles are but one part of the air system and therefore milestones will be achieved when requirements are met across a number of areas including; personnel force growth, infrastructure and support contracts, crew training and competence in role, and interoperability.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 22 January to Question 107733 on Unmanned Air Systems: Procurement, what conditions need to be met to declare Initial Operating Capability.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
I am withholding the definition and specific criteria for achieving Initial Operational Capability as it would harm the security and capability of the Armed Forces. The milestone is clearly defined and the Ministry of Defence is working to ensure the necessary supporting requirements are in place so that it can be met at the earliest opportunity.
However, in general terms, the air vehicles are but one part of the air system and therefore milestones will be achieved when requirements are met across a number of areas including; personnel force growth, infrastructure and support contracts, crew training and competence in role, and interoperability.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will publish a breakdown of funding provided to the Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia from the APPOLLO programme; and if he will make an assessment of the effectiveness of this funding.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The APOLLO programme is delivering seismically compliant infrastructure and living accommodation across the Sovereign Base Areas (SBAs).
Under the APOLLO programme, to date, construction has taken place across both the Western (including Akrotiri) and Eastern (including Dhekelia) Sovereign Base Areas. This has resulted in the provision of a new primary school, operational buildings, Defence family housing, and a passenger and freight handling facility. This investment serves to reduce seismic risk, strengthen operational capability, and help improve quality of life for Defence personnel and their families.
All Defence spending commitments, including the APOLLO programme, are currently under review as part of the Defence Investment Plan. As a result, we are unable to publish a breakdown of current and planned funding provided to the SBAs.
Asked by: Mark Garnier (Conservative - Wyre Forest)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to encourage private investors to help deliver the commercial structures used for (a) Liverpool Street Station and (b) other major rail infrastructure developments.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
As set out in the Ten-Year Infrastructure Strategy, the Government is committed to increased private investment alongside public funding to transform the UK’s infrastructure.
Officials are engaged with Network Rail and Platform4 - the government’s new property development company, on the emerging proposition for the potential redevelopment of Liverpool Street station.
Government encourages Network Rail to secure third-party funding contributions to minimise the use of taxpayer funding and to demonstrate value for money.
The Government is already taking action to deliver the infrastructure the country needs, including around railway sites, recognising the opportunities stations present for housing, retail, commercial and community assets, as well as transport hubs.
In the future, Ministers have been clear that Great British Railways (GBR) will be set up to be a commercially agile organisation able to provide the integrated leadership of Britain's railway and long-term strategic framework that supports private sector investment.
Asked by: Ann Davies (Plaid Cymru - Caerfyrddin)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has made an estimate of the relative level of per head spending on railway infrastructure in (a) Wales and (b) England.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
This Government believes in the importance of rail investment to support economic growth and bring connections to people all across the country. The level of investment is determined by the needs of the network, value for money and meeting the Government’s priorities, not by population count. We work with the Office of Rail and Road to provide funding to Network Rail that supports the safe and effective operation of railways across England and Wales and, through the Spending Review and Infrastructure Strategy, have also provided the significant commitment to at least £445 million of rail enhancements funding for Wales. This is to address the country’s long-term infrastructure needs and meet the Wales Rail Board’s top priorities.
Asked by: Adam Dance (Liberal Democrat - Yeovil)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps she is taking to help improve the efficiency of His Majesties Revenue and Customs' operations.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
As published in the Spending Review 2025 Departmental Efficiency Plans, HM Revenue and Customs will be delivering significant efficiencies of £886m per year by 2028-29 in five areas: