Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which programmes have been removed from the Defence Investment Plan to expedite their delivery.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

We are working to finalise the Defence Investment Plan (DIP) and the Prime Minister is determined to publish it before the NATO summit. Our aim is to ensure decisions in the DIP are robust and support the development of both current and future capabilities, helping to drive the transformation of our Armed Forces described in the Strategic Defence Review.

In the meantime, routine budget management and prioritisation decisions in the Ministry of Defence are being conducted in a way that is coherent with the DIP.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to manage the risk of wildfires on Pirbright Ranges Training Area.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

Defence has a robust process of assessing the wildfire risk daily where the fire alert state reaches yellow in line with Met Office guidance. Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO)’s comprehensive wildfire policy considers the operational requirement to undertake training, the natures of ammunition to be used, the weather conditions, the flora within the range impact areas and the time of day the training needs to be conducted.

To mitigate against the potential of wildfire, whether caused by military activity or actions of the public, grasses and fine fuels are reduced using tools such as grazing, scrub clearance and mowing, and the range and training area access roads provide additional breaks. Additional fire breaks have been installed at locations where the Local Fire and Rescue Service have advised, or fire incident analysis has identified a requirement. Additionally, Industry Partners and tenant farmers undertake gorse and scrub removal to reduce fuel loading and to reduce the fire risk.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to manage the risk of wildfires on Otterburn Training Area.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

Defence has a robust process of assessing the wildfire risk daily where the fire alert state reaches yellow in line with Met Office guidance. Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO)’s comprehensive wildfire policy considers the operational requirement to undertake training, the natures of ammunition to be used, the weather conditions, the flora within the range impact areas and the time of day the training needs to be conducted.

To mitigate against the potential of wildfire, whether caused by military activity or actions of the public, grasses and fine fuels are reduced using tools such as grazing, scrub clearance and mowing, and the range and training area access roads provide additional breaks. Additional fire breaks have been installed at locations where the Local Fire and Rescue Service have advised, or fire incident analysis has identified a requirement. Additionally, Industry Partners and tenant farmers undertake gorse and scrub removal to reduce fuel loading and to reduce the fire risk.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to manage the risk of wildfires on Stanford Training Area.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

Defence has a robust process of assessing the wildfire risk daily where the fire alert state reaches yellow in line with Met Office guidance. Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO)’s comprehensive wildfire policy considers the operational requirement to undertake training, the natures of ammunition to be used, the weather conditions, the flora within the range impact areas and the time of day the training needs to be conducted.

To mitigate against the potential of wildfire, whether caused by military activity or actions of the public, grasses and fine fuels are reduced using tools such as grazing, scrub clearance and mowing, and the range and training area access roads provide additional breaks. Additional fire breaks have been installed at locations where the Local Fire and Rescue Service have advised, or fire incident analysis has identified a requirement. Additionally, Industry Partners and tenant farmers undertake gorse and scrub removal to reduce fuel loading and to reduce the fire risk.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans he is taking to manage the risk of wildfires on Salisbury Plain Training Area.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

Defence has a robust process of assessing the wildfire risk daily where the fire alert state reaches yellow in line with Met Office guidance. Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO)’s comprehensive wildfire policy considers the operational requirement to undertake training, the natures of ammunition to be used, the weather conditions, the flora within the range impact areas and the time of day the training needs to be conducted.

To mitigate against the potential of wildfire, whether caused by military activity or actions of the public, grasses and fine fuels are reduced using tools such as grazing, scrub clearance and mowing, and the range and training area access roads provide additional breaks. Additional fire breaks have been installed at locations where the Local Fire and Rescue Service have advised, or fire incident analysis has identified a requirement. Additionally, Industry Partners and tenant farmers undertake gorse and scrub removal to reduce fuel loading and to reduce the fire risk.

In addition, a bespoke Salisbury Plain Training Area (SPTA) Wildfire Management Plan was reviewed in September 2025 which specifies additional mitigations to identify how to manage the risk of wildfire in high risk areas such as the Impact Area, training buildings where a sleeping risk was identified, and other rural features such as woodblocks.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the effect of climate change, what steps he is taking to manage the risk of wildfires on the defence estate.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

Defence has a robust process of assessing the wildfire risk daily where the fire alert state reaches yellow in line with Met Office guidance. Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO)’s comprehensive wildfire policy considers the operational requirement to undertake training, the natures of ammunition to be used, the weather conditions, the flora within the range impact areas and the time of day the training needs to be conducted.

To mitigate against the potential of wildfire, whether caused by military activity or actions of the public, grasses and fine fuels are reduced using tools such as grazing, scrub clearance and mowing, and the range and training area access roads provide additional breaks. Additional fire breaks have been installed at locations where the Local Fire and Rescue Service have advised, or fire incident analysis has identified a requirement. Additionally, Industry Partners and tenant farmers undertake gorse and scrub removal to reduce fuel loading and to reduce the fire risk.

Our staff also attend wildfire training with Northumberland Fire and Rescue Service to ensure they understand the issue of wildfire, how to assess the risk, and actions in the event of ignition.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 22 May 2026 to Question 780 on Navy, when the final 10 Project BEEHIVE craft will be delivered.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The Ministry of Defence continues to take delivery of Project BEEHIVE craft in line with the approved programme schedule. Of the 20 vessels on order, 18 have already been delivered, with the remaining craft expected shortly.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of migration from analogue landlines to Digital Voice in Lewes constituency.

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

The Government is committed to ensuring that any risks from the industry-led migration of the analogue Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) to digital Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) are mitigated for everyone across the UK, including in Lewes.

Over 92% of PSTN landlines have already been migrated to VoIP. As of 31 March 2026, fewer than 2.8 million PSTN lines remain operational, down from 35.2 million PSTN lines at the network’s peak.

In March 2026, the Government and industry agreed a new Fixed Telecoms Modernisation Charter to extend safeguards agreed in November 2024 to all future fixed telecoms modernisation programmes to help ensure that all customers are migrated safely.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 22 May 2026 to Question 780 on Navy, when the final two MMCM vessels will be delivered.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

Four MMCM systems have been procured for the Royal Navy. Two systems have been delivered to date, one of which has entered service in support of potential operations in the Middle East. The remaining two systems are currently forecast for delivery by the end of this year.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 22 May 2026 to Question 780 on Navy, what recent estimate he has made of the date on which HMS Bangor will complete its repairs and return to service.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

All structural repairs to HMS Bangor have been completed. She is undergoing the necessary assurance and certification processes to return to sea.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what the average waiting time was for an application to register a new charity or convert an existing non-profit organisation into a Charitable Incorporated Organisation in the last 12 months; and what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of administrative processes on grassroots community organisations' ability to access critical grant funding.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

Applications that clearly demonstrate exclusively charitable purposes are typically registered within 4 days of receipt. In instances where further exploration is required, the average wait for further assessment is 23 weeks.

It is important that the Charity Commission robustly assess each application on its individual merits, in order to maintain the integrity of the charity register. Charitable status is a privilege that carries a number of material benefits and is held in high esteem by the public.

The Charity Commission is currently experiencing record numbers of applications to register a charity, leading to increased response times. The Commission prioritises applications where there is risk to vulnerable beneficiaries or significant funding which is dependent on charity registration. The Commission is training additional staff to speed up response times and is embarking on a programme of digital upgrades, including a major review of the charity registration service to make it more user-friendly and efficient for both applicants and the taxpayer.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 4 June 2026 to Question 5280 on Defence: Insolvency, how many UK-based defence companies identified under Standard Industrial Classification code 84220 were (a) incorporated and (b) dissolved in each calendar year since 2020.

Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

For the period from 1 January 2026 to 12 June 2026, 79 companies were incorporated and 67 companies were dissolved. Six companies have since been restored, but three of these companies have dissolved again.

Defence companies are identified using the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) code 84220. SIC codes are self-reported by companies at incorporation and through confirmation statement filings. As SIC codes are self-reported and not always completed accurately, the figures may not be fully precise. This may not be a company’s only industry classification code as up to four can be provided.

Government response to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman report on communication of changes to women’s state pension age

Dolphin hunting in the Faroe Islands

Close season for hare shooting

A new growth and defence partnership with Europe

Reform of the asylum system

Seven-year anniversary of the mixed-aged couples’ rule

VAT for UK hospitality

Parliament Education and Engagement Outreach Service

Public disorder in Southampton and Belfast

Indefinite Leave to Remain changes

Right to work

Free court transcripts

Enhertu for metastatic breast cancer patients

Towards a ceasefire and political resolution in Sudan

Official Development Assistance

Reducing trade and mobility barriers between the UK and EU

Mutual recognition of professional qualifications

Touring artists mobility arrangements

Dual nationals without British passports