Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will set out which current operations have been endorsed by the National Security Council.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
Decisions to undertake military operations are taken in accordance with established constitutional and governance arrangements. The National Security Council considers the strategic approach to national security, foreign policy, resilience, international relations, economic security, trade, development, defence and global issues. It is a long-established precedent that information about the discussions that have taken place in Cabinet and its Committees, and how often they have met, is not shared publicly.
Asked by: Gideon Amos (Liberal Democrat - Taunton and Wellington)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what targeted guidance is available to medically vulnerable people who cannot safely reduce their heating use.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government’s fuel poverty strategy seeks to ensure households are supported to achieve warm homes at an affordable cost. The UK Health Security Agency has produced guidance for the public on how to keep warm and well at home, which is available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/keep-warm-keep-well-leaflet-gives-advice-on-staying-healthy-in-cold-weather
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has produced guidance to reduce the health risks associated with cold homes, which is available at the following link: https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng6
The audiences for this include people who may have health problems related to living in a cold home, as well as their families and carers.
Financial support schemes are also available to help some vulnerable groups with their energy bills, including the Warm Home Discount and the Cold Weather Payment. People may also be able to access support to pay energy bills from their local council through the Crisis and Resilience Fund.
Vulnerable individuals can also join their energy supplier’s Priority Services Register, through which they can receive extra advice and support.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 24 March 2026 to Question 120840 on National Security Council: Disclosure of Information, if he will make it his policy to make a statement to Parliament on the conclusion of the leak inquiry.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
In line with the policy of successive administrations, we do not comment on live leak inquiries.
Asked by: Baroness Griffin of Princethorpe (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how they plan to improve the safety of large events following the release of the report commissioned by Liverpool City Council, A Review of Safety Related Matters: Liverpool Victory Parade: 26th May 2025, published on 6 March.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
HSE provide guidance on the measures to be taken when organising events “Event safety - HSE” and the Events Industry Forum publishes “The Purple Guide” which provides guidance on health, safety and welfare to those organising events and this document provides guidance on minimising the risk at large events.
Sites and event organisers are encouraged to consider and implement hostile vehicle mitigation (HVM) as part of wider protective security considerations. Comprehensive advice and guidance is available via the National Protective Security Authority (NPSA) and the National Counter Terrorism Security Office (NaCTSO), which includes signposting to a suite of HVM products and counter-measures.
The specialist advice regarding HVM includes up-to-date technical resources and best practice advice regarding their deployment, and is available from the organisations listed above. Additionally, the Home Office, in collaboration with other Government agencies, continuously assesses the threat posed by attacks using vehicles.
The Home Office continuously works with both Counter Terrorism Policing (CTP) and NPSA to support developments, research and innovations for HVM measures. As a result of this ongoing work, a range of sophisticated counter measures are available which venue owners and event organisers can draw on when considering their own protective security measures.
More widely, the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025 (commonly known as Martyn’s Law) will place duties on those responsible for certain premises and events to take reasonably practicable steps to reduce the risk of harm from terrorism, once its requirements come into force. Whether an event falls within scope will depend on its specific circumstances and whether it meets the criteria set out in the legislation. While events such as non‑ticketed public parades would not generally be expected to fall within scope, for major events that do, the Government considers Martyn’s Law an important part of strengthening public safety and preparedness alongside existing guidance and best practice.
Asked by: Sarah Champion (Labour - Rotherham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she has had with her Ethiopian counterpart on evidence published by the Yale School of Public Health’s Humanitarian Research Lab on the use of Ethiopian National Defence Force facilities near Asosa by the Rapid Support Forces as a base from which to launch attacks in the Blue Nile State in Sudan; and what information her Department holds on whether there have been arms shipments to those engaged in fighting in the Darfur region.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK continues to monitor the evolving situation between Ethiopia and Sudan closely. Any further escalation would risk destabilising the region and carries a high risk of human rights abuses and atrocities. The Foreign Secretary discussed the conflict with the Ethiopian Prime Minister during her visit to Addis Ababa in February, and the Minister of State for International Development and Africa reiterated these messages in a call with the Ethiopian Foreign Minister on 25 March.
During the Foreign Secretary's statement to the United Nations Security Council on 19 February, she made clear that "We urgently need an end to arms flows. Reports into breaches of the UN arms embargo, which we agree should be extended and enforced, must be investigated." We continue to emphasise to all parties the importance of refraining from actions that prolong the conflict and urge those with influence over the warring parties to bring them to the negotiating table to seek a political resolution.
We also expect all countries to comply with their obligations under United Nations sanctions regimes, including upholding the UN Arms Embargo on Darfur, and will continue to work closely with Security Council partners and the UN Panel of Experts to support effective monitoring and enforcement.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many times the National Security Council Sub-Committee (Resilience) has met since July 2024.
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.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the the State Council of the People's Republic of China's press release entitled, China's top diplomat holds talks with British prime minister's national security adviser, published on 15 July 2025, whether Jonathan Powell discussed the Chagos Islands with the Chinese Government at this meeting.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
The National Security Adviser meets with a range of individuals and organisations as part of his role providing advice to the Prime Minister and the Cabinet on national security matters. Such meetings are often sensitive in nature, and the Government does not routinely comment on them or their content.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many times the National Security Council Sub-Committee (Nuclear) has met since July 2024.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
It is a long-established precedent that information about the discussions that have taken place in Cabinet and its committees, including how often they have met, is not normally shared publicly.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has taken steps to prevent the use of Chinese software connected vehicles by (a) police forces and (b) the security services.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
As noted in Question 121206 the Government prioritises national security and does not routinely provide details on operational matters or specific threats.
The Home Office works closely with the National Technical Authorities, Police Digital Service, National Police Chief’s Council (NPCC), alongside other Government Departments, to fully understand and address cyber vulnerabilities, proportional to the threat. This collaborative effort covers all connected vehicles, including those using Chinese software
The government will continue to promote good practice in cybersecurity, support transparency on data collection and usage, and coordinate with the transport sector to strengthen the security of vehicles.
NPCC have shared guidance to all Chief Constables on understanding and effectively managing risks from Connected Vehicles. We will continue to work with partners to ensure the guidance remains up to date and that forces follow guidance appropriately.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 24 March 2026 to Question 121206 on Police: Vehicles, what guidance has been provided to Chief Constables by the NPCC on understanding and effectively managing risks from connected vehicles.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
The Government prioritises national security and does not routinely provide details on operational matters or specific threats.
The Home Office works closely with the National Technical Authorities, Police Digital Service, National Police Chief’s Council (NPCC), alongside other Government Departments, to fully understand and address cyber vulnerabilities, proportional to the threat.
Guidance provided covered proportionate risk-based measures on the in-life management, data handling, and disposal of Connected Vehicles. We will continue to work with partners to ensure the guidance remains up to date and that forces follow guidance appropriately.