Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Department's press release entitled Cutting-edge drone degree to train military forces of the future unveiled, published on 21 January, what is the annual cost of delivering the undergraduate drone degree.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
The Army has provided a one-off payment of £240,000 to the New Model Institute for Technology and Engineering (NMITE) to initiate development of the undergraduate drone degree. This funding enabled NMITE to recruit academic staff and design the course which will offer students the opportunity to learn cutting-edge drones technology driven by lessons from Ukraine.
On current plans, the Army intends to sponsor serving-military personnel on the three year degree and multiple personnel on shorter modular courses. These costs will be met through existing Defence personnel development budgets, in line with routine investment in our people through training and apprenticeships.
The Army will continue to support personnel undertaking this degree as long as the course remains relevant and no suitable alternative exists elsewhere in the UK. This supports the Army’s wider ambition to upskill hundreds of personnel in drone technology over time.
Longer term, the vision is to replicate this model in additional UK locations where there is a strong cluster of military, academia, and the drone industry.
NMITE, as the accredited provider, is responsible for funding and delivering the course, including any future cohorts. As NMITE is an independent higher education provider, the Ministry of Defence does not hold details of NMITE’s own operating or delivery costs.
Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - South Shropshire)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of protections for a safety-critical worker where the prescribed regulator is itself a shareholder in the organisation alleged to be improperly certifying maintenance.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
We understand following further detail provided that this question refers to compliance related to Monarch Airlines Engineering Ltd and the role of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).
As a regulator, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has oversight and audit functions in respect to the organisations that it regulates. The CAA is not a shareholder in any organisation that is regulates.
The CAA has established a range of reporting channels including mandatory and voluntary incident reporting and dedicated whistleblowing routes. These mechanisms are specifically designed to ensure that individuals are enabled to raise and report any safety related concerns appropriately.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the answer of 22 April 2025 to question 44579 on Avanti West Coast: Ticket Offices, what information her Department has received from Avanti West Coast on non-adherence with regulated ticket office opening hours in each of the last 12 months.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department receives regular reporting from Avanti West Coast (AWC) on its compliance with regulated ticket office opening hours under Schedule 17 of the Ticketing and Settlement Agreement. Excluding ticket office closures as a result of industrial action or planned engineering works, AWC’s average compliance with its managed ticket office opening hours over the last 12 months was 97 per cent.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Department's press release Britain's fighter jet fleet strengthened in £205 million boost for British jobs, published on 19 January 2026, when he plans to deliver the European Common Radar System Mk2.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
On Monday 19 January 2026 the Ministry for Defence (MOD) announced that they had signed a £205 million, five-year contract extension with the British company QinetiQ.
This agreement will deliver essential, specialist technical and engineering support to the UK’s Typhoon fleet and ensure that the Royal Air Force’s primary fighter jet is safe, airworthy, and ready to protect the UK and our NATO allies for years to come.
This agreement also includes support that will help the MOD deliver into service the new cutting-edge European Common Radar System (ECRS) Mk2 on RAF Typhoons by the end of this decade.
Asked by: Neil O'Brien (Conservative - Harborough, Oadby and Wigston)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to table 1 of Annex A of the Annual Report and Accounts 2024-25, if he will publish a breakdown of the spending of Capital Departmental Expenditure Limit (CDEL) spending on Science and Research, excluding CDEL on Science and Research (ALB), net in that financial year.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Please find below a breakdown of the Science and Research line outturn for FY 2024-25 per table 1 in Annex A of the DSIT Annual Report and Accounts 2024-25:
British Academy | £60.228m |
Research Base | £113.700m |
Royal Academy of Engineering | £41.971m |
Royal Society | £111.429m |
Space Directorate | £30.841m |
UK Space Agency | £607.077m |
Research Capital Investment Fund | £37.949m |
Horizon and Copernicus Association | £1,043.123m |
Office for Quantum | £1.197m |
Total | £2,047.515m |
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what is the delivery timeline of (a) Programme Euston and (b) the Royal Navy’s Additional Fleet Time Docking Capability.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Programme Euston is the Royal Navy’s solution to Additional Fleet Time Docking Capability. The programme aims to deliver a resilient out of water engineering capability at HMNB Clyde by the early 2030s.
The next key milestone will be the submission of a Programme Business Case in mid-2026. Timelines are kept under regular review as part of the Department’s major programmes portfolio. For reasons of commercial and operational sensitivities, the department is unable to provide detailed timelines.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the Royal Marines will be included within the scope of the Armed Forces Foundation Scheme.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
At the present time, there are no plans to include the Royal Marines in Tranche 1 of the Gap Year. However, Tranche 1 will help to understand the impact and measure success, informing the future shape of the scheme.
The Royal Navy is developing a one-year scheme opening with Tranche 1 in March 2026 as a profession-agnostic employment scheme for sailors. Our intent is to offer broad employment across operational surface platforms in non-technical activities and potentially in the future, some shore-based roles, where the cohort will have received the minimum training feasible to be safe and effective at sea. This is an exciting opportunity to live and work alongside sailors on ships deployed on missions at sea, contributing to tasks that keep the ship running, and learning skills that could be developed into future careers, such as conducting supervised engineering watchkeeping tasks, seamanship activity, communal duties and whole ship tasks.
Asked by: Liz Jarvis (Liberal Democrat - Eastleigh)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to help ensure young people from all backgrounds can pursue a career in STEM.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Following the Curriculum and Assessment review, our new national curriculum and GCSEs will have improved coherence, specificity, sequencing, and will be grounded in the most important knowledge and disciplinary skills.
We will take forward many subject-specific Review recommendations for science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), including working with schools to support them in developing a triple science offer for all pupils, ahead of introducing a statutory entitlement. We will build on support for early years and year 7 maths teaching, including through Maths Hubs programmes.
Through the Careers and Enterprise Company, the department funds high quality resources to embed STEM insights into the curriculum and match over 3,500 business volunteers, including 1,400 from STEM backgrounds, with schools and colleges to provide strategic support to develop their careers programme.
These measures will ensure that every child leaves school having mastered the subjects they have been taught and is able to pursue a career in their chosen field.
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions her Department had with Hammersmith and Fulham Council on the reconvening of the Hammersmith Bridge Taskforce.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
My Department regularly hold discussions regarding the viable engineering options for the next stage of works on Hammersmith Bridge with their counterparts at both the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham and Transport for London. The Government intends to convene a further meeting of the Hammersmith Bridge Taskforce in the near future to discuss next steps for the project. My Department’s officials will be in touch with key local stakeholders to arrange this in due course.
Asked by: Neil O'Brien (Conservative - Harborough, Oadby and Wigston)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, for what reason employment and wage costs have increased at the Nuclear Decommisioning Authority since April 2017.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The NDAs mission involves complex and hazardous nuclear decommissioning, requiring advanced technical engineering and project management skills. These roles command higher than average salaries due to scarcity and competition for nuclear expertise.
Since 2017 the NDA receive funding from HMG each year which reflects the NDAs mission. This funding has led to operations to accelerate hazard reduction at sites like Sellafield and Dounreay. This acceleration has meant an increase in employment and wages at the NDA who continually review how they operate to ensure value for money to the taxpayer whilst keeping the UK safe and secure.