Asked by: Alec Shelbrooke (Conservative - Wetherby and Easingwold)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 9 July 2026 to Question 15306, whether she has submitted a change of use planning application under The Town and Country Planning (Crown Development Applications) (Procedure and Written Representations) Order 2025.
Answered by Anna Turley - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office is in the early stages of assessing the feasibility of using the MOD Linton-on-Ouse site and no decision has been made on whether it will be used to accommodate asylum seekers. No planning application has been submitted. The submission of any planning application would form part of the process of assessing whether the site is suitable for use. A final decision on whether to proceed would be taken only once all relevant assessments had been completed and any necessary approvals, including planning permissions and other consents, had been secured.
Asked by: Alec Shelbrooke (Conservative - Wetherby and Easingwold)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when she plans to decide on the English Whisky Geographical Indication application.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Ministers are considering all the evidence gathered during the statutory assessment process before making a decision. We aim to announce our decision on the application shortly.
Asked by: Alec Shelbrooke (Conservative - Wetherby and Easingwold)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans he has to introduce a public consultation before a decision is made to use former RAF Linton-on-Ouse for asylum accommodation.
Answered by Alex Norris - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
No final decision has been made on whether to use Linton-on-Ouse as asylum accommodation. If the site is taken forward, the Home Office would engage regularly with local representatives and partners from the local authority, NHS, police forces and others to address the concerns of those most impacted by the site and to identify ways to keep them informed.
Asked by: Alec Shelbrooke (Conservative - Wetherby and Easingwold)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, can she confirm that she will submit a formal planning application to North Yorkshire Council should the she decide to use former RAF Linton-on-Ouse for asylum accommodation.
Answered by Alex Norris - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
No final decision has been made on whether to use Linton-on-Ouse as asylum accommodation. All the necessary assessments, planning permissions and approvals would be completed and properly considered before a decision is made.
Asked by: Alec Shelbrooke (Conservative - Wetherby and Easingwold)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what is the total spend to date on the Tempest project, including pre-concept and early concept phases.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Since its inception, the UK Government has invested over £2 billion on the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) Tempest project. In addition to this, the project has attracted over £700 million of private investment since the programme began.
Asked by: Alec Shelbrooke (Conservative - Wetherby and Easingwold)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what is the total spend to date on the Type 83 Destroyer project, including pre-concept and early concept phases.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
We inherited an underdeveloped concept for Type 83 when we took office. The Type 83 Destroyer forms part of a wider Future Air Dominance System (FADS) capability concept, making specific costs for the Type 83 element hard to differentiate from the wider whole. Over the last three financial years, c.£1 million has been spent on platform-specific design for the Type 83. This forms part of c.£6.9 million which is the broader notional spend for Type 83 work as a part of FADS.
Asked by: Alec Shelbrooke (Conservative - Wetherby and Easingwold)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions she has had with the Charity Commission regarding antisemitism in the arts sector.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
All forms of racial and religious discrimination are completely unacceptable and have no place in our arts charities.
The Secretary of State recently met with the Charity Commission for England and Wales to discuss how to make sure it has the powers it needs to take swift and appropriate action against charities and their trustees where they are promoting hatred or antisemitism.
As part of the Government’s action plan for social cohesion we have announced stronger powers for the Charity Commission. These include banning individuals convicted of hate crimes from serving as charity trustees or senior managers, and making it easier for the Charity Commission to take action against people promoting violence or hatred.
A number of charities operating within the arts sector are funded by Arts Council England (ACE). As part of plans to tackle antisemitism, the Government is working with ACE on an independent audit into how allegations of antisemitism are handled and where the system needs to be strengthened.
Asked by: Alec Shelbrooke (Conservative - Wetherby and Easingwold)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions she has had with the Charity Commission regarding Iran-linked charities operating in the UK.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
The Charity Commission has published guidance for charities with links to Iran to be clear that charities must ensure any activity furthers their charity’s purposes and complies with the law and its guidance, or else face regulatory consequences.
Government and the Charity Commission are alive to the risks of state threats to the charity sector. The Charity Commission works with other agencies to protect the sector from the risks of being exploited, and also has guidance on protecting charities from abuse for extremist purposes.
Ministers and officials regularly meet with the Charity Commission to discuss a range of issues relating to the regulation of charities.
Asked by: Alec Shelbrooke (Conservative - Wetherby and Easingwold)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to pages 19 to 20 of the Sixth Special Report of the Joint Committee on Human Rights of Session 2024-26 on Transnational repression in the UK: Government Response, HC1405, published on 30 October 2025, when she intends to publish a refreshed Human Rights and Democracy report.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office is working on a Human Rights and Democracy Report and will confirm publication timeframes in due course.
Asked by: Alec Shelbrooke (Conservative - Wetherby and Easingwold)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what support is available for UK-based not-for-profit organisations developing innovative health technologies for use in the developing world.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) routes funding for the development of innovative health technologies for use in low and middle income countries through public-private Product Development Partnerships (PDPs) or similar organisations. These organisations work in partnership with academia, the public and private sectors (including not-for-profit) to develop products where commercial markets fail. Our portfolio includes support to the Liverpool based Innovative Vector Control Consortium (IVCC), TB Alliance and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI). FCDO research funding opportunities, including for new health technologies, are advertised through the usual government procurement channels. PDPs collaborate with numerous UK partner organisations. CEPI alone has over 20 UK partners in academia and industry.