Asked by: Graeme Downie (Labour - Dunfermline and Dollar)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the role of Ukrainian defence technology innovation in strengthening NATO partners’ capabilities against drone and ballistic missile threats.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Secretary of State for Defence continues to work closely with the Government of Ukraine and NATO partners on the sharing of knowledge and insights about drone and missile threats whose technologists and armed forces are constantly evolving capabilities to address a variety of threats from Russia.
Asked by: Graeme Downie (Labour - Dunfermline and Dollar)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of joint UK–EU–Ukraine research and development programmes in areas such as autonomous systems, counter-drone technologies and missile defence.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Secretary of State for Defence continues to work closely with the Government of Ukraine and European allies on the sharing of knowledge and insight around autonomous systems, counter-drone technologies and missile defence whose technologists and armed forces are constantly evolving capabilities to address a variety of threats from Russia.
Asked by: Euan Stainbank (Labour - Falkirk)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the impact of the escalation of conflict in the Middle East on Industrial Gas prices.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
As was the case when Russia invaded Ukraine, the UK will be exposed to price competition in international oil and gas markets, which is pushing up wholesale prices as other countries seek to replace lost supplies from the region. That reflects our position, regardless of our domestic production, as a price taker not a price maker in these markets, leaving us exposed to their volatility, no matter where the fossil fuels come from.
On business and industry, we are taking action to expand the British industry supercharger from April to reduce costs for the most energy-intensive businesses, and a significant proportion of businesses are on fixed-term contracts that shield them from market volatility for the contract duration. However, we recognise that at the point of contracting, businesses are exposed to international fossil fuel markets, and clearly, for both businesses and consumers, much will depend on the length of this crisis.
Just as we are looking across Government at the situation that households face, the Government are absolutely focused on the impact of the crisis on business and industry, and we will not hesitate to act.
Asked by: Adam Jogee (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions she has had with her US counterpart on sanctions on Russian oil.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Chancellor continues to reiterate the UK’s commitment to placing economic pressure on Russia to end its illegal war on Ukraine. She regularly engages her US counterpart, including through joining a G7 Finance Ministers call on 9 March which discussed the current conflict in the Middle East.
Asked by: Neil Shastri-Hurst (Conservative - Solihull West and Shirley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what estimate she has made of the number of diplomatic officers posted to Russia who are proficient in Russian to C1 CEFR level or higher.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 6 November 2025 in response to Question 86285.
Asked by: Julian Lewis (Conservative - New Forest East)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will take steps to acquire from Ukraine (a) cheap anti-drone military assets and (b) instruction in maximising their effective operation in order to augment the protection of United Kingdom and allied personnel in the Middle East.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
This continues to be an extremely challenging and unsettling time for many across the Middle East. The UK condemns Iran’s role in attempting to draw the region into a wider conflict. Our first priority is to protect British nationals, British interests and our partners. We support action that will help bring a swift resolution to this conflict, and an end to Iran's reckless and escalatory response.
I will not go into operational details but let us be clear, Iran has continued to support Russia in its on-going illegal war on Ukraine including through supplying unmanned aerial systems – like those now being used to target our Middle East partners.
We will continue to do all we can to ensure the protection of United Kingdom and allied personnel in the region
The Minister for Defence Readiness & Industry has been engaging with industry on how the UK can further support partners in the region.
Asked by: Munira Wilson (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, which countries the UK has prisoner transfer agreements with.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
Enhancing our bilateral prisoner transfer capability is a government priority. We remain fully committed to transferring eligible foreign national offenders from the UK so they can serve the remainder of their sentences in their home country, and to repatriating British nationals imprisoned overseas.
Compulsory bilateral agreements
The UK has compulsory bilateral prisoner transfer agreements (PTAs) with Albania, Ghana, Libya, Nigeria and Rwanda. These agreements state that the consent of the prisoner is not required for transfer, although both States must agree to the transfer. The UK has also recently signed a compulsory bilateral PTA with Italy, which is currently undergoing parliamentary scrutiny and has not yet been ratified.
Voluntary bilateral agreements
The UK also has voluntary bilateral PTAs, where the consent of the prisoner to transfer is required in addition to the agreement of both States, with the following countries: Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Brazil, Cuba, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, the Philippines, India, Iraq, Laos, Mexico, Morocco, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Peru, Saint Lucia, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Thailand and Vietnam.
Multilateral arrangements
The UK has multilateral prisoner transfer arrangements with all States that are party to the 1983 Council of Europe Convention on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons. This includes:
All 27 European Union Member States.
NonEU Council of Europe members: Andorra, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, Serbia, Switzerland, Türkiye and Ukraine.
Non‑Council of Europe States (as the Convention is also open to non‑Council of Europe members): Australia, the Bahamas, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Ghana, Honduras, India, Israel, Japan, Kyrgyzstan, Mauritius, Mexico, Mongolia, Panama, the Philippines, the Republic of Korea, Russia, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, the United States of America and Venezuela.
The UK also participates in the Scheme for the Transfer of Convicted Offenders within the Commonwealth, which provides prisoner transfer arrangements with: Kenya, Malawi, Maldives, Botswana, Tonga and Uganda.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many ships in UK waters suspected of being associated with the movement of Russian oil have been monitored in the last four years; and what steps her Department took in each instance.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The UK Government monitors all vessels in UK waters which are of interest to the safety of mariners, the marine environment and the UK’s national security.
Since October 2024, the Department for Transport’s Voluntary Insurance Reporting Mechanism has challenged over 700 suspected shadow fleet vessels with unknown insurance, a significant portion of the shadow fleet, to provide their insurance as they transit the English Channel.
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office have sanctioned over 500 shadow fleet vessels, which prohibits these vessels from entering UK ports, and signals to the global maritime community that these vessels are dangerous and should not be interacted with.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government how much of the £28.7 billion of frozen Russian assets in the UK has been released to support victims of the conflict in Ukraine; and what progress they have made in the transfer by Roman Abramovich of £2.5 billion from the sale of Chelsea Football Club to a humanitarian cause in Ukraine.
Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
The OFSI Annual Review 2024-2025 in year reporting sets out that OFSI have been notified of approximately £28.7bn in assets frozen in connection with the Russia sanctions regime since February 2022. Although these assets are frozen and cannot be accessed, they remain the property of the individuals and entities designated under the sanctions.
Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine the Government has provided £21.8 billion in support to Ukraine and has committed to providing a further £3bn a year for as long as it takes.
The Government has taken significant action to enable the donation of the proceeds from the sale of Chelsea Football Club to humanitarian causes in Ukraine. On 17 December 2025, HM Treasury issued a licence permitting the transfer of the over £2.5 billion sale proceeds into a new charitable foundation for exclusively humanitarian purposes in Ukraine. The licence provides a clear legal route for the funds to be used as intended, consistent with Abramovich’s commitment that they should benefit victims of the war.
The Government is urging him to act without delay and will consider any proposal he makes to use this route to establish the foundation and transfer the funds.
Should Abramovich fail to free the funds quickly, the UK Government is fully prepared to take him to court if necessary to enforce the agreement reached with him in 2022.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government when they plan to ratify the convention establishing an International Claims Commission for Ukraine; and what assessment they have made of how that convention will build on the Register of Damage for Ukraine to review, assess and determine compensation for losses caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
I refer the Noble Lord to the answer provided in the House of Commons on 27 February in response to Question 113024, copied below for ease of reference:
Russia must be held accountable for its illegal actions in Ukraine. The UK is a founding member of the Register of Damage and I signed the Convention to establish an International Claims Commission for Ukraine on 16 December 2025. We expect to lay the treaty before Parliament in the current parliamentary session, with further domestic steps required for ratification to follow in due course.