Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of (a) the resignation of Deputy Prime Minister Paul Bérenger in Mauritius and (b) his allegations of corruption.

Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

None of the issues raised by the Rt Hon Member are matters for the UK Government, and none of them have any bearing on the future status of the Diego Garcia base, or the treaty negotiated with Mauritius.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of the timing of the public commentary by the government of Mauritius on the Iranian missile attack on Diego Garcia.

Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

None of the issues raised by the Rt Hon Member are matters for the UK Government, and none of them have any bearing on the future status of the Diego Garcia base, or the treaty negotiated with Mauritius.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has had discussions with her Mauritian counterpart on the arrest of the former Prime Minister of that country in relation to money laundering issues.

Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

These legal proceedings are a matter for the Mauritian authorities.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many individuals have settled their loan charge liability (a) in full or (b) through a Time to Pay arrangement since the publication of the Ray McCann review on 26 November 2025 until the most recent date for which data are available.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, who first suggested to the Prime Minister that Peter Mandelson should be appointed as Ambassador to the United States.

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

I refer the Hon Member to the Government's statement and release of information on 11th March, providing an update on the response to the Humble Address. The Government is working to ensure that Parliament’s instruction is met with the urgency and transparency that it deserves.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether representatives of prison officers were consulted over the (a) design, and (b) procurement of new protective body armour.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

His Majesty’s Prison & Probation Service (HMPPS) is committed to equipping up to 10,000 staff with protective body armour by March 2027. Work is continuing to support delivery against this commitment, ensuring it is implemented in a controlled and proportionate manner, with appropriate governance and oversight in place.

Both the Prison Officers Association and the Prison Governors Association were consulted in the initial stages about all aspects of the protective body armour project, including in relation to the product selection. Monthly engagement takes place with both unions to enable ongoing consultation.

HMPPS engages in quarterly discussions with recognised trade unions. These meetings form part of HMPPS’s formal engagement and allow unions to raise concerns on safety matters.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many bids were accepted for the contract to provide up to 10,000 sets of protective body armour for prison officers; and whether any provider of new sets of protective body armour for prison officers has previously provided similar equipment for use by police officers.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

The Ministry of Justice has awarded a contract to Safariland UK LTD for 6,250 sets of Body Armour for Prison Officers. The Ministry of Justice received two bids from suppliers and accepted one.

This contract was tendered via a Bluelight Commercial Framework. This initial opportunity for this Framework was published by BlueLight Commercial on 8 July 2022 [Provision of General Patrol and Firearms Body Armour - Find a Tender] and then awarded on 16 March 2023 [Provision of General Patrol and Firearms Body Armour - Find a Tender]. The Ministry of Justice, following Cabinet Office guidelines to utilise frameworks where appropriate, conducted a further competition via this framework and subsequently published the award on 22 January 2026 [Supply of Protective Body Armour - Find a Tender].

The Bluelight Framework at the initial opportunity was available for all the market to bid for, so therefore open. The Ministry of Justice has followed all the guidelines and published notices in accordance with the regulations. The process was effective as Frameworks offer the shortest route to contract award and in line with Cabinet Office policy.

The requirements of the body armour for prison officers are ballistic, knife and spike and the product sourced meets the Home Office Standard [Body armour standard 2017: [CAST Publication number: 012/17 Body armour standard 2017 - GOV.UK]. The Home Office standard is frequently used by other Government agencies, so in that respect the Police will have similar body armour. For example, Safariland UK Ltd has supplied various Police forces and the Ministry of Defence Police with body armour that meets the Home Office Standard.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to ensure that the process of procuring up to 10,000 sets of protective body armour for prison officers is (a) open, (b) transparent, and (c) effective.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

The Ministry of Justice has awarded a contract to Safariland UK LTD for 6,250 sets of Body Armour for Prison Officers. The Ministry of Justice received two bids from suppliers and accepted one.

This contract was tendered via a Bluelight Commercial Framework. This initial opportunity for this Framework was published by BlueLight Commercial on 8 July 2022 [Provision of General Patrol and Firearms Body Armour - Find a Tender] and then awarded on 16 March 2023 [Provision of General Patrol and Firearms Body Armour - Find a Tender]. The Ministry of Justice, following Cabinet Office guidelines to utilise frameworks where appropriate, conducted a further competition via this framework and subsequently published the award on 22 January 2026 [Supply of Protective Body Armour - Find a Tender].

The Bluelight Framework at the initial opportunity was available for all the market to bid for, so therefore open. The Ministry of Justice has followed all the guidelines and published notices in accordance with the regulations. The process was effective as Frameworks offer the shortest route to contract award and in line with Cabinet Office policy.

The requirements of the body armour for prison officers are ballistic, knife and spike and the product sourced meets the Home Office Standard [Body armour standard 2017: [CAST Publication number: 012/17 Body armour standard 2017 - GOV.UK]. The Home Office standard is frequently used by other Government agencies, so in that respect the Police will have similar body armour. For example, Safariland UK Ltd has supplied various Police forces and the Ministry of Defence Police with body armour that meets the Home Office Standard.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether the tender for providing up to 10,000 sets of protective body armour for prison officers was made public, and if he will make a statement.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

The Ministry of Justice has awarded a contract to Safariland UK LTD for 6,250 sets of Body Armour for Prison Officers. The Ministry of Justice received two bids from suppliers and accepted one.

This contract was tendered via a Bluelight Commercial Framework. This initial opportunity for this Framework was published by BlueLight Commercial on 8 July 2022 [Provision of General Patrol and Firearms Body Armour - Find a Tender] and then awarded on 16 March 2023 [Provision of General Patrol and Firearms Body Armour - Find a Tender]. The Ministry of Justice, following Cabinet Office guidelines to utilise frameworks where appropriate, conducted a further competition via this framework and subsequently published the award on 22 January 2026 [Supply of Protective Body Armour - Find a Tender].

The Bluelight Framework at the initial opportunity was available for all the market to bid for, so therefore open. The Ministry of Justice has followed all the guidelines and published notices in accordance with the regulations. The process was effective as Frameworks offer the shortest route to contract award and in line with Cabinet Office policy.

The requirements of the body armour for prison officers are ballistic, knife and spike and the product sourced meets the Home Office Standard [Body armour standard 2017: [CAST Publication number: 012/17 Body armour standard 2017 - GOV.UK]. The Home Office standard is frequently used by other Government agencies, so in that respect the Police will have similar body armour. For example, Safariland UK Ltd has supplied various Police forces and the Ministry of Defence Police with body armour that meets the Home Office Standard.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what her policy is on the (a) amelioration and (b) cancellation of high-interest debts incurred by low-income countries; and what steps she plans to take to implement that policy in the context of the 2027 meeting of the G20.

Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

Supporting developing countries to tackle unsustainable debt is a key priority of this government. Debt servicing costs are at their highest for 25 years and are crowding out vital investments in growth and development. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office works closely with HM Treasury to support countries facing high debt burdens and struggling to finance their development priorities, with the Chancellor recently launching the London Coalition, which brings together public and private creditors to support more sustainable financing in developing economies.

This Government recognises the importance of a broad range of perspectives in addressing debt challenges, and we welcome the valuable contribution of the Jubilee Report to those discussions. More broadly, we commend the pioneering work of the Catholic Agency for Overseas Development (CAFOD), both in terms of the life-changing support it delivers through its partners in developing countries, and its advocacy and campaigning for long-term systemic change through measures such as debt relief. The Minister of State for International Development met the CAFOD Chief Executive and African inter faith leaders in December 2025 to discuss these and other issues.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of high-interest debt repayments by low-income countries on the ability of those countries to provide adequate (a) healthcare, (b) education and (c) humanitarian services.

Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

Supporting developing countries to tackle unsustainable debt is a key priority of this government. Debt servicing costs are at their highest for 25 years and are crowding out vital investments in growth and development. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office works closely with HM Treasury to support countries facing high debt burdens and struggling to finance their development priorities, with the Chancellor recently launching the London Coalition, which brings together public and private creditors to support more sustainable financing in developing economies.

This Government recognises the importance of a broad range of perspectives in addressing debt challenges, and we welcome the valuable contribution of the Jubilee Report to those discussions. More broadly, we commend the pioneering work of the Catholic Agency for Overseas Development (CAFOD), both in terms of the life-changing support it delivers through its partners in developing countries, and its advocacy and campaigning for long-term systemic change through measures such as debt relief. The Minister of State for International Development met the CAFOD Chief Executive and African inter faith leaders in December 2025 to discuss these and other issues.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent representations she has received from the Catholic Agency for Overseas Development on the effects of global debt on low-income countries; and what action she plans to take in response to such representations.

Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

Supporting developing countries to tackle unsustainable debt is a key priority of this government. Debt servicing costs are at their highest for 25 years and are crowding out vital investments in growth and development. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office works closely with HM Treasury to support countries facing high debt burdens and struggling to finance their development priorities, with the Chancellor recently launching the London Coalition, which brings together public and private creditors to support more sustainable financing in developing economies.

This Government recognises the importance of a broad range of perspectives in addressing debt challenges, and we welcome the valuable contribution of the Jubilee Report to those discussions. More broadly, we commend the pioneering work of the Catholic Agency for Overseas Development (CAFOD), both in terms of the life-changing support it delivers through its partners in developing countries, and its advocacy and campaigning for long-term systemic change through measures such as debt relief. The Minister of State for International Development met the CAFOD Chief Executive and African inter faith leaders in December 2025 to discuss these and other issues.

VAT for UK hospitality

Parliament Education and Engagement Outreach Service

Upland farmers and common land

Found: Representations from Members The following Members made oral representations: Marsha De Cordova, Sir Julian Lewis