theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-08)

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Helen Whately:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, wow many employees in the United Kingdom take part in a salary sacrifice scheme in the (a) public and (b) private sectors. \p Torsten Bell: Salary sacrifice arrangement can cover multiple non-cash benefits, including cars, pensions, bicycles and workplace nurseries.

HMRC does not hold administrative data on the number of employers offering and employees using salary sacrifice schemes. However, estimates based on other information are held.

Pension contributions

HMRC analysis of the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) suggests that around 7.7 million employees made salary sacrifice pension contributions in 2024.

Cycle to Work scheme

HMRC’s non-structural tax relief statistics publication sets out the estimated number of participants in the cycle to work scheme (link below).

Non-structural tax reliefs - GOV.UK

It is assumed that most would use the scheme via salary sacrifice given the tax savings.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-08)

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Dr Al Pinkerton:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that people experiencing financial difficulty are aware of and able to access appropriate (a) financial support and (b) advice during winter months. \p Lucy Rigby: The government recognises the challenges many households face during the winter months and is committed to ensuring that people experiencing financial difficulty are aware of and able to access the support available.

At Budget 2025, we announced a comprehensive package of measures to ease cost of living pressures. This includes taking an average of £150 off household energy bills from April 2026, expanding the £150 Warm Home Discount to 6 million lower income households, and freezing rail fares and NHS prescription fees for one-year. We are lifting around 550,000 children out of poverty by removing the two child limit, alongside other measures announced this year such as expanding free school meals. The Household Support Fund in England will also continue to help households facing the greatest hardship with the cost of essentials such as food, energy and water.

To ensure people can access support with their finances whenever they need it, the Government also funds the Money and Pensions Service (MaPS) which supports consumers with free, impartial guidance for every stage of their financial lives. Its MoneyHelper services – available online, via webchat and over the phone – operate year-round and offer information on a wide range of financial topics, along with easy-to-use tools and calculators to support people in managing their finances. In addition to this, MaPS delivers a range of national and community-based debt advice services across England to provide specialist support to those in problem debt. The UK Government also provides funding for debt advice in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, with responsibility for debt advice services resting with respective devolved governments.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-08)

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Jim McMahon:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the Office for Budget Responsibility. \p Lucy Rigby: The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) is the UK’s independent forecaster and the Government is fully committed to the OBR’s independence and its vital role as a core part of our fiscal framework. That is why one of the first Acts of this Parliament introduced the fiscal lock so that the OBR could never be sidelined.

On 26 November 2025, the OBR’s Economic and Fiscal Outlook was accessed prematurely ahead of the Budget. The OBR’s investigation into this incident was published on 1 December. HM Treasury will work closely with the OBR to ensure robust security arrangements are in place for all future forecasts.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-08)

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Neil Duncan-Jordan:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps the Government is taking to reduce inflation in the prices of food. \p Lucy Rigby: The Government has announced a Food Inflation Gateway to assess and monitor regulation that could add to food prices. This will improve coordination and give food businesses a clear line of sight on upcoming regulatory changes, helping to keep costs down

The Government is also negotiating an agri-food agreement with the EU to reduce trade frictions, which is expected to save businesses up to £200 per fresh food shipment, helping to limit cost pressures across supply chains.

In addition, supermarkets will see a reduction in their total business rates bills in 2026/27 compared with 2025/26, and this will be kept under review at the next revaluation. The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) does not expect changes in business rates to have a material impact on food inflation.

Overall, the OBR’s forecast shows government policy will reduce CPI inflation by 0.4 percentage points in 2026/27. This is the biggest near-term reduction in inflation due to government policy ever forecast by the OBR at a single fiscal event, outside of a crisis.
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Dan Norris:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what fiscal steps her department is taking to minimise barriers for international firms to invest in the UK. \p Lucy Rigby: Restoring sustainable, long-term economic growth remains the number one priority of this government. This is the foundation for the prosperity that families throughout the UK expect, and it is essential to creating the conditions that attract investment across sectors such advanced manufacturing, clean energy, and digital technologies.

The UK continues to champion free trade and global investment. We are supported by over 70 international trade agreements and have more than doubled the government’s budget headroom, strengthening our resilience and capacity to respond to future challenges. Our stable fiscal framework and pro‑investment tax system give international firms the confidence to invest. Consistent with the commitments set out in the 2024 Corporate Tax Roadmap, the government is maintaining the elements of the UK’s corporate tax offer that matter most for new investment:

The UK is also an attractive location for groups to locate their headquarters or holding companies, offering broad exemptions for gains on disposals of substantial shareholdings and a broad exemption for dividends paid to UK companies. There are also limited withholding taxes on outbound payments such as dividends, interest and royalties.

These measures are delivering results. We are set to be the second fastest growing economy in the G7 this year; PWC last year named the UK as the second most attractive country for investment in the world among CEOs, behind only the US and since coming into government we have seen companies from across the globe commit over £325bn worth of private investment into the UK.
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Gareth Thomas:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she will bring forward plans to make car insurance more affordable in general and particularly for those living in areas of deprivation. \p Lucy Rigby: Insurers make commercial decisions about pricing and the terms of cover they offer based on their assessment on the likelihood of a claim being made and the cost of those claims. The government does not generally intervene in these pricing decisions by insurance companies.

However, the government is determined that insurers should treat customers fairly and firms are required to do under Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) rules. The FCA requires firms to ensure their products offer fair value, meaning the price paid by consumers should be reasonable compared to the overall benefits received.

The Government launched a cross-government Motor Insurance Taskforce in October 2024 to address the rising costs of motor insurance, identifying short and long-term actions aimed at stabilising or reducing premiums, while maintaining appropriate levels of cover. The government plans to publish the final report of the Taskforce shortly. As part of the taskforce’s work to understand how the cost of motor insurance impacts on particular groups of customers, the FCA is conducting statistical analysis to evaluate the impacts on different age groups and consumers living in areas with a higher proportion of minority ethnic residents. The FCA will publish its findings later this year.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-08)

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Gareth Thomas:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what further steps she will take to make the cost of business loans more transparent. \p Lucy Rigby: The Government receives representations from a range of stakeholders about matters across financial services and the economy. Disputes are a matter for the Financial Ombudsman Service rather than the Government.

I would refer my honourable friend to the answers I provided on the topic of SME lending on 24 November, 26 November and 27 November, including in relation to the rates for short-term lending to small and medium sized businesses in the UK.

As set out in my previous response, interest rates, including those offered by individual providers, are a commercial matter decided by the lender concerned, reflecting the base rate, the risk of the applicant, and a margin to make the loan commercially viable given the cost of underwriting and broader funding costs. The Government does not intervene in commercial offerings, and SMEs should shop around to find the product that best suits their needs when choosing finance, which in turn helps drive competition, improves choice, and may support pricing.
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Gareth Thomas:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate she has made of the number of of small business finance applications rejected by (a) high street banks and (b) all banks in (i) total and (ii) just for non asset backed lending applications in the most recent year for which figures are available. \p Lucy Rigby: The Government, and specifically the Treasury, is responsible for the legislative framework for financial services, and does not collect significant volumes of market data. External bodies including the British Business Bank, Bank of England, UK Finance, and other such parties, produce certain information on the SME lending market, some of which may offer insights of this nature.

However, HM Treasury publishes statistics on the use of the Government’s Bank Referral Scheme on an annual basis, which is a Scheme designed to help match loan applicants rejected for finance with potential alternatives. The latest release covers statistics up until Q3 2024 and can be found on the Government’s website. This data represents businesses that have been rejected by designated banks under the Scheme and can be used to understand some of the rejection rate trends in the market.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-08)

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Mr Clive Betts:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, when her Department will host the planned roundtable between Post Office and the major banks to discuss the opportunity of expanding in-person banking services at post offices. \p Lucy Rigby: The Government recognises the importance of access to cash and banking services for businesses and individuals, including those who may be in vulnerable groups or require assistance and is supportive of industry initiatives that improve access to these vital services.

The Post Office plays a key role in supporting access to banking services. Under the Banking Framework, a commercial agreement between the Post Office and 30 banking firms, personal and business customers can withdraw and deposit cash, check their balance, pay bills and cash cheques at 11,500 Post Office branches across the UK. The specific services provided under the Framework are subject to commercial negotiations between individual banks and the Post Office, and the Government has no role in deciding what these arrangements are.

The Government would welcome continued collaboration between Post Office and the banking sector, on a commercial basis and will look to host joint discussions with Post Office and the banking sector in the coming months.
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Charlie Dewhirst:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the (a) name, (b) job title, (c) annual remuneration, (d) time commitment and (e) expected end date is for each direct ministerial appointment in her Department. \p Dan Tomlinson: HM Treasury makes information on its direct ministerial appointments available in line with Cabinet Office guidance on transparency. This information is available on GOV.UK and kept under review to ensure it is up to date.

The arrangements for each appointment are outlined in their terms of reference published on GOV.UK.

NAME

JOB TITLE

PRESS RELEASE

John Van Reenen

Adviser on Economic Growth

Chancellor appoints growth adviser - GOV.UK

Alex Depledge

Entrepreneurship Adviser

First ever Entrepreneurship Advisor appointed to the Treasury - GOV.UK

Anna Valero

Industrial Strategy Adviser

Chancellor appoints Industrial Strategy adviser - GOV.UK

Catherine Howard

Infrastructure and Planning Adviser

Chancellor appoints infrastructure and planning adviser to clear path for new investments - GOV.UK

Mark Austin

Chair, Dematerialisation Market Action Taskforce (DEMAT)

Dematerialisation Market Action Taskforce - GOV.UK

Geoffrey Spence

External expertise on project finance to HMT

Project Finance Adviser appointed - GOV.UK

David Sturrock

Member of the Council of Economic Advisers

The Chancellor has appointed David Sturrock to the Council of Economic Advisors - GOV.UK
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Jim McMahon:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how long has the HMRC helpline number xx-xxxx-xxxx been out of service. \p Dan Tomlinson: The Debt management Self Assessment (SA) payment helpline, xx-xxxx-xxxx, was retired at the end of July 2025.

From March to July 2025, an announcement was played to all customers phoning the Debt management SA payment helpline advising them that the number had closed and providing the relevant HMRC helpline number to call.

Customers with SA debt or payment enquiries are still able to speak to an adviser by calling the phone number stated on the letter which they have received from HMRC.

Customers can also find further support and guidance on GOV.UK – including how to manage payments.
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Dr Scott Arthur:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what behavioural changes have been assumed in modelling revenue projections for the proposed EV mileage charge scheme. \p Dan Tomlinson: As announced at Budget 2025, the Government is introducing Electric Vehicle Excise Duty (eVED) from April 2028, a new mileage charge for electric and plug-in hybrid cars, recognising that EVs contribute to congestion and wear and tear on the roads but pay no equivalent to fuel duty.

The Government has set out the expected impacts, including Exchequer impacts and behavioural changes, from eVED and other Budget measures in the Budget 2025 Policy Costings document at GOV.UK, which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/supporting-documents-for-budget-2025

The rate of eVED paid by electric vehicle drivers will be half the fuel duty rate paid by the average petrol/diesel driver, ensuring that it will still be cheaper to own and run an EV for the majority of EV drivers. The Government is also providing generous additional support to incentivise the use of EVs.

The Government will continue to engage with impacted sectors and welcomes views on the design and implementation of eVED through the associated consultation.
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Sir James Cleverly:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, when film studio relief on business rates will be applied in relation to the high-value supplement in 2026-27. \p Dan Tomlinson: The creative industries play a key role in driving economic growth, contributing £124.6 billion to the economy in 2022, and supporting over 2 million jobs.

At Budget 2025, the Government announced that it is maintaining the 40 per cent relief for eligible film studios in England on their gross business rates bills until March 2034. This is backdated to 1 April 2024, providing stability and support for the creative industries.

Business rates bills are calculated by applying the relevant multiplier first and so film studios will receive 40 per cent relief on their gross bill.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-08)

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Mr Louie French:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the emigration of (a) 18-25, (b) 26-35, (c) 36-49, and (d) 50+ years old on (i) the levels of revenue raised through taxation and (ii) the sustainability of the public finances. \p Dan Tomlinson: The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) is the government's official forecaster and is responsible for assessing the UK’s economic and fiscal outlook.

The OBR assesses the fiscal implications of migration as part of its Economic and Fiscal Outlook and long-term fiscal projections.
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Sarah Pochin:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will publish a list of businesses that have committed furlough fraud but have not yet repaid the money. \p Dan Tomlinson: HMRC has a “Publishing Details of Deliberate Tax Defaulters” programme which publishes details of deliberate tax defaulters on Gov.uk for a period of 12 months. Since HMRC began compliance on the COVID-19 support schemes, details of 195 people have been published for deliberately overclaiming CJRS and/or Eat Out to Help Out.

The latest publication was in November 2025: Details of deliberate tax defaulters - GOV.UK
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Sarah Pochin:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, of the firms reported to HM Revenue and Customs for furlough fraud, how many (a) have been investigated and (b) remain to be investigated. \p Dan Tomlinson: HMRC’s Fraud Reporting Gateway receives Human Intelligence reports on a variety of topics, including COVID-19 error and fraud, that are of interest to HMRC. This Fraud Reporting Gateway has resulted in 23,000 intelligence reports relating to the COVID schemes to assess, and a further 900 reports received from the Public Sector Fraud Authority.

Due to firewalls in place to protect human sources of information, the recipients of the intelligence do not know its origin. Therefore, once the intelligence is circulated, we are unable to directly identify and attribute yield generated from the Fraud Reporting Gateway contacts, or why an investigation was or was not started.
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Sir Christopher Chope:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the answer of 2 December 2025 to question 95016, whether the hon. Member for (a) Wolverhampton North East, (b) Leeds South West, (c) Bournemouth East, (d) Luton North, (e) Bassetlaw, (f) Blyth and Ashington, (g) Mansfield, (h) Llanelli, (i) Banbury, (j) Edinburgh South West, (k) Eltham and Chislehurst, (l) Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes, (m) Leigh and Atherton, (n) Kensington and Bayswater, (o) Na-h Eileanan an Iar, (p) Whitehaven and Workington, (q) Camborne and Redruth and (r) Milton Keynes Central submitted their representations through the stakeholder representation portal. \p Dan Tomlinson: HM Treasury did not receive written submissions via the stakeholder representation portal from those Members of Parliament. Ministers politically engage with their parliamentary colleagues on an ongoing basis without the need of an online portal.
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Dave Doogan:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that when errors in earnings submissions to HMRC are self-identified and corrected, those corrections are communicated promptly and accurately to the Department for Work and Pensions, so that claimants are not adversely or unfairly affected by inaccurate income data. \p Dan Tomlinson: Where an error has been identified, employers can submit revised information to HMRC through standard reporting processes.

HMRC transmits payroll data to the Department for Work and Pensions on a daily basis.
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Jim McMahon:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has made an estimate of the (a) value of and (b) tax lost from the black economy in (i) England, (ii) Greater Manchester and (iii) Oldham. \p Dan Tomlinson: HMRC estimates the size of the tax gap, which is the difference between the amount of tax that should, in theory, be paid to HMRC, and what is actually paid. The tax gap statistics are published annually and are available at: Measuring tax gaps - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

Within the tax gap, HMRC publishes an illustrative breakdown by behaviour. For the 2023 to 2024 tax year, the estimated value of the hidden economy was £2.6 billion.
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Mr Gregory Campbell:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, approximately how many people have become tax payers since the £12,570 personal allowance was frozen in 2022. \p Dan Tomlinson: The number of people forecast to pay tax by marginal rate can be found in Table 3.19 in the OBR’s November 2025 Economic and fiscal outlook – detailed forecast tables: receipts, linked below:

https://obr.uk/download/november-2025-economic-and-fiscal-outlook-detailed-forecast-tables-receipts/?tmstv=1764165511
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James Cartlidge:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 2 December 2025 to Question 94242 on Ukraine: Peacekeeping Operations, whether he has authorised any changes to the readiness levels of the (a) British Army, (b) Royal Navy, (c) Royal Air Force and (d) other units as part of planning for the Multinational Force Ukraine. \p Al Carns: As a matter of longstanding policy we do not publicly comment on the readiness levels of His Majesty’s Armed Forces. This is to safeguard operational security, and that of our Service people.

This Government is committed to ensuring our Armed Forces remain ready to respond to all challenges, including supporting Ukraine when hostilities end, through the Multinational Force Ukraine.
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James Cartlidge:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 24 November to Question 92321 on Armed Forces: Training, whether he has plans to reduce the amount of overseas training exercises conducted by the (i) British Army, (ii) Royal Navy and (iii) Royal Air Force in financial year (a) 2025-2026, (b) 2026-2027, (c) 2027-2028 and (d) 2028-2029. \p Al Carns: The single Services remain committed to prioritising overseas training exercises in alignment with both our own and partners' operational needs, as well as the priorities outlined in the Strategic Defence Review.

From financial year (FY) 2026-27, the Army, in collaboration with international partners, plans to reduce the number of overseas training exercises. This adjustment will enable a greater focus on NATO commitments and enhancing land warfighting capabilities.

Similarly, over the next four years, the Royal Navy will scale back its participation in overseas training outside the Europe, Atlantic, and Arctic theatre. This shift reflects its evolving global posture, aimed at supporting modernisation efforts and prioritising this theatre as part of NATO and homeland defence. By FY 2027-28, an increase in participation and support for NATO is anticipated, aligned with NATO's strategic objectives.
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Helen Morgan:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Single Living Accommodation units in each UK local authority area have recorded Legionella, in each year since 2018. \p Luke Pollard: Information on the number of cases of Legionella recorded in Single Living Accommodation (SLA) in each year since 2018 is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Further to my response to the hon Member's Question 91487 answered on 25 November 2025, following further review of the information, the answer provided gave the quantity of Legionella tests undertaken and not confirmed cases of Legionella.

The Ministry of Defence’s contractor VIVO took over responsibility for maintaining SLA within the Future Defence Infrastructure Services, Southwest contract in February 2022, data prior to this date is not held.

The below table shows that there have been no Legionella positive samples within SLA in Shropshire and North Shropshire between February 2022 to date:

Year

Legionella Positive Samples

2022

0

2023

0

2024

0

2025

0

The remaining data provided for Question 91487 remains unchanged.
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James Cartlidge:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has held discussions with service chiefs regarding the spending envelope for the Defence Investment Plan. \p Luke Pollard: The Defence Investment Plan has been informed by a range of inputs and perspectives including those of the Chiefs.
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James Cartlidge:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Department's press release entitled UK “building the factories of the future” as government launches next phase of new munitions and energetics factories, published on 19 November 2025, when the engineering design work on the first new factory will commence. \p Luke Pollard: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 25 November 2025, to Question 93045.

https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2025-11-20/93045

Work is underway to plan the new factories, it is currently premature to provide specific detail, more information will be made available once the necessary preparatory work has been completed.
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James Cartlidge:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he will next meet with his US and Australian counterparts to discuss the AUKUS partnership. \p Luke Pollard: The Defence Secretary has regular engagements with the US Secretary of War and the Australian Deputy Prime Minister, where they discuss a range of matters, including AUKUS. The UK continues to work closely with the US and Australia at all levels to maximise the benefits and opportunities that AUKUS presents for our three nations.
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James Cartlidge:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Department's press release entitled Royal Navy trial high-tech autonomous mine hunting capability, published on 10 December 2024, what is the in service date of the Apollo Maritime Counter Measure vessel. \p Luke Pollard: The Maritime Mine Counter Measure programme remains on track to deliver initial operational capability in line with Royal Navy requirements. The first vessel is expected to enter service in early 2026.

RNMB APOLLO was on trials and evaluation with the Royal Navy from 2021-2025 and has been returned to the manufacturer for maintenance and critical system updates, as part of its capability development phase, and is due to enter service later next year.
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James Cartlidge:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what is the in service date for the Maritime EW Programme. \p Luke Pollard: The Maritime Electronic Warfare Programme (MEWP) is made up of two parts.

The Maritime Electronic Warfare Systems Integrated Capability Increment 1 will deliver a digital Radar and Electronic Support Measures capability to the Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers, Type 45 destroyers, Type 26 and Type 31 frigates. The approved Initial Operating Capability (IOC)/In Service Date (ISD) is January 2027.

Electronic Warfare Countermeasures (EWCM) will deliver a new and improved countermeasure launcher for Type 45 destroyers, Type 26 and Type 31 frigates with an approved IOC/ISD of September 2027.
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Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, where companies his Department has signed contracts with in relation to the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy are based by local authority. \p Luke Pollard: The total cost of the Afghan Response Programme (ARP) to the end of financial year 2024-25 is approximately £2.7 billion. The costs are shared cross-Government. This figure includes spend on contracts that were already acquired by the Ministry of Defence (MOD) which were then utilised for ARP as well as contracts directly acquired for the specific requirements of ARP. Due to the nature of how these schemes operate, it is not possible to provide a breakdown per scheme.

I am withholding details regarding the location of such companies that the MOD has contracts with as its disclosure would be likely to prejudice the commercial interests of the Ministry of Defence.
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James Cartlidge:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Department's press release entitled New robots lead the way in bomb disposal innovation, published on 5 February 2025, how many contracts has he placed with L3Harris since 5 February 2025. \p Luke Pollard: The Department has placed two contracts with L3Harris since 5 February 2025.
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James Cartlidge:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Department's press release entitled New robots lead the way in bomb disposal innovation, published on 5 February 2025, how many contracts has he placed with Marlborough Communications Ltd since 5 February 2025. \p Luke Pollard: The Department has placed one contract with Marlborough Communications Ltd since 5 February 2025.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-08)

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James Cartlidge:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 8 September 2025 to Question 70650 on Defence, when he expects the Defence Readiness Bill to be drafted. \p Luke Pollard: The Ministry of Defence is working to develop defence readiness measures as set out in the Strategic Defence Review and Defence Industrial Strategy. We are engaging with other Government Departments as they consider what legislation they may wish to bring forward in the context of the Government’s Home Defence Programme led by the Cabinet Office. Drafting will take place following robust evidence gathering and policy development. Legislation will be brought forward when Parliamentary time allows.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-08)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-12-08 conversation_127

James Cartlidge:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Department's press release entitled Cruise missile of the future completes firing, published on 17 November 2024, how many trials have taken place for the SPEAR cruise missile since 17 November 2024. \p Luke Pollard: A further trial of the Selective Precision Effects At Range (SPEAR) 3 weapon system was conducted during the summer of 2025. A series of firings were conducted and built on the success and evidence gathered in the 2024 campaign.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-08)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-12-08 conversation_128

James Cartlidge:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Department's press release entitled UK jobs and air defences boost with purchase of new missile launchers, published on 22 August 2025, what estimate he has made of the total lifetime cost of the Land Ceptor missile systems. \p Luke Pollard: The launchers will be supported by a wider support contract, Weapon Availability Support Programme (WASP) which will cover all future through life support for the entire Land Ceptor fleet, Sea Ceptor and the Common Anti-air Modular Missile (CAMM) as well as other MBDA munitions. The contract is currently in negotiation.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-08)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-12-08 conversation_129

James Cartlidge:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Department's press release entitled UK “building the factories of the future” as government launches next phase of new munitions and energetics factories, published on 19 November 2025, whether each location has been decided for the six new munitions and energetics factories he has committed to build this Parliament. \p Luke Pollard: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 25 November 2025, to Question 93045.

https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2025-11-20/93045
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-08)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-12-08 conversation_130

James Cartlidge:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Department's press release entitled Storage facility for over 900 vehicles completed at MOD Ashchurch, published on 5 March 2025, if he has a target date for the completion of the Vehicle Storage and Support Programme. \p Luke Pollard: The Vehicle Storage and Support Programme at Ministry of Defence Ashchurch remains on target to complete in 2027.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-08)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-12-08 conversation_131

James Cartlidge:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Department's press release entitled New British Army robotic mine plough aims to better shield soldiers from danger, published on 10 April 2025, how many remote-controlled mine plough systems has he ordered since 10 April 2025. \p Luke Pollard: The WEEVIL prototype currently uses the Warrior Infantry Fighting Vehicle, fitted with a full-width mine plough, advanced remote-control system, and vehicle-mounted cameras. Project Atilla is the Army's term for the delivery of the WEEVIL capability. Whilst Project Atilla is currently in its concept phase, it is expected to have an in-service date of 2032.

Since April 2025, one Warrior platform has been adapted with the WEEVIL capability. The Army is considering adapting further Warrior vehicles with the WEEVIL capability in the near future.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-08)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-12-08 conversation_132

Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 27 November 2025 to Question 93240 on Armoured Fighting Vehicles: Procurement, what was the a) start and b) finish date of Project RARDEN. \p Luke Pollard: Project RARDEN is a legacy project that introduced the Rarden cannon into service in the 1970s. On current planning, the Rarden cannon will be removed from service December 2027.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-08)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-12-08 conversation_133

Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his comment given to British Forces Broadcasting Service following reporting of medical discharges relating to operating in Ajax vehicles that Medical discharges are not attributed to individual vehicles or pieces of equipment, what assessment has he made of the correlation between medical discharges and use of Ajax. \p Luke Pollard: As a former member of the Armed Forces the hon. Member will know that the nature of military service exposes Service personnel to a wide range of hazards. For example, noise from weapons systems, Armoured Fighting Vehicles and helicopters over a full career often make a ‘condition’ attributable to service in general, rather than a specific cause or event. It is therefore inherently difficult to make direct linkages or define what is reasonably attributable to Ajax, or any other specific contributing factor, and medical discharge.

We are currently undertaking reviews into the medical injuries sustained by Ajax crews and more details on the findings will be published in due course.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-08)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-12-08 conversation_134

Derek Twigg:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his estimate is for carrying out the necessary repairs for the fleet of MAN Logistic Support Vehicles; and how long will it be before the whole fleet is back in service. \p Luke Pollard: Repair analysis is ongoing; however, initial estimates indicate that all vehicles will be returned to full use by early 2026 in accordance with formation priorities.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-08)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-12-08 conversation_135

James Cartlidge:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) UK-based SMEs and (b) mid-tier suppliers have been offered support through the Defence Supplier Capability Development Programme since 5 July 2024. \p Luke Pollard: Since 5 July 2024, 22 UK-based SMEs have been offered support through the Defence Supplier Capability Development Programme (DSCDP). 19 in total then successfully joined. To date, no mid-tier suppliers have been offered support.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-08)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-12-08 conversation_136

Derek Twigg:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, where were the Army's MAN Logistic Support Vehicle built; and what is the age of the vehicles. \p Luke Pollard: The vehicles were manufactured under the responsibility of MAN Truck & Bus UK (MTB UK). The base was produced at MAN’s facilities in Germany and Austria, with UK-specific modifications integrated by MTB UK and specialist subcontractors within the UK. The age of the vehicles is approximately 18 years, entering service in 2007/8.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-08)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-12-08 conversation_137

Dave Doogan:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress his Department has made on (a) allocating funding and (b) identifying opportunities for investment by the Defence Growth Deal in Scotland. \p Luke Pollard: The Ministry of Defence has been working with the UK Government, the Scottish Government, industry, academia and other key stakeholders to identify opportunities to invest in interventions that support defence priority sub-sectors that align with Scotland’s sub-sector strengths. Work is ongoing to understand how the £250 million Defence Growth Deal fund will be allocated across the five locations, including Scotland.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-08)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-12-08 conversation_138

Jim McMahon:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether Oldham, Chadderton and Royton are being considered for veteran support centres. \p Louise Sandher-Jones: Applications are currently open for organisations to bid to become VALOUR recognised centres. The exact locations of centres will be dependent on the applications received, with consideration given to the geographic spread of centres. The programme guidance for applicants encourages them to consider how their bid will deliver more equity of access and consistency in service quality throughout the UK.

VALOUR recognised centres will facilitate in-person access to multiple services for veterans right across the UK. These centres will be required to meet high standards and provide timely data to the UK Government regarding the needs and experiences of veterans to inform future service improvements.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-08)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-12-08 conversation_139

James Cartlidge:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the National Insurance contribution holiday for the employers of veterans will be in place for each remaining financial year of the current Parliament. \p Louise Sandher-Jones: The Budget Report confirmed that the Employer National Insurance contributions relief for veterans will be extended to April 2028.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-08)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-12-08 conversation_140

Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what (a) number and (b) proportion of rail journeys were made using (i) advance purchase, (ii) off-peak and (iii) anytime tickets in in each month since and including July 2024 up to and including the most recent month for which figures are available. \p Keir Mather: The Department for Transport has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-08)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-12-08 conversation_141

Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many (a) Notices to Improve and (b) written instructions her Department issued to train operating companies for which the Department is the operator in relation to (i) service performance and (ii) financial control in (A) November 2025 and (B) each month since July 2024. \p Keir Mather: The Department for Transport has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-08)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-12-08 conversation_142

Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many full-time equivalent driving examiners recruited by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency were (a) in post and (b) delivering practical car driving tests in November 2025. \p Simon Lightwood: As of 30 November 2025, there were 1,608 full-time equivalent (FTE) driving examiners (DE) in post. Of those, 1,539 FTE were delivering practical car driving tests.

A DE is a paid Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency employee from the point at which they start their training and therefore considered to be in post.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-08)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-12-08 conversation_143

Mr Gregory Campbell:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, on how many occasions in the past three years has cargo being transported in UK waters been found to contain oil sourced in or through Russia. \p Keir Mather: The Department for Transport has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-08)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-12-08 conversation_144

Jerome Mayhew:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what proportion of rail journeys used fully digital tickets in (a) November 2025 and (b) each month since July 2024. \p Keir Mather: The Department for Transport has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-08)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-12-08 conversation_145

Jerome Mayhew:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate she has made of the level of net Government support to the rail sector per passenger journey in (a) November 2025 and (b) each month since July 2024. \p Keir Mather: The Department for Transport has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-08)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-12-08 conversation_146

Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much central government funding was provided to Transport for London in each financial year from 2007–08 to 2024–25; and what it is expected to be in 2025-6. \p Simon Lightwood: All the information requested is available on TfL's website: Funding letters - Transport for London.