Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Number 10 press release entitled UK to deliver on 5% NATO pledge as Government drives greater security for working people, published on 23 June 2025, if he will list his Department's (a) projects and (b) programmes by directorate that will contribute to the resilience and security element of national security spending for each year between 2025-26 and 2034-35 inclusive; and if he will list the amount of spending for each item (a) in real terms (b) as a proportion of concurrent forecast GDP.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Government will set out detailed plans for meeting this new target at the appropriate time. The Government will continue to report to NATO on delivery against the headline investment pledge and the split in line with NATO’s reporting schedule.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the suitability of the (a) substation connection and (b) grid capacity to support capacity of up to 4,500 homes at the MOD Trailblazer site at RAF Wyton.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Development proposals for new housing at Wyton Airfield are at an early stage and therefore no such assessments have yet been made. The Ministry of Defence and Homes England will work closely with relevant infrastructure providers as detailed proposals are developed.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent progress his Department has made on the pursuit of a (a) deployable and (b) persistent wide area anti-submarine warfare search capability.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

Atlantic Bastion is the Royal Navy’s plan to secure the North Atlantic for the UK and NATO, as set out by the Strategic Defence Review. Navy Command is now focussed on delivering it. The first phase is now underway with industry engagement and associated commercial activity ongoing. This will see the Royal Navy integrate with commercial partners to provide elements of Anti-Submarine Warfare data collection through a service model that increases operational mass and persistence in targeted areas of the North Atlantic.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Number 10 press release entitled UK to deliver on 5% NATO pledge as Government drives greater security for working people, published on 23 June 2025, if he will list his Department's (a) projects and (b) programmes by directorate that will contribute to the resilience and security element of national security spending for each year between 2025-26 and 2034-35 inclusive; and if he will list the amount of spending for each item (a) in real terms (b) as a proportion of concurrent forecast GDP.

Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

We will set out detailed plans for meeting this new target at the appropriate time. The government will continue to report to NATO on delivery against the headline investment pledge and the split in line with NATO’s reporting schedule.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 3 July 2025 to Question 63964 on India: F-35 Aircraft, how many personnel have been required to recover the F-35B from India; and what the cost to the public purse was for removing the wings and flying the plane back to the UK as cargo.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

An engineering team of less than ten personnel has deployed from the UK with a spares package. We are developing options for recovering the aircraft with Air-to-Air refuelling support once the repairs are complete. All flights will be taken from the annual budgeted flying hours for the respective fleets and therefore come at no additional cost.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, on what date (a) was the last and (b) is the next meeting of the Honours and Appointments Secretariat.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

The UK Honours and awards system does not comprise a committee or administrative team known as the Honours and Appointments Secretariat, which was the previous name of the Honours and Memorialisation Secretariat. This team holds weekly team meetings.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 3 July 2025 to Question 62853 on National Security: Reviews, when he plans to introduce the State Threats Proscription-like Tool.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Home Office)

Following a review of state threats and terrorism legislation by Jonathan Hall KC, the Home Secretary pledged to take forward his recommendations.

This included a proscription-style tool to tackle state-based security threats in the UK. The Home Secretary has committed to introduce legislation to this effect as soon as Parliamentary time allows.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the scope of Project WAVELL is.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

Project Wavell is the Army’s means to deliver force development transformation to 2030 and beyond towards an Army designed and organised for high-intensity warfighting. This is being implemented through an incremental approach that sequences delivery against the changing operational demand.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the scope of Project ASGARD is.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

ASGARD is working to deliver a step change in lethality for land forces through a software-defined, network enabled, targeting web that will directly link into the Defence Targeting web, driving targeting at a rate unmatched through traditional processes.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Department's news story entitled British Army to increase lethality over the next decade while Royal Navy steps up innovation in NATO, published on 5 June 2025, what metrics will be used to assess the Army’s baseline for its current lethality; and what the level of each metric will be in order for the Army to have achieved its target of increasing lethality ten-fold.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Minister for Defence Procurement and Industry gave him on 12 June 2025, to Question 57781.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of renewing the Air Tanker refuelling contract, in the context of the agreement to buy 12 F-35A jets.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

Future national air-to-air refuelling options will be considered as part of the Defence Investment Plan, and in subsequent force development work.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 4 July 2025 to Question 63361 on Floods: Huntingdon; what works the Environment Agency will undertake on the St Ives Staunch Sluice in the next two years.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

A project is currently underway to ensure that the Environment Agency (EA) is able to maintain river levels for navigation. There is £2 million available for this work across two financial years 2025/26 and 2026/27. The full scope of the works has yet to be determined but the EA will continue to provide updates via their website, here: St Ives and Brownshill Staunch Sluices Information Page - Environment Agency - Citizen Space.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of a replacement to the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme.

Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

The Immigration White paper, published on 12 May 2025, announced new measures on a wide range of issues including refugee sponsorship and resettlement, further details of which will be set out in due course.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether Cambridgeshire constabulary's rural crime action team have been designated as an operational support unit or a neighbourhood policing resource.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)

Our approach to delivery in 2025/25, which will be year 1 of a 4-year programme, is designed to deliver an initial increase to the neighbourhood policing workforce in a manner that is flexible, and can be adapted to the local context and the varied crime demands a force faces. The precise workforce mix proposed in 2025/26 was therefore a local decision.

All forces, including Cambridgeshire Constabulary, have agreed neighbourhood policing delivery plans. Cambridgeshire Constabulary has been allocated £2,065,069 and will deliver an increase of 30 police officers, 7 PCSOs and 13 special constables by 31 March 2026. Force-level recruitment projections are also published here: Neighbourhood policing grant allocations and projections: 2025 to 2026 - GOV.UK.

Additionally, this financial year we are providing Home Office funding since 2023 for the National Rural Crime Unit. The unit aims to help police forces tackle rural crime priorities through the provision of specialist operational support, as well as through sharing best practice and encouraging regional and national approaches to tackling rural crime.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of serving officers from Cambridgeshire constabulary's rural crime action team are have been included within the number of new officers for Cambridgeshire under the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)

Our approach to delivery in 2025/25, which will be year 1 of a 4-year programme, is designed to deliver an initial increase to the neighbourhood policing workforce in a manner that is flexible, and can be adapted to the local context and the varied crime demands a force faces. The precise workforce mix proposed in 2025/26 was therefore a local decision.

All forces, including Cambridgeshire Constabulary, have agreed neighbourhood policing delivery plans. Cambridgeshire Constabulary has been allocated £2,065,069 and will deliver an increase of 30 police officers, 7 PCSOs and 13 special constables by 31 March 2026. Force-level recruitment projections are also published here: Neighbourhood policing grant allocations and projections: 2025 to 2026 - GOV.UK.

Additionally, this financial year we are providing Home Office funding since 2023 for the National Rural Crime Unit. The unit aims to help police forces tackle rural crime priorities through the provision of specialist operational support, as well as through sharing best practice and encouraging regional and national approaches to tackling rural crime.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how much has been paid in compensatory (a) constraint payments and (b) balancing payments to operators of solar power generating facilities following switch-off orders issued by the National Energy System Operator since 5 July 2024.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The National Energy System Operator (NESO) is responsible for operating Great Britain’s electricity system, which includes managing constraints. Constraint payments are part of Balancing Use of System charges, which are the costs incurred to balance the supply and demand of the grid. NESO publishes total balancing costs here, and more detail on specific bids and offers can be found by Elexon here.

The Government is working to reduce constraints and improve energy security and resilience by accelerating the building of new electricity network infrastructure to increase capacity on the system.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 3 July 2025 to Question 62858 on HMS Protector: Atlantic Ocean, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the modernisation of the Russian submarine fleet on national security.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

As stated in the Strategic Defence Review (SDR), there is a persistent and growing underwater threat to the UK and NATO from a modernising Russian submarine force. We cannot disclose further details for operational security reasons.

The SDR endorsed Atlantic Bastion, which is the Royal Navy's plan to secure the North Atlantic for the UK and NATO against this threat. All capability requirements to deliver the SDR vision are being considered as part of the Defence Investment Plan, to be published in autumn 2025.

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 high altitude nuclear explosion on the UK.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) continually works across government to understand, deter, and where possible mitigate, the impact of a nuclear attack on the UK. As set out in the Strategic Defence Review, the Cabinet Office led Home Defence Programme will consider the impact of a range of threats to the UK and how they could be mitigated.

The MOD routinely tests the nuclear survivability, including Nuclear Electromagnetic Pulse survivability, of its critical capabilities to understand the ability of our armed forces to operate in a nuclear environment. Due to operational security, we can not provide details on the outcomes of these tests.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of a replacement to the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

Since ARAP launched in 2021, the Government has relocated over 34,000 individuals under the Afghan Resettlement Programme. As over 95% of all ARAP applications considered so far have been found ineligible, ARAP is considered to have fulfilled its original objectives. The Government closed the ARAP and ACRS schemes to new applicants on 1 July 2025. There are currently no plans to develop a replacement for ARAP.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 4 July to Question 63361 on Floods: Huntingdon, if will she publish the (a) hydraulic modelling and (b) real-world data from flood events relating to the St Ives Staunch Sluice.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Information on the Environment Agency’s work on the St Ives Staunch Sluice structure is publicised online here: St Ives and Brownshill Staunch Sluices Information Page - Environment Agency - Citizen Space

This page and Frequently Asked Questions included within it, contains this information and guidance on how to request the detailed hydraulic modelling report for anyone who wishes to review it. The local Environment Agency team have been providing this information as and when requested by any interested party.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the Answer of 2 July 2025 to Question 63169 on MBR Acres, what support his Department is providing to MBR.

Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

Due to national security concerns, I cannot provide more detailed information.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 4 July 2025 to Question 63361 on Floods: Huntingdon, what the condition is of the St Ives Staunch Sluice.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Environment Agency will continue to provide updates via their website which is here: St Ives and Brownshill Staunch Sluices Information Page - Environment Agency - Citizen Space.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of banning the advertising of alcohol products on the alcohol industry.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department has made no formal assessment of the impact of banning the advertising of alcohol products on the alcohol industry.

As part of the Plan for Change, the Government is committed to five missions. We will continue to work across Government to ensure all policies under consideration are assessed in order to understand the range of potential impacts both on public health and the health system, and on industry.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the additional cost is to the purchase of the 12 F-35A aircraft of specifying their air-to-air refuelling capability as probe-and-drogue.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The procurement of 12 F-35A rather than 12 F-35B as part of the next procurement package is expected to deliver a saving of up to 25% per aircraft for the taxpayer.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether a Best Start Family Hub will be located within the (a) Huntingdon constituency and (b) Huntingdonshire District Council local authority area.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Ensuring every child has the best start in life and the chance to achieve and thrive is the foundation of the government’s Opportunity Mission.

We will spend close to £1.5 billion over the next three years on improving family services and early years education. We will fund Best Start Family Hubs in every local authority to ensure that children and families who need support the most, especially those from low-income backgrounds or with additional vulnerabilities, can access it. These hubs will be open to all families but will be located in disadvantaged communities where support is most needed, ensuring services are both inclusive and targeted.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many switch-off orders have been issued to solar power generating facilities by the National Energy System Operator since 5 July 2024.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The National Energy System Operator (NESO) is responsible for operating Great Britain’s electricity system, which includes managing constraints. NESO publishes total balancing costs.

Constraints are a natural part of operating an efficient electricity system and electricity systems around the world use the constraint payment model. Government is working to reduce constraints and improve energy security and resilience by accelerating the building of new electricity network infrastructure to increase capacity on the system.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many EHCPs were issued in Cambridgeshire in each year between 2014-15 and 2024-25 inclusive.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

Information on the number of education, health and care (EHC) plans issued by Cambridgeshire is available as part of the statistical release which can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/education-health-and-care-plans/2025.

This includes information at a local authority level and covers the calendar years from 2019 to 2024. Information for earlier years is available as part of the 2024 edition of the publication, which can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/education-health-and-care-plans/2024.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when (a) was the most recent and (b) is the next scheduled meeting of the George Cross Committee.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

The most recent George Cross Committee meeting took place on Thursday 13 March 2025. We do not release the dates of committee meetings ahead of time. This ensures minimising the chance of lobbying of committee members.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 21 November 2024 to Question 15669 on Ajax Vehicles, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of equipping infantry battalions with Ares.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The Army continues to undergo a combined programme of work to ensure our Land Forces will have the lethality, protection and mobility to fight and win against any adversary; and to support the transformation of the Army's two divisions and Corps Headquarters committed to NATO's Strategic Reserve Corps. As part of this the Army intends to reorganise its Heavy Forces units in 3 Division, such that all four would become Armoured Infantry Units based on the Ajax and Boxer family of vehicles. Further detail will be provided in due course.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when the UK-France Nuclear Steering Group will be convened; and who the participants will be.

Answered by Abena Oppong-Asare - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The UK France Nuclear Steering Group will be chaired by the Presidency of the Republic on the French side and by the Cabinet Office on the UK side. It will include participants from other Ministries and organisations as required. The first meeting will take place in the autumn.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the level of use of infra-red reflective number plates.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency is working with the National Police Chiefs’ Council, various police forces and Trading Standards in relation to the supply and use of infra-red number plates. Work is ongoing to quantify the number of illegal number plates that are in circulation. The evidence gathered will support future initiatives needed to address this issue.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many applications for the Special Educational Needs Inclusion Fund were made in Cambridgeshire in each year between 2014-15 and 2024-25 inclusive.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

Since the 2017/18 financial year, all local authorities have been required to have a special educational needs inclusion fund (SENIF) for all eligible children for the entitlements and who have special educational needs.

Local authorities should establish their SENIFs using funding from the early years block and/or the high needs block of their dedicated schools grant, considering pressures on high needs and early years budgets locally.

The department gives local authorities the autonomy to set SENIF budgets and to decide on eligibility criteria locally, as they are best placed to meet local need. The department does not collect information on how many applications are made to local authorities.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 15 July 2025 to Question 66727 on Military Alliances: France, which Ministers will attend the first meeting.

Answered by Abena Oppong-Asare - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The UK-France Nuclear Steering Group meetings will be convened and attended by senior government officials representing the UK Cabinet Office and the Presidency of the French republic as well as other Ministries and organisations. The Steering Group will regularly update senior UK and French Ministers on the items under discussion. Ministerial discussions between the UK and France will take place as required.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the Answer of 11 July 2025 to question 64795 on MBR Acres, what are the nature of the national security concerns regarding the site.

Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

MBR Acres is a critical part of the UK’s preclinical research infrastructure, which in turn is crucial for domestic pandemic preparedness. Another pandemic is the top rated risk in the National Risk Register and discovery and development of therapeutics and vaccines, which relies on preclinical research, is one of the outcomes of the UK Biological Security Strategy.

Equitable national prostate cancer screening

Found: Q283 Ben Obese-Jecty: Can I ask what X’s definition of hate is?

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he has taken to improve the air-to-air refuelling capabilities of the Royal Air Force.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

I refer the hon. member to the answer I gave to Question 63066 on 4 July 2025 to the hon member for Huntingdon (Ben Obese-Jecty).

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the press release entitled UK to purchase F-35As and join NATO mission as Government steps up national security and delivers defence dividend, published on 24 June 2025, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the Royal Air Force's air to air refuelling capability for F35As.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

I refer the hon. member to the answer I gave to Question 63066 on 4 July 2025 to the hon. Member for Huntingdon (Ben Obese-Jecty).

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the press release entitled UK to purchase F-35As and join NATO mission as Government steps up national security and delivers defence dividend, published on 24 June 2025, what proportion of time the purchased F-35As will spend on (a) operations and (b) training.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Huntingdon (Ben Obese-Jecty) to Question 63065 on 2 July 2025.

Found: the additional officers will be determined by the local operational needs of each force.5 Ben Obese-Jecty