Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer on 8 December 2025 to Question 97994 on Artic: Shipping, what are the (a) command arrangements and (b) cost contributions for shared ice cutter capability in the British Antarctic Territories.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Ministry of Defence remains committed to supporting the UK's sovereign and wider interests in the Antarctic. HMS PROTECTOR routinely deploys to the Antarctic Peninsula supporting the UK's responsibilities to the Antarctic Treaty and the British Antarctic Territory.
To deliver the vision of the Strategic Defence Review (SDR), we are developing options through the Defence Investment Plan for future Ice Patrol Ship capability. These options will consider requirements for the Antarctic, but also encompass the requirements for Arctic capabilities which the SDR identified as a region of increasing competition. These options will include cost and command factors.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the National Police Service's remit will include dealing with illegal tobacco and organized crime.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The National Police Service will lead the operational response to serious and organised crime.
We would expect that to include operational activity against illegal tobacco currently carried out by the National Crime Agency and the Regional Organised Crime Units.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the answer of 8 September 2025 to question 71975 on RAF Akrotiri: Military Aircraft, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of current pan space capacity.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
British Forces Cyprus continue to work closely with all relevant stakeholders to assess the capacity of the RAF Akrotiri Airfield Operating Surfaces, ensuring an appropriate understanding of current requirements and the ability to support Defence activity as needed. RAF Akrotiri currently has adequate pan space capacity for both current and planned operations, with future operational demands kept under regular review.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make an assessment of the effectiveness of the updated land-use framework adopted in the Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The UK and the Republic of Cyprus (RoC) agreed to a new ‘Non-Military Development’ process in 2014 under the last government. This harmonised the rights to civilian development within the Sovereign Base Areas (SBAs) with those of the RoC, with certain conditions to safeguard military use of the SBAs. This arrangement has been in practical effect since May 2022, enhancing the prosperity and wellbeing of individuals and communities.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the answer of 8 September 2025 to question 71975, whether he has made a recent assessment of the potential merits of expanding the available pan space.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
I would like to refer the hon. Member to the answer I have provided to the hon. Member for Huntingdon on 29 August to Question 71975. There remain no plans to expand the available 'pan space' at RAF Akrotiri but the Ministry of Defence is well placed to expand the facilities and infrastructure at RAF Akrotiri should the need arise.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 17 October 2025 to Question 79283, if he will make an assessment of (a) the effectiveness of hydrographic surveys to improve the safety of navigation in Antarctic waters and (b) the potential merits of increasing the capacity for conducting these surveys.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The UK Hydrographic Office, an Executive Agency of the MOD, provides products to support the safety of navigation at sea for the UK's Waters, including its Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies - they draw this data from multiple sources including international partners under the auspices of the International Hydrographic Organisation's Hydrographic Commission for Antarctica. The Royal Navy's Ice Patrol Ship, HMS Protector, also carries out hydrographic surveys in Antarctic waters.
The difficulties of gaining high quality data in such a remote and environmentally challenging region are significant and the season for data collection is short. Therefore, there is strong cross-governmental coordination to ensure more frequently visited areas of the British Antarctic Territory are prioritised.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many illegally possessed firearms have been seized in (a) Romford constituency and (b) greater London in each year since 1997.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office does not routinely collect data on the number of firearms seized by police forces as part of their operations to tackle illegally held weapons.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many zoos are operating in the UK; and how many of these are not registered charities.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
In relation to zoos, Defra is responsible for the legislation that regulates the welfare and management of animals kept by zoos. Under the Zoo Licensing Act 1981, those collections of wild animals on exhibition in Britain that meet the appropriate criteria in the 1981 Act need to be licensed. Local authorities are responsible for licensing zoos that require a licence under the 1981 Act. Local authorities are not required to report to Defra how many collections they do not deem need a licence, and Defra does not maintain a list of zoos (licensed or unlicensed) in England – including whether any of those collections are registered charities.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has received legal advice on the compliance of new facial recognition technology deployed by police forces with human rights obligations.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office published its consultation on proposals for a new legal framework for law enforcement use of biometrics, facial recognition and similar technologies on 4 December 2025. This considers how the police could use new facial recognition technology in a way that continues to be compatible with the Human Rights Act 1998.
The Department was an interested party in an important court case on this issue, R (Bridges) v Chief Constable of South Wales Police [2020] EWCA Civ 1058. In preparing the consultation, the Department took into account the court’s judgement and received advice on all aspects of the current legal framework for the use of such technology.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the cumulative impact of increases in (a) business rates, (b) wages, (c) energy costs and (d) animal feed costs on zoological collections.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Department for Business and Trade has not made an assessment on the cumulative impact of these costs on zoological collections.
The Government is committed to supporting businesses and charities. To do so, the Government is introducing new permanently lower tax rates for eligible retail, hospitality and leisure (RHL) properties. This includes zoos and aquariums with rateable values below £500,000 that are open to members of the public. These new tax rates are worth nearly £900 million per year, and will benefit over 750,000 properties.
The Government published their full Impact Assessment for the 2026 rates, outlining the potential effects that increases to the National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage may have on businesses.
As well, Ofgem has launched a Cost Allocation Recovery Review to consider how energy system costs can be recovered from consumers, including businesses, in a fairer and more efficient way in the future energy system.