Asked by: Cameron Thomas (Liberal Democrat - Tewkesbury)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent assessment his Department has made of further access to MoD establishments, assets and personnel by Chinese foreign students enrolled on MoD courses beyond the scope of that course since 2010.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) recognises that Defence establishments, assets and personnel are attractive targets for foreign intelligence services and takes the threat they pose extremely seriously. This is reflected in the establishment of the Defence Counter-Intelligence Unit in December 2025 which seeks to cohere and strengthen the UK’s counter-intelligence capabilities. All MOD courses are delivered in line with Government security classification standards and nationality requirements to ensure the appropriate protective measures are in place. It is not Government policy to comment on specific intelligence matters.
Asked by: Cameron Thomas (Liberal Democrat - Tewkesbury)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the potential that Chinese foreign students enrolled on MoD courses since 2010 were Foreign Intelligence Services personnel.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) recognises that Defence establishments, assets and personnel are attractive targets for foreign intelligence services and takes the threat they pose extremely seriously. This is reflected in the establishment of the Defence Counter-Intelligence Unit in December 2025 which seeks to cohere and strengthen the UK’s counter-intelligence capabilities. All MOD courses are delivered in line with Government security classification standards and nationality requirements to ensure the appropriate protective measures are in place. It is not Government policy to comment on specific intelligence matters.
Asked by: Cameron Thomas (Liberal Democrat - Tewkesbury)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent assessment his Department has made of the cumulative value of intelligence gathered by Chinese foreign students enrolled on MoD courses since 2010.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) recognises that Defence establishments, assets and personnel are attractive targets for foreign intelligence services and takes the threat they pose extremely seriously. This is reflected in the establishment of the Defence Counter-Intelligence Unit in December 2025 which seeks to cohere and strengthen the UK’s counter-intelligence capabilities. All MOD courses are delivered in line with Government security classification standards and nationality requirements to ensure the appropriate protective measures are in place. It is not Government policy to comment on specific intelligence matters.
Asked by: Cameron Thomas (Liberal Democrat - Tewkesbury)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the M5 Junction 10 improvement scheme on local housing development and economic growth.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government is committed to boosting housing supply and unlocking economic growth.
My Department is providing an additional £71.5 million in funding to the M5 Junction 10 Housing Infrastructure Funding project. The project is expected to directly unlock 8,900 homes; enable a further 12,000 homes; and support major developments around Cheltenham at Golden Valley and the National Cyber Innovation Centre, with up to 12,000 jobs expected to be created.
Asked by: Cameron Thomas (Liberal Democrat - Tewkesbury)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if his Department will provide additional funding required to enable the development of the M5 Junction 10 Improvements Scheme.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government is committed to boosting housing supply and unlocking economic growth.
My Department is providing an additional £71.5 million in funding to the M5 Junction 10 Housing Infrastructure Funding project. The project is expected to directly unlock 8,900 homes; enable a further 12,000 homes; and support major developments around Cheltenham at Golden Valley and the National Cyber Innovation Centre, with up to 12,000 jobs expected to be created.
Asked by: Cameron Thomas (Liberal Democrat - Tewkesbury)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the time taken to fund the M5 Junction 10 improvement scheme on housing development.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 104999 on 19 January 2026.
Asked by: Cameron Thomas (Liberal Democrat - Tewkesbury)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what number per year of Chinese foreign students were withdrawn from training courses at (a) BRNC Dartmouth, (b) RMA Sandhurst and (c) RAFC Cranwell since 2010; and under what circumstances they were withdrawn.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
It is taking time to collate the required information to answer the hon. Member's Question. I will write to him when the information is available, and a copy of this letter will be placed in the Library of The House.
Asked by: Cameron Thomas (Liberal Democrat - Tewkesbury)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what number per year of Chinese foreign students completed training courses at (a) BRNC Dartmouth, (b) RMA Sandhurst and (c) RAFC Cranwell, since 2010.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
It is taking time to collate the required information to answer the hon. Member's Question. I will write to him when the information is available, and a copy of this letter will be placed in the Library of The House.
Asked by: Cameron Thomas (Liberal Democrat - Tewkesbury)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to help reduce rates of digital exclusion among the elderly population.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Everyone should be able to benefit from the digital world, but we know that certain groups are more likely to be digitally excluded than others. This includes older people, with statistics showing 86% of adults aged 60+ are online, compared to 95% of all UK adults in 2025.
That is why, we have launched the £11.9 million Digital Inclusion Innovation Fund - backing local communities to lead the way in closing the digital divide. This is supporting 85 projects in England, including highly tailored and targeted interventions to help more digitally excluded older people get the access, skills and confidence to get online. More broadly, we are ensuring public services are accessible and inclusive, designing web and digital services that work for everyone so more people can access services quickly and easily.
Asked by: Cameron Thomas (Liberal Democrat - Tewkesbury)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to help ensure that rural police forces are additionally resourced to prosecute newly proscribed rural crimes.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
I refer the Hon. Member to UIN 97588 answered on 15th December 2025.