theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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James Naish:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of changing the climate change levy exemption for natural gas combined heat and power. \p James Murray: The Climate Change Levy (CCL) is a tax on the supply of energy to businesses and the public sector, introduced in 2001 to encourage energy efficiency.

There are a number of CCL exemptions and reliefs, including for energy used by members of the Combined Heat & Power Quality Assurance (CHPQA) programme. Good CHP systems are the most energy efficient means of generating heat and power for many businesses and have more environmental benefits when compared to gas only generation. CHPQA was introduced to promote and reward best practice in CHP generation and members of the programme receive financial benefits, including tax relief on their CCL obligations.

As a tax, CCL policy is for the Chancellor and any representations will be considered as part of the tax policy making process. The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero are responsible for the CHPQA programme and will continue to review the objectives of programme in line with the missions and goals of the government.
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Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an estimate of the number of working age people who have reduced their working hours as a result of marginal state income deductions. \p James Murray: The Office for Budget Responsibility's October 2024 Economic and Fiscal Outlook (EFO) contains forecasts and assessments of government policy. Once the impact of all the Budget measures are taken into consideration, the OBR expect the employment level to increase from 33.1 million in 2024 to 34.3 million in 2029.

This government is committed to increasing labour supply and tackling the recent rise in labour market inactivity. The Get Britain Working White Paper sets out the government’s strategy to support people back into work, and help them stay in work.
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Ben Maguire:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of (a) expanding the base money supply and (b) other alternative monetary policy. \p Tulip Siddiq: Monetary policy is the responsibility of the independent Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the Bank of England. This includes decisions on Bank Rate and the stock of UK government bonds held in the Asset Purchase Facility.

It is for the MPC to judge how it uses its tools to maintain price stability and Bank Rate is the MPC’s primary macroeconomic tool. The separation of fiscal and monetary policy is a key feature of the UK’s economic framework, so the government does not comment on the conduct or effectiveness of monetary policy.
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Anna Sabine:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of putting a cap on insurance costs for small businesses. \p Tulip Siddiq: Insurers make commercial decisions about the terms on which they will offer cover following an assessment of the relevant risks. This is usually informed by the insurer’s claims experience and other industry-wide statistics. The Government does not usually intervene in these decisions by insurers, as this could damage competition in the market.

The Government is committed to ensuring that insurers treat all customers fairly and insurance companies are required to do so under the Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) rules. The FCA is the independent body responsible for regulating and supervising the financial services industry.

The FCA requires firms to ensure their products offer fair value. The FCA monitors firms to make sure they provide products that are fair value, and, where necessary, it will take action.
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Munira Wilson:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people were in receipt of (a) Statutory Maternity Pay, (b) Statutory Paternity Pay, (c) Statutory Adoption Pay and (d) Statutory Shared Parental Pay in the 2023-24 financial year. \p James Murray: Data for number of people in receipt of Statutory Maternity pay, Statutory Paternity Pay, Statutory Adoption Pay, and Statutory Shared Parental Pay is provided in the table below.

Totals for 2023-24

Statutory Maternity Pay

623,100

Statutory Paternity Pay

207,600

Statutory Adoption Pay

4,500

Statutory Shared Parental Pay

17,200

Notes:

1) Data collected using HMRC Real Time Information (RTI) and extracted in August 2024. RTI is subject to revision or updates.

2) Claimants number has been rounded to nearest 100.
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John Glen:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to page 21 of the Plan for Change document, CP1210, published on 5 December 2024, what estimate she has been made of the potential impact of (a) changes to the level of employer National Insurance contributions and (b) the freezing of income tax thresholds on Real Household Disposable Income per person. \p James Murray: The Office for Budget Responsibility's October 2024 Economic and Fiscal Outlook (EFO) contains forecasts and assessments of government policy.

The OBR’s forecast does not decompose policy impacts on Real Household Disposable Income (RHDI) per capita by individual policies. Accounting for the total impact of Budget measures including employer NICs, the OBR forecast RHDI per capita to rise at an annual average rate of 0.5% per year over the parliament. The OBR sets out in detail the impact of the employer NICs changes on wages in paragraph 3.11 of the EFO.

The OBR have assessed the impacts of fiscal drag from freezing Income Tax thresholds in their March 2024 EFO.
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Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 22 November 2024 to Question 14298 on Workplace Pensions: Inheritance Tax, whether the pension scheme established under The Pensions Increase (Pension Scheme for Keir Starmer QC) Regulations 2013 is UK registered. \p James Murray: The pension scheme referred to is an unregistered UK statutory defined benefit scheme, established under the Judicial Pensions and Retirement Act 1993 (JUPRA). As defined benefit schemes, pensions under JUPRA do not have a dedicated fund which can be inherited as defined contribution schemes do. Any lump sum death benefits under JUPRA received after the member is no longer in service are already subject to inheritance tax.
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Mims Davies:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of changes in the level of National Insurance contributions on young people in part time work. \p James Murray: The Office for Budget Responsibility’s October 2024 Economic and Fiscal Outlook expects that the Employer National Insurance Contributions package will lead to a reduction in the participation rate of 0.1 per cent from 2025-26 onwards. Overall, once the impact of all budget measures are taken into consideration, the OBR expect the employment level to increase from 33.1 million in 2024 to 34.3 million in 2029.

Employers have a choice about how they respond to the NICs increase. The Government recognises that employers may respond by increasing employees’ wages more slowly than they would have otherwise, alongside absorbing pressures through prices, efficiencies or lower profits.

Employers will also continue to benefit from employer NICs reliefs including for hiring under 21s and under 25 apprentices, where eligible.
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Wendy Morton:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate she has made of the value of Russian state assets in the UK. \p Tulip Siddiq: The Government coordinates these figures closely with our G7 partners. There are sensitivities around publishing these figures, and other G7 partners have restrictions on their ability to publish.

It is important, therefore, that a decision to release any figures is taken on a collective G7 basis.
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John Glen:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will publish the internal equality impact assessment under the Equality Act 2010 for changes to (a) agricultural and (b) business property relief. \p James Murray: The Government published information about the reforms to agricultural property relief and business property relief at www.gov.uk/government/publications/agricultural-property-relief-and-business-property-relief-reforms.

It is expected that up to around 2,000 estates will be affected by the changes to APR and BPR in 2026-27, with around half of those being claims that involve AIM shares. Almost three-quarters of estates claiming agricultural property relief (or those claiming agricultural property relief and business property relief together) are expected to be unaffected by these reforms.

In accordance with standard practice, a tax information and impact note will be published alongside the draft legislation before the relevant Finance Bill.
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Patricia Ferguson:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what guidance her Department will issue to non-agricultural businesses on the changes to Inheritance Tax announced in the Autumn Budget 2024. \p James Murray: The Government published information about the reforms to agricultural property relief and business property relief at www.gov.uk/government/publications/agricultural-property-relief-and-business-property-relief-reforms.

As with other tax changes, HM Revenue and Customs will update its guidance in due course in the usual way.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of (a) family-owned businesses and (b) changes to Business Property Relief on the economy of local communities. \p James Murray: At Autumn Budget 2024, the Government took a number of difficult but necessary decisions on tax, welfare, and spending to restore economic stability, fix the public finances, and support public services. These were tough decisions given the situation

we inherited from the previous administration, but the Government has done so in a way that makes the tax system fairer and more sustainable.

The Government published information about the reforms to agricultural property relief and business property relief at www.gov.uk/government/publications/agricultural-property-relief-and-business-property-relief-reforms.

In accordance with standard practice, a tax information and impact note will be published alongside the draft legislation before the relevant Finance Bill.
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Alex Brewer:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of an increase in the rate of employers' National Insurance contributions on (a) hairdressers and (b) other small to medium-sized high street businesses that do not qualify for business rates relief. \p James Murray: In order to repair the public finances and help raise the revenue required to supportpublic services, the Government has taken the difficult decision to increase employer National Insurance contributions (NICs).

The Government published a Tax Information and Impact Note on 13 November which sets out the impact of the employer NICs changes.

The Government has protected the smallest businesses and charities from the impact of the increase to employer National Insurance by increasing the Employment Allowance from £5,000 to £10,500. This means that 865,000 employers will pay no NICs at all next year, more than half of employers will see no change or will gain overall from this package, and all eligible employers will be able to employ up to four full-time workers on the National Living Wage and pay no employer NICs.
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Mike Wood:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of whether public spending plans in the (a) Autumn Budget 2024 and (b) Spending Review phase (i) one and (ii) two will require (A) compulsory and (B) voluntary redundancies in the civil service. \p Darren Jones: At Autumn Budget, this government committed to developing a long-term strategic workforce plan for a more efficient and effective Civil Service.

During Spending Review phase two, departments will set out their long-term spending plans, including for their Civil Service workforces.
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Graeme Downie:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much was paid in Class (a) 2 and (b) 4 National Insurance contributions in 2023. \p James Murray: The number of people with Class 2 and Class 4 National Insurance Contributions (NICs) liabilities are estimated based on the 2021-22 Survey of Personal Incomes, projected using economic assumptions consistent with the Office for Budget Responsibility’s March 2024 Economic and Fiscal Outlook.

This represents an estimate of the number of people with Class 2 and Class 4 NICs liabilities, and does not represent the number of people from whom HMRC received payments in 2023-24.

Estimated number of individuals liable (thousands)

2023-24

Class 2 NICs

2,310

Class 4 NICs

2,280

Information on NICs can be found in the “HMRC tax receipts and National Insurance contributions for the UK” statistical bulletin, available here:

HMRC tax receipts and National Insurance contributions for the UK - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

The breakdown of National Insurance contributions (NICs) by class for Great Britain and Northern Ireland is provided by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) in “National Insurance Fund (NIF) Accounts”, available here (in the Notes to the Account):

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-insurance-fund-accounts

The NIF publication compares figures for year ended 31 March 2024 with year ended 31 March 2023. Note that the breakdown in the NIF accounts does not include the NHS allocation, paid over by HMRC to the NHS, though information on this allocation is included in the NIF Accounts.
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Calum Miller:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has had discussions with Cabinet colleagues on the property price limit on Help to Buy ISAs. \p Tulip Siddiq: This Government is committed to helping first time buyers own their own home, and will do this by building 1.5 million more homes.

The Government keeps savings policy under review, any changes of this kind would be made at a relevant fiscal event.
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Saqib Bhatti:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with the (a) sports and (b) cultural sector on the repayment of Covid-19 loans by September 2025. \p Stephanie Peacock: Loan financing was provided to organisations on favourable terms, tailored to meet the unique legal and financial circumstances of sporting and cultural organisations. The Government is clear that these loans must be repaid and, where necessary, steps will be taken to ensure the protection of taxpayer’s money.

DCMS remains in close contact with our loan agents, Sport England and Arts Council England, to ensure loans are repaid and borrowers comply with the terms of their loans. DCMS ministers regularly meet with stakeholders, and where appropriate we discuss loan repayments.
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Dr Simon Opher:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to support the comedy industry. \p Chris Bryant: Comedy is a serious business. It is a vital performing art and contributes to the mental health and wellbeing of people, not just in the UK, but around the world. It forms part of our cultural landscape, enriching lives, shaping our collective identity and often providing a necessary corrective to political pomposity.

Arts Council England funds numerous organisations and venues that support comedy. For the purposes of ACE funding, comedy is considered under the broad term of ‘theatre.’ This means that as long as a performer, club or promoter meets the eligibility criteria for specific programmes, then ACE welcomes funding applications. Between the financial years covering 2010/11 to 2024/25 ACE has awarded £12,296,254 in funding where an applicant name, project title or subclassifier contains the word “comedy”.

Venues such as theatres also benefit from tax relief. The government believes tax relief is essential to help incentivise investment in productions, and to contribute to innovation and economic growth, enabling arts organisations to continue to produce new content which is vital in keeping them competitive on an international stage.
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Dr Luke Evans:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of A22's new Unify League proposals on English football. \p Stephanie Peacock: The Prime Minister has made it very clear that there will be no Super League-style breakaway from English football.

As part of the strengthened Football Governance Bill, the Regulator will be able to prevent English clubs from joining future breakaway competitions by taking into account factors such as sustainability, heritage and fairness. The Regulator will be obliged to gather the views of fans and consult the FA before it prohibits a competition.

This approach is the most effective way of stopping unwanted competitions that do not adhere to the principles of how sport operates in this country, are not supported by fans, and that risk undermining the English football pyramid.

The Football Governance Bill was introduced on 24 October.
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Laurence Turner:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average processing time was for applications to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme by people resident in Birmingham in each of the last five years. \p Alex Davies-Jones: The table below shows the average time for decisions to be made on applications* for criminal injuries compensation by people resident in Birmingham**.

Calendar Year of CICA decision

Average time (days)

2020

335

2021

440

2022

490

2023

381

2024

372

* The table does not include archived bereavement applications because the address of the applicant is not retained. In most cases, applications are archived three years after the case has been closed.

** The above table includes all awards where the applicant named Birmingham as the city in their home address in their application.
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people were prosecuted for the (a) creation, (b) distribution and (c) ownership of entirely AI-generated indecent images of children in 2024. \p Alex Davies-Jones: The Ministry of Justice publishes data on prosecutions for a wide range of offences, including offences involving the possession, creation and distribution of indecent images of children. Data up to and including June 2024 is available in the Outcomes by Offences data tool that can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/criminal-justice-statistics-quarterly.

However, data held centrally does not include whether the offence involved AI-generated images or use of nudifying apps. This information may be held in the court records but to examine individual court records would be of disproportionate cost.

In relation to images of adults, it is already a criminal offence to share, or threaten to share, a sexually explicit deepfake image of an adult without consent, but not an offence to make one. The Government made a clear manifesto commitment to ban the creation of sexually explicit deepfake images, a central aspect of our commitment to halve the prevalence of violence against women and girls within the decade. We are bringing forward legislation to honour that commitment in the Crime and Policing Bill which will be introduced later this year, making this behaviour criminal so that perpetrators can be brought to justice.
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Andrew Cooper:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many appellants are waiting for First-tier Tribunal (Social Security and Child Support) appeals to be listed for personal independence payment in (a) Mid Cheshire constituency, (b) Cheshire and (c) England. \p Sarah Sackman: Information about appeals to the First-tier Tribunal (Social Security and Child Support) (SSCS) is published at: www.gov.uk/government/collections/tribunals-statistics. The average waiting times data requested can be found under “Tribunal Statistics CSV files”.

The information requested about the number of appellants waiting for appeals to be listed is not held centrally.

HMCTS cannot isolate the number of appellants waiting for their appeal to be listed, as opposed to the number of appeals waiting to be listed. An appellant may have more than one appeal waiting to be listed:  appeals can be made against (amongst other things) initial decisions on entitlement to Personal Independence Payment (PIP), overpayments, or period of time for which PIP has been awarded, for which separate appeals can be lodged.
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Mike Wood:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the policy paper entitled Plan for Change, published on 5 December 2024, CP1210, how she plans to measure progress towards her target for children to be thriving at school; and if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of using data on attainment gaps between disadvantaged pupils and their peers as a core metric for this target. \p Catherine McKinnell: The Opportunity Mission will break the link between a child’s background and their future success. Driving high and rising standards is at the heart of the department’s vision for all schools, and these standards are crucial in supporting all children and young people to both achieve and thrive. As my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education set out in her speech to the Confederation of School Trusts in November 2024, achieving and thriving go hand-in-hand, with children who are healthy and have a sense of belonging at school most likely to achieve well. We are looking at a range of indicators for this and will set out more details. At every stage, improving outcomes for disadvantaged children and young people, and those with special educational needs and disabilities, will be a priority.
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Munira Wilson:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an estimate of the number and proportion of children who would be eligible for free school meals had the income threshold for people on Universal Credit risen with inflation since 2018. \p Stephen Morgan: The new government has a central mission to break down barriers to opportunity for every child.

The government has inherited a trend of rising child poverty and widening attainment gaps between children eligible for free school meals (FSM) and their peers. Child poverty has increased by 700,000 since 2010, with over four million children now growing up in a low income family. The government is committed to delivering an ambitious strategy to reduce child poverty by tackling the root causes and giving every child the best start at life. To support this, a new ministerial taskforce has been set up to develop a Child Poverty Strategy, which will be published in spring 2025. The taskforce will consider a range of policies in assessing what will have the greatest impact in driving down rates of child poverty.

The department has not made a recent formal assessment of the proportion of children who are eligible for FSM but not registered to receive the entitlement. The last review conducted in 2013 suggested that 89% of eligible pupils were registered for FSM. We recognise the vital role played by FSM and encourage all eligible families to take their entitlement up and join the 2.1 million pupils currently registered to receive FSM. To support FSM take up, we provide the Eligibility Checking System which allows local authorities to quickly verify eligibility for FSM and ensure that it is easily received.

The department has not formally assessed the number and proportion of children who would be eligible for FSM, had the eligibility threshold for households on Universal Credit increased in line with inflation since its introduction in 2018. As with all policies, the government keeps the approach to FSM under review.
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Laurence Turner:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Standards and Testing Agency's publication of 20 July 2022, entitled Information: primary assessments in the 2022/23 academic year, for what reason it was decided not to undertake further science sampling tests at Key Stage 2. \p Catherine McKinnell: Statutory teacher assessment of science is undertaken annually at the end of key stage 2 for all pupils in the relevant cohort. Between 2014 and 2020, biennial national science sampling tests were used to supplement this teacher assessment data, with a nationally representative sample of key stage 2 pupils participating in these tests to monitor the performance and attainment in science at national level.

The science sampling test scheduled to take place in 2020 was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic and, due to resource pressures on the department, the previous government decided not to recommence science sampling thereafter. The ongoing Curriculum and Assessment Review is considering the current assessment system and will make its recommendations later in the year.
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Cat Smith:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information her Department collects on the pay of multi-academy trust chief executives. \p Catherine McKinnell: The Academy Trust Handbook sets out the requirements for academy trusts on executive pay, including reporting and publication. Academy trusts must:

The department collates and publishes academy trust pay data in the Academy Sector Annual Report and Accounts, which also includes an annex (annex E in the most recently published set) listing all the academy trusts which paid at least one member of staff in excess of £150,000 and which is accessible here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/academies-sector-annual-reports-and-accounts.
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Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of changes to (a) Business Property Relief and (b) employer National Insurance contributions on SMEs in the defence sector. \p Maria Eagle: The Ministry of Defence recognises the vital contribution that Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) make within the defence industry, and we have a long-standing commitment to improve our engagement with such suppliers in order to broaden and strengthen our supply-base. As individual suppliers and contractors will manage the changes to Employer National Insurance Contributions and Business Property Relief differently, it would be extremely difficult for the Department to estimate the impact this will have on SMEs in the defence sector.
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Maureen Burke:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to support veterans. \p Al Carns: This is a Government of service that will always stand up for those who serve our country. I am working across government and with civil society to ensure veterans get access to the support they need.

This Government has already taken swift action to demonstrate our commitment to renew this nation’s contract with those who have served. In November the Prime Minister announced an additional £3.5 million of funding for the continuation of the cross-UK Reducing Veterans Homelessness Programme, including Op FORTITUDE. This is in addition to the reforms he announced earlier in the year which mean that veterans are now exempt from local connection and residency tests when applying for social housing in England.

Housing support is available across the United Kingdom through Op FORTITUDE, a single referral pathway for veterans. This system provides housing guidance and assistance to veterans experiencing or at risk of homelessness. As of 5 January 2025, 2,993 referrals have been made and 854 veterans have been supported into housing.

A range of support is in place for veterans. In England Op RESTORE provides specialist care to veterans who have physical health problems, and Op COURAGE, a specialist mental health service that helps service leavers, veterans and reservists. Healthcare is devolved across the UK, and as such systems that can be accessed by veterans differ in the Devolved Governments. As of 3 January 2025, over 35,000 referrals have been made to Op COURAGE and Op RESTORE has over 1,000 service users.

Veterans can also access a range of tailored employment support, including the Career Transition Partnership, which is the initial point of provision for those leaving military service in search of new job opportunities.

The Government’s manifesto commitment to include the Veteran Card in the list of voter identification has already been delivered with the legislation coming into effect in December 2024..

In December 2024 the MoD launched an LGBT financial recognition scheme, with a total budget of £75 million, which was 50% higher than the level recommended in the Etherton review and the cap set by the last Government. This will mean that almost all of the 49 recommendations made by Lord Etherton will have been delivered.

We will continue to stand up for those who served and have served and are currently reviewing how we can make veterans’ support more institutionally resilient.
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Derek Twigg:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) number of each rank in post of and (b) requirement for each rank of medical service personnel was on 1 April 2024. \p Al Carns: I am withholding the information as its disclosure would, or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.
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Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 4 October 2024 to Question 6066 on Helicopters: Official Visits, whether the replacement to the Rotary Wing Command Support Air Transport Helicopter Service will be outsourced to the private sector. \p Maria Eagle: The Ministry of Defence is not placing a contract for replacement Rotary Wing Command Support Air Contract. Future Ministry of Defence senior leader rotary wing transport will be met through a Cabinet Office administered Commercial Transport Contract and will use existing Department transport budgets.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-09)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-09 conversation_65

James Cartlidge:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether it remains Government policy that at least 60% of sub-contracting companies working on fleet solid support ships should be from the UK. \p Maria Eagle: The overall build strategy for the Fleet Solid Support (FSS) ships remains unchanged. All three ships will be assembled in the UK, with blocks manufactured in Navantia’s shipyards in Spain and in Harland and Wolff’s shipyards in the UK, retaining the overall UK workshare as originally planned.

The value of the individual contracts is commercially sensitive information. It is expected that approximately 60 per cent of the contract value will be with UK companies. The FSS ship contract will create more than 1,200 UK shipyard jobs and around 800 jobs will be sustained in the UK supply chain. There is also substantial investment being made in the UK including around £100 million into UK shipyards.

As prime contractor for the FSS Programme, Navantia UK is responsible for delivery of the contract and is in the process of letting a number of contracts to UK companies, in addition to those already let with BMT and Harland & Wolff.
wrans/answers2025-01-09 conversation_66
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-09)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-09 conversation_66

David Reed:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the RUSI Lecture given by the Chief of the Defence Staff on 4 December 2024, what steps his Department is taking to (a) support high-risk, high-reward technology experimentation and (b) track the outcomes of such initiatives. \p Maria Eagle: Defence invests in high-risk, high-reward technology experimentation from across the Defence enterprise. Defence’s core Science, Innovation and Technology budgets (e.g. Defence Science & Technology Programme and Defence Innovation Fund) are led from Head Office and are the main contributors to this. There are further investments from the Capability Portfolios of each Top Level Budget (e.g. Strategic Programmes, Single Service Commands) and utilise constructs such as the RAF’s Rapid Capabilities Office.

Recent examples of such work include the Dragonfire Laser Directed Energy Weapon Demonstrator and the BriteCloud Expendable Active Decoy.

Defence’s Research and Innovation programmes are run according to best practice Portfolio, Programme and Project management Processes which aim to deliver defined outcomes and benefits that are then tracked and monitored.

The Ministry of Defence is currently undertaking the Defence Reform programme, which will determine the delivery and exploitation mechanisms for any ‘high-risk, high-reward’ technologies. This builds on both the current S&T portfolio processes and the ‘Spearhead’ and ‘Gamechanger’ initiatives which are currently experimenting ways to improve delivery.”
wrans/answers2025-01-09 conversation_67
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-09)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-09 conversation_67

David Reed:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the RUSI Lecture given by the Chief of the Defence Staff on 4 December 2024, what steps his Department is taking to (a) streamline decision-making and (b) reduce business case approval timelines. \p Luke Pollard: Through the Defence Reform programme, we will improve procurement efficiency and secure better value for taxpayers, creating a simpler Defence focused on warfighting and deterrence.

A key facet of this programme is to create a stronger Defence centre with clearer accountabilities through the Permanent Secretary, Chief of Defence Staff, National Armaments Director and Chief of Defence Nuclear. This, coupled with our work on our future governance structures, will ensure Defence is optimised to enable faster, streamlined decision making, approvals, and delivery of our outcomes so that we remain ahead of current and future threats.
wrans/answers2025-01-09 conversation_68
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-09)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-09 conversation_68

David Reed:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking with the Secretary of State for Education to encourage young people to pursue careers in STEM fields within the defence sector. \p Maria Eagle: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is taking steps itself to secure important skills in areas such as digital, cyber, STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths), nuclear and space. As we tackle these challenges we will continue to work closely with industry partners of all sizes. Our strategic suppliers have identified SME Champions and there is now regular engagement between them and the department, focusing upon how industry and MOD should improve their practice to better support SMEs.

We also work with other Government Departments and academia to ensure that we are growing and retaining these skills nationally.

Through the Defence STEM Steering Group, Defence and their national strategic partners are actively promoting engineering as an inclusive career field, supporting teacher training, and coordinating outreach activities to maximise efficiency.
wrans/answers2025-01-09 conversation_69
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-09)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-09 conversation_69

David Reed:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to support (a) micro, (b) small and (c) medium-sized technology companies in the early stages of development within the defence sector. \p Maria Eagle: The Ministry of Defence is committed to supporting micro, small and medium-sized technology companies. Through the Defence Industrial Strategy the department will foster a more diverse community of suppliers, including non-traditional suppliers, through reducing barriers to entry and setting the conditions that unlock the full potential of small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs).

One of the ways we are already doing this is through the Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA) with its remit to find and fund suppliers to deliver innovative projects to meet UK defence and security challenges. DASA also supports funded SMEs with additional business services to help scale up and commercialise their innovative ideas.
wrans/answers2025-01-09 conversation_70
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-09)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-09 conversation_70

David Reed:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to remove bureaucracy from defence primes to enable them to build out their ecosystems of (a) micro, (b) small and (c) medium-sized businesses. \p Maria Eagle: Micro, small and medium sized businesses make a vital contribution to economic growth and are a valuable source of technical innovation in defence. This is recognised in the recently published Defence Industrial Strategy Statement of Intent. We work with our largest suppliers through a network of their SME Champions, trade associations and SME representatives to ensure that SMEs have fair access to opportunities in our supply chain and that our prime contractors are adopting policies, such as fair payment practices, that support small businesses working in defence. We are also engaging with our industrial partners of all sizes to develop a new SME Action Plan which will simplify and make more accessible opportunities to Defence contracts for smaller suppliers.
wrans/answers2025-01-09 conversation_71
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-09)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-09 conversation_71

David Reed:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his Department's planned timetable is for awarding contracts for the construction of multi-role support ships. \p Maria Eagle: The Multi-Role Support Ship (MRSS) programme is in its Concept Phase. The Royal Navy and Defence Equipment and Support are conducting detailed work on key user requirements, conceptual designs, affordability, and exportability assessments. Alongside other shipbuilding programmes, they are maintaining engagement with all leading UK shipbuilding entities and the National Shipbuilding Office (NSO) on the best commercial approach for UK to deliver for the Navy and the Nation. The Outline Business Case is due for submission mid-2025 which will detail the schedule for future contract award milestones.
wrans/answers2025-01-09 conversation_72
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-09)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-09 conversation_72

David Reed:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 5 December 2024 to Question 17481 on Multi-role Ocean Surveillance Ships, at what stage in its concept phase the Multi-Role Support Ships programme is; and what stages of the concept phase have been completed. \p Maria Eagle: The Multi-Role Support Ship programme is progressing well through the Concept Phase. The Royal Navy (RN) and Defence Equipment and Support are conducting detailed work on key user requirements, conceptual designs, affordability, and exportability assessments, while working closely with leading UK shipbuilding entities and the National Shipbuilding Office (NSO) on the best commercial approach for UK to deliver for the RN and the Nation.

The Outline Business Case is due for submission in mid-2025 this will detail the schedule for shifting to the Assessment Phase in 2026.
wrans/answers2025-01-09 conversation_73
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-09)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-09 conversation_73

David Reed:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 9 December 2024 to Question 17483 on Type 32 Frigates, at what stage in its concept phase the Type 32 frigate programme is; and what stages of the concept phase have been completed. \p Maria Eagle: The Type 32 frigate programme is in the concept phrase and has not yet reached the level of maturity to allow publication of a specific timetable for design and procurement. This is consistent with a programme of this size and complexity at this early stage in its development.

All future designs of the Royal Navy will be part of the Strategic Defence Review (SDR) so would be inappropriate to provide further detail until SDR decisions have been made.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-09)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-09 conversation_74

Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 5 December 2024,to Question HL1878, on Armed Forces: Equality, if he will list each of the actions from the previous EDI review that were endorsed by his Department's People Committee. \p Al Carns: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my noble Friend, the Minister of State at the Ministry of Defence (Lord Coaker), on 19 December 2024 to Question HL3228 in the House of Lords.

Armed Forces: Equality (docx, 15.8KB)
wrans/answers2025-01-09 conversation_75
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-09)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-09 conversation_75

Stephen Gethins:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the impact of Cyclone Chido on communities in northern Zambia. \p Anneliese Dodds: Heavy wind and rain from Tropical Cyclone Chido have caused widespread damage in Mozambique and Malawi, and have resulted in extensive crop and infrastructure damage in parts of the region. Flooding has increased the risk of disease outbreak in a region where cholera is endemic, and cases are on the rise. Northern Mozambique was most affected by Tropical Cyclone Chido; resulting in 120 deaths, and impacting 687,000 people, many of whom are already internally displaced and affected by conflict.

To support, the UK has provided £5 million to Mozambique, focusing on providing emergency shelter, clean water, sanitation needs and preparedness building. Barring heavy rain and greater flood risk, Tropical Cyclone Chido has not had a substantial impact on Northern Zambia.
wrans/answers2025-01-09 conversation_76
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-09)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-09 conversation_76

Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 17 December 2024 to Question 19312 on Syria: British Nationals Abroad, what steps is he taking to provide consular support to British nationals in Syria. \p Mr Hamish Falconer: Consular support is not available from the UK Government from within Syria as all British Embassy services in Damascus are suspended. This makes it difficult to provide direct assistance to British nationals located there. Nevertheless, each request for consular assistance from Syria is considered on a case-by-case basis, taking into account all relevant circumstances.
wrans/answers2025-01-09 conversation_77
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-09)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-09 conversation_77

Ruth Jones:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent progress his Department has made on helping to improve freedom of religion or belief of minority Buddhist communities in Southeast Asia. \p Catherine West: The UK remains strongly committed to freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all abroad. It is our firm opinion that no one should live in fear because of what they do or do not believe in. We are championing the right to FoRB multilaterally, bilaterally and through programme funding. In Southeast Asia, for example, as a member of the International Contact Group on Freedom of Religion and Belief in Vietnam, the UK has often worked to raise cases of concern with Vietnamese authorities in this area. The appointment of David Smith MP as the Special Envoy for FoRB is a clear signal of the UK's ongoing commitment to these efforts in Southeast Asia and across the globe.