Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of ghost plates pose on (a) national security and (b) the ability of hostile or organised criminal actors to evade detection by ANPR technology; and whether she has commissioned a cross-government review on the potential impact of the use of illegal plates on investigative leads, including those related to violent crime, terrorism, and serious organised criminal activity.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
Under the new Road Safety Strategy, published on 7 January by the Department for Transport, the Government has announced firm action to tackle illegal or ‘ghost’ numberplates. This includes consulting on tougher penalties, including penalty points and vehicle seizure, more robust checks on number plate suppliers, and higher industry standards for numberplates. We also intend to commission targeted research to explore the potential use of artificial intelligence to identify illegal plates.
In addition, the Government has pledged £2.7m for each of the next three years to support a roads policing innovation programme. As part of this innovation programme, the Department for Transport and Home Office are working in collaboration with National Police Chiefs' Council and others to consider new approaches to tackling the issue of illegal plate usage.
Asked by: Nick Timothy (Conservative - West Suffolk)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Undersea Infrastructure Security (UIS) Oversight Board report to ministers in (a) his department, and (b) other government departments.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
The senior official-level Undersea Infrastructure Security Oversight Board will escalate issues to Cabinet Office ministers and the National Security Council as required.
Asked by: Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Chapman of Darlington on 29 December 2025 (HL12894), what specific plans they have, if any, to develop the work of the network of Women Mediators Across the Commonwealth in 2026.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
We remain committed to UK leadership in defending and driving forward the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda, including through our role as penholder on UN Security Council Resolution 1325. The UK's WPS National Action Plan sets out the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's commitment to improving women's full, equal, meaningful and safe participation in political dialogue and peace processes.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she plans to update the Overseas Territories White Paper.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The 2012 White Paper remains the foundation of the UK's modern partnership-based relationship with the Overseas Territories (OTs), but the OTs continue to work alongside the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) to identify proposals on how the relationship should develop in response to more recent global developments. To strengthen that collaboration, the Joint Ministerial Council on 24-27 November 2025 agreed to develop the option for OTs to agree new Partnership Compacts with the UK, providing tailored, practical frameworks for advancing shared priorities.
Since July 2024, the UK has provided over £20 million in security support to Caribbean OTs, including armed police and investigators to reinforce local forces, new patrol vessels, coastal radar systems, and police drones. We also work closely with independent Caribbean states and deploy UK agencies, including the National Crime Agency, to help counter serious and organised crime.
The Joint Ministerial Council on 24-27 November welcomed the participation of the Overseas Territories at COP30 and other international fora, and reaffirmed the shared ambition to protect Overseas Territories' ecosystems and address climate and nature crises. The FCDO has provided support through its Climate Security, Civil Resilience and Blue Belt programmes to help OTs adapt and build their climate change resilience, strengthen their disaster management capabilities, and protect and enhance ocean health.
Acts of Parliament are normally not extended to the Overseas Territories except with the agreement of their locally-elected governments. It is established practice to consult the Overseas Territories when the UK Government is considering new legislation or policies of relevance to them.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of allowing British Overseas Territories to introduce a legislative consent process for Westminster legislation that applies to Overseas Territories.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The 2012 White Paper remains the foundation of the UK's modern partnership-based relationship with the Overseas Territories (OTs), but the OTs continue to work alongside the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) to identify proposals on how the relationship should develop in response to more recent global developments. To strengthen that collaboration, the Joint Ministerial Council on 24-27 November 2025 agreed to develop the option for OTs to agree new Partnership Compacts with the UK, providing tailored, practical frameworks for advancing shared priorities.
Since July 2024, the UK has provided over £20 million in security support to Caribbean OTs, including armed police and investigators to reinforce local forces, new patrol vessels, coastal radar systems, and police drones. We also work closely with independent Caribbean states and deploy UK agencies, including the National Crime Agency, to help counter serious and organised crime.
The Joint Ministerial Council on 24-27 November welcomed the participation of the Overseas Territories at COP30 and other international fora, and reaffirmed the shared ambition to protect Overseas Territories' ecosystems and address climate and nature crises. The FCDO has provided support through its Climate Security, Civil Resilience and Blue Belt programmes to help OTs adapt and build their climate change resilience, strengthen their disaster management capabilities, and protect and enhance ocean health.
Acts of Parliament are normally not extended to the Overseas Territories except with the agreement of their locally-elected governments. It is established practice to consult the Overseas Territories when the UK Government is considering new legislation or policies of relevance to them.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what support she has provided to Caribbean Overseas Territories to help tackle climate change and prepare for extreme weather events, such as hurricanes.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The 2012 White Paper remains the foundation of the UK's modern partnership-based relationship with the Overseas Territories (OTs), but the OTs continue to work alongside the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) to identify proposals on how the relationship should develop in response to more recent global developments. To strengthen that collaboration, the Joint Ministerial Council on 24-27 November 2025 agreed to develop the option for OTs to agree new Partnership Compacts with the UK, providing tailored, practical frameworks for advancing shared priorities.
Since July 2024, the UK has provided over £20 million in security support to Caribbean OTs, including armed police and investigators to reinforce local forces, new patrol vessels, coastal radar systems, and police drones. We also work closely with independent Caribbean states and deploy UK agencies, including the National Crime Agency, to help counter serious and organised crime.
The Joint Ministerial Council on 24-27 November welcomed the participation of the Overseas Territories at COP30 and other international fora, and reaffirmed the shared ambition to protect Overseas Territories' ecosystems and address climate and nature crises. The FCDO has provided support through its Climate Security, Civil Resilience and Blue Belt programmes to help OTs adapt and build their climate change resilience, strengthen their disaster management capabilities, and protect and enhance ocean health.
Acts of Parliament are normally not extended to the Overseas Territories except with the agreement of their locally-elected governments. It is established practice to consult the Overseas Territories when the UK Government is considering new legislation or policies of relevance to them.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what support her Department is providing to Caribbean Overseas Territories to help (a) increase security and (b) reduce organised crime in the region.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The 2012 White Paper remains the foundation of the UK's modern partnership-based relationship with the Overseas Territories (OTs), but the OTs continue to work alongside the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) to identify proposals on how the relationship should develop in response to more recent global developments. To strengthen that collaboration, the Joint Ministerial Council on 24-27 November 2025 agreed to develop the option for OTs to agree new Partnership Compacts with the UK, providing tailored, practical frameworks for advancing shared priorities.
Since July 2024, the UK has provided over £20 million in security support to Caribbean OTs, including armed police and investigators to reinforce local forces, new patrol vessels, coastal radar systems, and police drones. We also work closely with independent Caribbean states and deploy UK agencies, including the National Crime Agency, to help counter serious and organised crime.
The Joint Ministerial Council on 24-27 November welcomed the participation of the Overseas Territories at COP30 and other international fora, and reaffirmed the shared ambition to protect Overseas Territories' ecosystems and address climate and nature crises. The FCDO has provided support through its Climate Security, Civil Resilience and Blue Belt programmes to help OTs adapt and build their climate change resilience, strengthen their disaster management capabilities, and protect and enhance ocean health.
Acts of Parliament are normally not extended to the Overseas Territories except with the agreement of their locally-elected governments. It is established practice to consult the Overseas Territories when the UK Government is considering new legislation or policies of relevance to them.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many times the Resilience and Security Committee met between April 2024 and March 2025; and what the attendance record of each member was.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
It is a long-established precedent that information about Cabinet and its Committees, including the discussions that have taken place, how often they have met and attendance, is not normally shared publicly. The list of standing members of the National Security Council (Resilience) Committee can be accessed on GOV.UK.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of introducing mandatory security features for number plates to prevent (a) cloning and (b) unauthorised reproduction.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) is working with the National Police Chiefs’ Council and other government departments to improve the identification and enforcement of number plate crime.
Officials are considering options to ensure more robust application and audit processes which would enable tighter checks on number plate suppliers. On-road enforcement of number plate offences is a matter for the police.
Officials are also considering potential options for making number plates more secure.
The DVLA is part of the British Standards Institute committee that has recently reviewed the existing number plate standard. The committee has proposed a number of amendments which are intended to stop the production of number plates with raised characters, often referred to as 3D or 4D number plates and will prevent easy access to plates with ‘ghost’ characteristics. The proposals will also prevent suppliers from adding acrylic letters and numbers to the surface of the number, meaning any finished number plate must be flat. The proposed changes have been subject to a public consultation which closed on 13 December 2025.
Standards on the use of automated number plate reader technology are a matter for the Home Office which issues guidance on its use as part of the National ANPR Standards for Policing and Law Enforcement.
Asked by: Lord Bailey of Paddington (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the relevant councils following the cyber attacks on Westminster Council, Hammersmith and Fulham Council and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Council, including in relation to the people or organisations behind the attacks.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, the National Cyber Security Centre and law enforcement have been working closely with the impacted councils, to understand the risk to their services and to wider government, and to support effective remediation and restoration of services for the public. Councils have been working diligently with specialist support to validate the security of their networks and bring essential services back online. We are aware that some council data may have been stolen by criminal actors. The impacted councils, government and law enforcement are thoroughly investigating the accuracy and potential impact of any data loss. There is an ongoing law enforcement investigation which the councils and MHCLG are fully supporting.