Asked by: Anna Gelderd (Labour - South East Cornwall)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his counterparts in countries with tropical forests on steps to prevent forest fires since 5 July 2024.
Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is determined to ensure action to protect and restore tropical forests is an international priority ahead of COP30 in Brazil in November 2025. Wildfires are a focus of the Canadian G7 Presidency in 2025 and the UK supports regional and international efforts to deepen collaboration to prevent forest fires.
The UK participated in a meeting of the Food and Agriculture Organization's Global Fire Management Hub in mid-June to discuss research findings and practical areas of cooperation to prevent forest fires. The UK is also co-chairing the Forests and Climate Leaders' Partnership with Guyana, where wildfires were discussed at a meeting in May, ahead of COP30 in Brazil.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of (a) the Strategic Defence Review 2025 and (b) Project Grayburn on the infantry’s (a) manning establishment, (b) battalion structures and (c) doctrine.
Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Project GRAYBURN is currently in the concept phase with the aim of identifying and understanding the capability requirements. As part of this phase, performance, interoperability and complexity are some of the characteristics under consideration. Due to the current phase of the project and commercial sensitivities I am unable to provide further detail.
The Strategic Defence Review sets out a clear path for transformation across Defence. The Defence Investment Plan will set out in more detail the Department’s capability plan in the Autumn, replacing the Defence Equipment Plan.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the scope is of Project Grayburn; and what requirements were laid out to the defence industry on the core characteristics of the next-generation individual weapon to replace the SA80 family of rifles.
Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Project GRAYBURN is currently in the concept phase with the aim of identifying and understanding the capability requirements. As part of this phase, performance, interoperability and complexity are some of the characteristics under consideration. Due to the current phase of the project and commercial sensitivities I am unable to provide further detail.
The Strategic Defence Review sets out a clear path for transformation across Defence. The Defence Investment Plan will set out in more detail the Department’s capability plan in the Autumn, replacing the Defence Equipment Plan.
Asked by: Paul Holmes (Conservative - Hamble Valley)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 19 May 2025 to Question 17 on European security, what recent discussions he has had with drone component suppliers to ensure that the UK military is up to date when it comes to drone technology and capability.
Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Defence routinely engages with drone component suppliers to iterate and spiral develop capability in close cooperation with allies.
One of the key mechanisms to ensure that Defence is up to date with the latest developments in drone technology and associated tactics is through our support to Ukraine, where drone capabilities are developed and exploited in cooperation with drone component suppliers. As outlined in the Strategic Defence Review, Defence will continue to invest in drone technology to advance our capabilities in tandem with UK industry.
Asked by: Peter Bedford (Conservative - Mid Leicestershire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he has made an assessment of the potential financial impact of applying the Government commercial function terms and conditions of employment to the wider civil service.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
No such assessment has been made. Decisions on terms and conditions of employment are made by the employing department, depending on their specific business requirements and nature of the role and as set out in the Civil Service Management Code.
Asked by: Suella Braverman (Conservative - Fareham and Waterlooville)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps his Department plans to take to support (a) neutrality and (b) impartiality in the civil service.
Answered by Abena Oppong-Asare - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
Impartiality, and in particular political impartiality, is one of the values of the Civil Service Code. It is a contractual obligation for civil servants to abide by the Code. Impartiality means civil servants must serve the Government, whatever its political persuasion, to the best of their ability.
Asked by: Suella Braverman (Conservative - Fareham and Waterlooville)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department has made an estimate of the number of incidents involving civil servants who were found to be in breach of strict impartiality.
Answered by Abena Oppong-Asare - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The collection of any data with regard to breaches of the Civil Service Code would be a matter for individual departments.
Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what comparative assessment she has made of the adequacy of pension replacement rates in (a) the UK and (b) other Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries.
Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government committed to carry out a landmark Pensions Review to deliver better outcomes for savers and the UK economy. Our focus is on building a system that supports people to save effectively throughout their working lives and provides a strong foundation for income in retirement.
Automatic Enrolment (AE) has helped over 11 million workers start saving into a pension since 2012, but we know some people still are not saving enough. In March 2023, DWP published new analysis into future pensioner incomes, showing that 38% of working age people (equivalent to 12.5 million people) are under saving for retirement when measured against Target Replacement Rates before housing costs and 12% are not saving enough to meet the Pension and Lifetime Savings Association’s minimum living standard. That is why the second phase of our Pensions Review will in the coming months look at further steps to improve pension outcomes.
OECD rankings show that the UK’s pensions system of the new State Pension and Automatic Enrolment will provide future workers with income replacement rates which are comparable to the OECD average, alongside countries such as Germany and Norway.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to her Department's publication entitled Plan for Neighbourhoods: Regeneration Plan guidance, published on 9 June 2025, what estimate she has made of the (a) quantity and (b) length of the total paperwork required for participants to receive Plan for Neighbourhoods funding.
Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
On 9th June, the government published the Plan for Neighbourhoods Regeneration Plan Guidance which re-iterates our commitment for a light touch assessment process. The Plan for Neighbourhoods represents a break from the competitive bidding process and micromanaging of previous regeneration funds. Instead, this is a model whereby Neighbourhood Boards are provided with a list of pre-approved interventions and given the autonomy such that, if that activity can be evidenced as a clear priority of the community, it can be pursued without the need to provide a lengthy business case. The activities listed range from eye-catching new developments to the bread-and-butter issues raised by people on the doorstep.
The Plan for Neighbourhoods will transform “left behind” areas to deliver meaningful change in the day-to-day lives of local people.
Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Independent - Gorton and Denton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what (a) support and (b) workplace protections are available to civil servants within the Department who have voiced concerns on Israel's conduct in Gaza.
Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) is committed to ensuring high standards of conduct in all that it does. It is the job of civil servants to deliver on the policies of the government of the day and to provide professional, impartial advice as set out in the Civil Service Code. We are proud of the work they do.
There are dedicated policies and processes in place which allow them to raise concerns if they have them without fear of victimisation, subsequent discrimination, disadvantage or dismissal. The FCDO also offers a range of pastoral care and support to staff including an Employee Assistance Programme for staff experiencing any personal or work-related issues.