theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-24)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-24 conversation_123

Jim McMahon:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the nutritional value of food and drinks available to school breakfast clubs in England. \p Olivia Bailey: The department supports the provision of nutritious food in schools to enable pupils to be well nourished, develop healthy eating habits and to concentrate and learn in school.

The Requirements for School Food Regulations 2014 regulate the food and drink provided at both lunchtime and at other times of the school day, including at free breakfast clubs, and are available here: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2014/1603/contents/made.

Compliance with the school food standards is mandatory for maintained schools, academies and free schools. Alongside the school food standards practical guide, which is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-food-standards-resources-for-schools/school-food-standards-practical-guide. Our free breakfast clubs guidance includes examples of healthy breakfast offers to help support schools to provide a healthy, balanced breakfast offer to pupils. This guidance has been produced in collaboration with the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities at the Department of Health and Social Care.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-24)

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Luke Myer:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance her Department has issued to (a) schools and (b) local authorities on food (i) procurement and (ii) supply chain transparency. \p Olivia Bailey: Schools are responsible for providing meals and meeting the School Food Standards. They may enter individual contracts with suppliers and caterers to meet this duty. Our guidance on the School Food Standards, available on GOV.UK, includes practical advice to support schools in areas such as menu planning and procurement.

The department has published guidance for schools participating in the Early Adopter Breakfast Clubs Programme, which sets out what support is available in relation to food procurement, including the ‘buying for schools service’.

The department’s ‘Get help buying for schools’ has a range of approved frameworks that can help schools to buy food with peace of mind that they are getting good value, in terms of cost, quality and time. These resources are accessible at: https://get-help-buying-for-schools.education.gov.uk/categories/catering.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-24)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-24 conversation_125

Joe Morris:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions her Department has had with Northumberland County Council on the adequacy of support for children with special educational needs and disabilities in Hexham constituency. \p Georgia Gould: Departmental officials meet with Northumberland County Council regularly, both individually and as part of North East regional meetings to discuss the delivery of special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) services both strategically and operationally across the local area partnership.

In July 2025, departmental officials met Northumberland County Council following the publication of education, health and care plan statistics. Officials discussed the published data and the support for children with SEND in Northumberland including in Hexham constituency.

In December 2025, officials will meet with Northumberland County Council to discuss the local authority’s high needs place planning, the use of their capital allocation and how this will improve services and support children and young people with SEND.

The department will continue to work with Northumberland County Council to monitor the delivery of SEND services and offer support when required.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-24)

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Preet Kaur Gill:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking with universities to ensure academics with gender-critical views are not treated differently and that their research is allowed to be published. \p Josh MacAlister: This government is absolutely committed to freedom of speech and academic freedom. Higher education (HE) must be a space for robust discussion and intellectual rigour. Academics must be allowed to test the truth of the ideas that shape society and participate in the free exchange of ideas.

The department has confirmed our plans for the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023, which will create a more proportionate, balanced and less burdensome approach to protecting free speech and protecting researchers’ rights to academic freedom. From 1 August 2025, providers have strengthened duties to secure and promote the importance of free speech. These duties require HE providers to take reasonably practicable steps to protect those expressing lawful views, including those which may be gender critical.

The Office for Students has also set out detailed published guidance for HE providers on how to implement their duties and protect academic freedom, including in relation to the expression of gender critical views.

As well as taking reasonably practicable steps to protect the lawful freedom of speech and academic freedom of all academics, including those with gender critical beliefs, HE providers must also comply with relevant provisions of the Equality Act 2010, which prohibits unlawful discrimination in relation to protected characteristics, such as gender critical beliefs.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-24)

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Ian Sollom:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what protocols exist for (a) her Department and (b) the Office for Students when approached by (i) universities and (ii) lenders regarding (A) university financial difficulties, (B) debt arrangements and (C) lending terms. \p Josh MacAlister: The department does not intervene directly in negotiations between universities and banks. As independent institutions, universities are responsible for managing their own finances. We do of course regularly meet both with providers and banks to discuss the finances of higher education institutions. However, it is important these discussions are kept confidential.

The processes and protocols of the Office for Students (OfS) are a matter for them. In the first instance, providers should speak to the OfS where they have identified financial risk.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-24)

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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of no-fault evictions on school stability, attendance and attainment for affected children. \p Olivia Bailey: The department understands that insecure housing can affect a pupil’s engagement with education. Our statutory attendance guidance sets out how partners should work together to understand barriers to attendance, which includes housing support where relevant. Where a pupil is temporarily accommodated in a different local authority, the guidance is also clear that both local authorities should work together to ensure continuity of education. The statutory attendance guidance is available in full at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/working-together-to-improve-school-attendance.

The Renters’ Rights Act delivers our manifesto commitment to transform the experience of private renting, including by ending Section 21 ‘no fault’ evictions from 1 May 2026. It will give renters much greater security and stability so that they can stay in their homes for longer, build lives in their communities and avoid the risk of homelessness.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-24)

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Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much the Education and Skills Funding Agency has spent on translation and interpretation services in each of the last five years. \p Olivia Bailey: During the period of 01 January 2020 to 17 November 2025, the Education and Skills Funding Agency spent £0.00 on translation and interpretation services.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-24)

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Robert Jenrick:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when his Department waived rules against the release of prisoners on Fridays. \p Jake Richards: The Offenders (Day of Release from Detention) Act 2023 was introduced in June 2023, enabling offenders who are at risk of reoffending to be released up to two days earlier, where a release date falls on a Friday or before a bank holiday. The Friday Releases scheme was brought into force on the 30 November 2023, introducing a presumption against releasing offenders on a Friday, therefore reducing risks linked to limited weekend services and helping keep the public safer by lowering reoffending risk.

There has been no suspension of the 'Friday Releases' policy since its introduction; it has continued to apply to standard determinate sentence (SDS) releases since its introduction. Therefore, we are unable to provide your requested information.

By removing barriers that a Friday release can create, we are maintaining public protection by ensuring offenders can better access the support they need to reintegrate into the community effectively.
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Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will issued sentencing guidelines for people convicted of supporting Hamas during university protests. \p Jake Richards: The Government is absolutely clear that support for proscribed organisations is unacceptable. Section 12 of the Terrorism Act 2000 (TACT) makes it an offence to invite support for; recklessly express support for; or arrange a meeting in support of a proscribed organisation. Section 13 of TACT makes it an offence to wear clothing or carry articles in public, which arouse reasonable suspicion that an individual is a member or supporter of a proscribed organisation, and publish an image of an item of clothing or other article, such as a flag or logo in the same circumstances. Proscription offences can carry a maximum penalty of up to 14 years in prison and/or an unlimited fine.

While everyone is entitled to their political opinions, and higher education providers have duties to take reasonably practicable steps to secure freedom of speech and academic freedom within the law, any discussions and protests must be lawful. Inciting others to violence or terrorism is not protected speech. In these instances, we would expect university leaders to take robust action, particularly where there are concerns that a criminal act may have been committed, including reporting crimes to the police.

The investigation and prosecution of criminal offences, including determining whether an offence has been committed or not, is a matter for the police and Crown Prosecution Service, which are operationally independent. Sentencing decisions in individual cases are a matter for the independent judiciary.

Sentencing guidelines are developed by the Sentencing Council for England and Wales, in fulfilment of its statutory duty to do so. All sentencing courts in England and Wales must follow any sentencing guidelines which are relevant to the offender’s case, unless it is in the interests of justice not to do so (by virtue of section 59 of the Sentencing Code). The court must give reasons when departing from the guidelines.

The Sentencing Council has issued a package of guidelines on terrorism offences, including the s.12 TACT offence of support of a proscribed organisation, which provide the Court with guidance on factors that should be considered, which may affect the sentence given. They set out different levels of sentence based on the harm caused and how culpable the offender is. The guidelines also include non-exhaustive lists of aggravating and mitigating factors which can result in an upward or downward adjustment in the sentence. The guidelines can be found online at the Council’s website: https://sentencingcouncil.org.uk/.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-24)

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Robert Jenrick:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to Sahayb Abu v Secretary of State for Justice [2025] EWHC 3026 (Admin), how much his Department has paid Mr Denny De SIlva in (a) damages, (b) other compensation, (c) ex gratia or out-of-court payments and (d) legal costs. \p Jake Richards: I refer the Right Hon. Member to the Answer I gave on 17 November to Question 89422.
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Rebecca Paul:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many transgender young people are currently held in mixed gender settings within the Children and Young People Estate at HMP & YOI Downview. \p Jake Richards: HMP & YOI Downview is not part of the Children and Young People Estate. No children or young people are accommodated there.
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Andy Slaughter:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of prisoners were (a) released into homelessness and (b) homeless three months after release in each quarter since January 2022. \p Jake Richards: We are taking a number of steps to reduce numbers of those being released from prison homeless, including measures to improve joint processes and guidance across prisons, probation and local authorities. Overall statutory responsibility for housing and homelessness lies with local authorities in both England and Wales.

We are working closely with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and other Departments through the Inter-Ministerial Group on Homelessness and Rough Sleeping to develop a new long-term cross-government strategy to put us back on track to ending homelessness.

We deliver our Community Accommodation Service Tier 3 (CAS3) to support prison leavers who are subject to probation supervision and at risk of homelessness, by offering up to 12 weeks of basic transitional accommodation to provide a stable base on release.

We employ 50 prison-based Strategic Housing Specialists, including nine across the female estate, to support prisons to reduce homelessness on release by working in partnership with probation teams and Local Authorities.

Published figures relating to offender accommodation outcomes can be found here: Offender Accommodation Outcome Statistics - GOV.UK.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-24)

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Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much HM Prison and Probation Service has spent on translation and interpretation services in each of the last five years. \p Jake Richards: The information requested can be found in the tables below.

Translation:

FY

Translation

FY21-22

£ 83,462.46

FY22-23

£ 137,213.31

FY23-24

£ 280,071.34

FY24-25

£ 328,526.54

FY25-26

£ 142,303.32

Total

£ 971,576.97

Interpreting:

FY

Interpreting

FY21/22

£ 133,776.35

FY22/23

£ 125,495.41

FY23/24

£ 163,546.08

FY24/25

£ 161,212.42

FY25/26

£ 105,987.79

Total

£ 690,018.05

The Ministry of Justice has a statutory duty to provide Language Services to enable access to justice for users whom English is not their first language. Language Service needs and spend are assessed to ensure these services offer good value for money for taxpayers whilst maintaining high standards of service delivery.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-24)

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Gareth Thomas:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many cases of trustee mismanagement of asset protection trusts were investigated by his Department in each of the last three years. \p Sarah Sackman: The trustees of a trust hold assets for the benefit of others (the beneficiaries of the trust) under the terms of the trust document.

The general law of trusts enables the beneficiaries of a trust to hold the trustees to account to the extent permitted by the trust instrument or in legislation. In appropriate cases, it may be possible for the beneficiaries to have the trustees removed and replaced.

The decision as to whether to take action against the trustees is, in the absence of a crime, for the beneficiaries affected, and disputes are determined by the courts rather than investigated by Government.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-24)

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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many possession claims relating to Section 21 notices are currently awaiting court hearing; and what the average waiting time is for those hearings. \p Sarah Sackman: A Section 21 notice provides for an accelerated court process, usually without a hearing. However, if the application is not in order or the tenant challenges the claim a hearing may be scheduled.

The Civil Procedure Rules stipulate that possession claims should be listed within 4 to 8 weeks of a claim being issued.  The most recent published statistics, covering the period July to September 2025 show that the median time from claim to order is 7.6 weeks.

The Government has set out its roadmap for implementing the Renters’ Rights Act 2025. Private landlords will not be able to serve new Section 21 notices on their tenants on or after 1 May 2026.

The Ministry of Justice publishes quarterly data on possession claims at: Mortgage and landlord possession statistics: July to September 2025 - GOV.UK.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-24)

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Manuela Perteghella:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to encourage burial authorities to make every effort to contact families before taking action to lay memorials flat where this can be done safely. \p Alex Davies-Jones: While the Department is responsible for burial law and policy, the Government does not have day-to-day operational responsibility for burial grounds, which lies instead with providers.

The Government’s guidance documents Managing the safety of Burial Ground Memorials and Guide for Burial Ground Managers set out best practice for memorial safety inspections, including guidance that laying memorials flat should only occur where necessary and following a risk assessment. The documents also advise burial authorities to make every effort to contact families before taking action, where this does not compromise safety.

Burial authorities are expected to follow this guidance when carrying out inspections. Any concerns or complaints about how inspections have been conducted can be raised directly with the relevant burial authority.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-24)

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Dr Neil Hudson:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of support available for victims of prisoners mistakenly released from prison. \p Alex Davies-Jones: The HMPPS Victim Contact Scheme is a service for the victims of offenders who are convicted of a specified violent, sexual or terrorism offence and are sentenced to twelve months or more imprisonment. Victims who decide to receive the service are allocated a Victim Liaison Officer who will keep the victim updated on key stages throughout the sentence, including if the offender is released from prison in error and when the offender is returned to custody.

Whilst the Victim Contact Scheme is not a support service, Victim Liaison Officers are responsible for directing and referring victims to sources of additional support where this is appropriate, including national and location victim support services. Under the Victims’ Code, all victims are entitled to be given information about and be referred to victim support services by the police to help them cope and recover from the impact of a crime.

Through the Victims and Courts Bill, we will be updating the legislative framework that establishes the Victim Contact Scheme to bring victims currently served by different post-conviction communication schemes into the Victim Contact Scheme and provide a new route for other victims to request information via a dedicated helpline.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-24)

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Samantha Niblett:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment her Department has made of the systemic risks posed to the UK economy and critical services by reliance on two dominant hyperscale cloud providers, following recent outages on Microsoft Azure and Amazon Web Services. \p Kanishka Narayan: The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) continues to monitor systemic risks to UK critical national infrastructure from reliance on cloud providers, including resilience measures and contingency planning following recent service outages. DSIT works closely with each cloud provider during and after any incident to ensure improved resilience and lessons learnt are shared across Government. For example, following earlier global digital resilience incidents, we are working to strengthen our capability to coordinate this kind of incident across Government.

Government recommends that public sector organisations adopt a multi-region approach, in which they make controlled, considered use of regions in a way which is compatible with UK law. This helps improve resilience by removing the reliance on any one region.

DSIT will publish the Government Cyber Action Plan this Winter, which sets out a clear approach for Government and the public sector to manage cyber security and resilience incidents impacting Government services.

Government also recognises the importance of robust protections for the services essential to our society and economy – that is why we introduced the Cyber Security and Resilience Bill on 12 November.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-24)

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Samantha Niblett:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps the Government is taking to ensure greater competition, interoperability, and diversity in the UK cloud market, in light of successive large-scale outages from Microsoft Azure and Amazon Web Services. \p Kanishka Narayan: In July, the Competition and Markets Authority (the CMA) recommended their board prioritise a future Strategic Market Status investigation into competition in the cloud market. The CMA is independent of Government and any decisions on which markets it investigates is for their Board.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-24)

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Samantha Niblett:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology,  what steps her Department is taking to ensure that the Competition and Markets Authority accelerates the Digital Markets Unit strategic market status designation process for cloud services. \p Kanishka Narayan: The Competition and Markets Authority (the CMA) has completed 3 Strategic Market Status investigations this year. The CMA is independent of the Government and decisions on which markets to investigate is for their Board. The CMA has published guidance on its website on how it will prioritise Strategic Market Status designations.
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Jonathan Davies:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what plans her Department has to (a) make alternative forms of identification available as proof of age for venues and (b) work with industry partners to ensure acceptance of other forms of identification as age verification for people unable to obtain a driving license due to epilepsy or other health conditions. \p Ian Murray: The government has developed a set of requirements (under UK Digital Identity and Attributes Trust Framework (UK DIATF)) for the creation and use of trusted digital verification services, underpinned by the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025. While use of these services is not mandated, it provides an alternative way of proving age for different use cases, including venues.   The Home Office intends to bring forward legislation to enable the use of digital identities as proof of age for purchasing alcohol in England and Wales. This will provide individuals, should they choose, with the option to use a secure digital identity that meets Government standards as an alternative to physical identification. These standards, in the UK DIATF, facilitate private sector providers to use a range of credentials as evidence to create digital identities.

Inclusion is one of the key principles in the UK DIATF, and we work closely with partners in the digital verification services industry on this issue. Digital identities, created through high-quality digital verification services, can be created from a range of documents and datasets, which means proving your age should not be reliant on individuals having a particular credential, like a driving licence.
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Samantha Niblett:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what actions she will take to address restrictive software licensing practices by dominant cloud providers, as identified by the CMA, to ensure fair competition in the cloud services market. \p Kanishka Narayan: The Government is committed to supporting a competitive and innovative digital economy. This is why we prioritised the commencement of the Competition and Markets Authority’s (the CMA) new powers in digital markets. The CMA is independent of Government, and any decisions on which markets it investigates is for their Board.
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Mr Gregory Campbell:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what is the lifespan of the Semiconductor Advisory Panel; and when does he expect to receive any recommendations from it. \p Kanishka Narayan: The UK Semiconductor Advisory Panel was established to provide a formal mechanism for industry, academia and government to work closely together on delivering the government’s strategic aims for the semiconductor sector. It provides ongoing advice, rather than developing formal recommendations. Panel members serve 18-month terms.
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Cameron Thomas:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps she is taking to tackle monopolistic practices amongst broadband providers. \p Kanishka Narayan: As the independent regulator for telecommunications, Ofcom is responsible for regulating the telecoms sector with a duty to further the interests of citizens and consumers, where appropriate by promoting competition.

Where Ofcom determines a provider has significant market power (SMP) in a market, it can impose remedies as appropriate. In the wholesale fixed telecoms market, BT and KCOM were found to have SMP and a range of pricing and non-pricing remedies were imposed on the firms to promote network competition. Ofcom is in the process of updating its decisions through its Telecoms Access Review. Ofcom has not found any firm to have SMP in the retail telecoms sector.

In July, DSIT published a consultation on the draft Statement of Strategic Priorities for telecommunications, the management of radio spectrum, and postal services. The draft Statement sets out the government’s view on the importance of competition to support broadband deployment across the UK. We are currently reviewing responses to the consultation and will publish our response in due course.
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Cameron Thomas:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps she is taking to prevent the monopolisation of broadband provision in developments where the broadband provider is owned by the property developer. \p Kanishka Narayan: Ofcom is responsible for regulating the telecoms sector, and it has a duty to further the interests of citizens and consumers, where appropriate by promoting competition.

Developers decide which network operators they would like present in their buildings and negotiate commercial agreements with those operators. Developers are free to approach as many network operators as they wish and to secure multiple connections on a voluntary basis. As regulator for the sector, it is for Ofcom to assess whether there is a competition issue with housing developments and put remedies in place as appropriate.
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Dr Ellie Chowns:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if she will publish an update on the status of the Universal Service Obligation consultation which closed on 27 November 2023; and what assessment she had made of the potential merits of increasing the 10mbps threshold of decent broadband. \p Kanishka Narayan: Due to the change in government in 2024, we do not expect to publish a government response to the 2023 public consultation on reviewing the Broadband Universal Service Obligation (USO). However, the information gathered through this is being used to inform ongoing policy development.

Ofcom's December 2024 Connected Nations reporting confirmed that the legislated trigger point to review the Broadband Universal Service Obligation (USO) had been reached and we are continuing to work with Ofcom to commence a review of the Broadband USO in due course. Assessment of the potential merits of increasing the speed threshold will be considered as part of this review and in any following policy development.
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Neil Duncan-Jordan:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of requiring internet service providers to carry out age verification checks rather than individual websites. \p Kanishka Narayan: The Online Safety Act makes online services responsible for protecting all users from illegal content and activity, and children from harmful content. Under the Act, services must use age assurance to prevent children encountering the most harmful content. We recognise that there may be benefits to internet service provider-level interventions. We have recently brought into effect the new measures and wish to allow time to assess the Act’s effectiveness before introducing additional measures. Where evidence demonstrates that further action is necessary to protect children and the wider public, we will not hesitate to act.
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James McMurdock:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps she is taking to ensure growth of the data centre sector is compatible with (a) wider land use and (b) environmental objectives. \p Kanishka Narayan: The National Planning Policy Framework sets out the government's planning policies for England and how these are expected to be applied. In 2024, this was updated to provide particular support to key industries such as digital infrastructure, including data centres, as drivers of growth across the economy. Additionally, the government are proposing Data centres to be included as a type of development that could be capable of being directed to proceed through the Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIP) regime. This Government will publish a National Policy Statement (NPS) on data centres which will provide a clear policy framework for site selection, emphasising locations that minimise conflicts with housing, agriculture, and other strategic land uses.

In regard to environmental objectives, some UK data centre operators are implementing energy-efficient measures under a Climate Change Agreement, and our Clean Power Action Plan will support the growth of new energy intensive industries like data centres. As many new data centres have a large energy requirement, the AI Energy Council is working with regulators, energy firms, and tech companies to secure sustainable power. We also encourage developers to plan for water availability, prioritize non-potable use, embed efficiency and reuse, and engage early with suppliers.
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Pippa Heylings:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the Answer of 20 October 2025 to Question 79133 on universities: research, what assessment she has made of the impact of the MRC funding model changes on universities. \p Kanishka Narayan: The change to the Medical Research Council's (MRC) funding model was informed by the findings of the 2020 MRC Unit and Centre Review. This found that a new model could support more strategic investment in medical research, enable closer collaboration with industry, and help researchers be more agile in their work.

MRC Centres of Research Excellence (CoREs) are a new way of funding bold and ambitious science, tackling the most important challenges by delivering transformational impact in biomedical and health research. Establishment of the new CoRE funding model is a change in the mechanism of support and does not in any way change MRC’s intent to continue supporting high quality research. Existing units are invited to secure continued, long-term investment through the new CoRE model, while other research activities are invited to transition onto MRC grant support. The MRC continues to provide routes for sustained research investment, mitigating the risks to universities as much as possible.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-24)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-24 conversation_152

Mike Wood:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the Answer of 30 May 2025 to Question 52904 on Electronic Government, if she will publish the Data Protection Impact Assessment produced for the One Login programme. \p Ian Murray: We have an obligation to let citizens know how we are processing their data, which we do via a privacy notice published on GOV.UK. We continually develop our Data Protection Impact Assessment to take into account the new identity verification journeys, such as the no photo ID route. We are preparing an easily digestible version of our Data Protection Impact Assessment for publication, which will be made available in due course.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-24)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-24 conversation_153

James Cartlidge:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he considered providing information to Parliament on the attempt by a Russian spy vessel to blind RAF pilots on 19 November 2025. \p Al Carns: The Ministry of Defence is committed to updating Parliament on all matters related to national security, including the use of lasers by the Russian spy ship YANTAR The Minister for the Armed Forces answered an Urgent Question in Parliament about this incident on 20 November.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-24)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-24 conversation_154

James Cartlidge:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has plans to cancel any named exercises by the (a) British Army, (b) Royal Navy and (c) Royal Air Force in the (i) current financial year and (ii) next financial year. \p Al Carns: The Department conducts military exercises to maintain operational effectiveness, raise warfighting readiness and ensure the armed forces are prepared to respond to a wide range of scenarios. These exercises often involve collaboration with our allies and partners, enhancing interoperability and collective readiness.

Our exercise plans are kept under regular review to ensure they align with our priorities and both our own and our partners' operational requirements.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-24)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-24 conversation_155

Kim Johnson:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Answer of 13 July 2020 to Question 68798 on Yemen: Military Intervention, whether his Department maintains its Tracker database of alleged instances of breaches or violations of International Humanitarian Law with regards to arms sales to the United Arab Emirates. \p Al Carns: The UK maintained a database of alleged instances of breaches or violations of International Humanitarian Law by members of the Saudi Led Coalition in Yemen, including the United Arab Emirates. As the Coalition no longer operates in Yemen and there have been no new allegations, I can confirm this record is no longer maintained.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-24)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-24 conversation_156

Sir Iain Duncan Smith:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what percentage of drones, including IOTs (small communicating modular devices), procured by the MOD are made with Chinese components. \p Luke Pollard: We do not procure Chinese manufactured drones for use in operations, and we review our critical supply chains regularly to identify and mitigate potential risks to our National Security.

The MOD does not routinely comment on the relative percentages on the origin or percentages of specific components of our planned or in service capabilities.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-24)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-24 conversation_157

James Cartlidge:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will list all named exercises that have been cancelled by the (a) British Army, (b) Royal Navy and (c) Royal Air Force since 5 July 2024. \p Al Carns: This information is not held centrally and is taking time to collate. I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-24)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-24 conversation_158

James Cartlidge:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has had formal discussions on reducing the amount of training conducted by the (a) British Army, (b) Royal Navy and (c) Royal Air Force in the current financial year. \p Al Carns: On current plans, the Royal Navy, British Army and Royal Air Force have not reduced planned training for the current financial year. We have defined training to mean Phase 1 (basic training) and Phase 2 (initial profession training) only.

The Royal Navy has increased training delivery this year in response to increased recruitment and continues to modernise and streamline training pathways to meet operational needs. The amount of training conducted by the British Army and Royal Air Force remains unchanged.
wrans/answers2025-11-24 conversation_159
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-24)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-24 conversation_159

James Cartlidge:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the Defence Committee's report entitled The UK contribution to European security, published on 19 November 2025, HC 520. \p Al Carns: The government welcomes the Committee’s report.

NATO is the bedrock of our defence, with the UK committed alongside our Allies to our collective security. With our NATO First approach, the UK is stepping up to strengthen European security further, and will continue to do so. Backed by the biggest sustained increase in defence spending since the end of the Cold War, the outcomes of our Strategic Defence Review will ensure our Armed Forces are moving to warfighting readiness, so that Britain is secure at home and strong abroad.

We will respond to the Committee’s recommendations in full in due course.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-24)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-24 conversation_160

James Cartlidge:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential impact on national security of the Russian spy vessel Yantar entering British waters. \p Al Carns: Russia’s Main Directorate of Deep-Sea Research is developing capabilities intended to survey underwater infrastructure during peacetime and damage, or even destroy, it during a conflict. These capabilities are deployed from submarines and specialist surface vessels, including Yantar.

MOD takes this threat extremely seriously. The Royal Navy closely track and monitor the activities of the Yantar, and have military options ready to respond if needed.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-24)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-24 conversation_161

James Cartlidge:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent steps he has taken to protect British military pilots from lasers fired from Russian spy vessels. \p Al Carns: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to him (column 844) and the answer I gave to the Rt hon. Member for New Forest East (column 847) on 20 November 2025 for the Urgent Question on Russian Ship Yantar.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-24)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-24 conversation_162

James Cartlidge:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he plans to respond to Question 70779 on Defence: Intelligence Services. \p Al Carns: I responded to the hon. Member on 20 November 2025.
wrans/answers2025-11-24 conversation_163
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-24)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-24 conversation_163

Derek Twigg:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, by what date he expects to have a full fleet of Ajax armoured vehicles. \p Luke Pollard: On current plans, Full Operating Capability for the Armoured Cavalry Programme is expected to be achieved by the end of 2029.
wrans/answers2025-11-24 conversation_164
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-24)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-24 conversation_164

Mr Lee Dillon:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what directions his Department has given to the Atomic Weapons Establishment on changes to its Distinguished Scientist cohort. \p Luke Pollard: AWE notified the Ministry of Defence last year of its intent to conduct a reorganisation to strengthen the company as it embarks on the challenge of designing and manufacturing the next generation of the UK’s sovereign nuclear warhead.

The ongoing restructuring will not reduce the overall number of employees, as the company will continue to hire appropriately qualified skilled professionals, including scientists and engineers. This activity will ensure AWE has the right people with the right skillsets in place to deliver defence outputs, both now and in the future.

The precise nature of the reorganisation is an operational matter for AWE. AWE will work closely with the trade unions throughout the consultation period and are committed to approaching the process with fairness, care and respect for its employees.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-24)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-24 conversation_165

Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when the Armed Forces Commissioner is expected to be appointed; and when the Commissioner's office is expected to be fully operational. \p Louise Sandher-Jones: We are in the process of recruiting an Armed Forces Commissioner . It is expected that a Commissioner will be appointed in early 2026, with plans for their office to be fully operational in April 2026. The role is subject to scrutiny in accordance with the principles of the Governance Code on Public Appointments and overseen by the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments. We remain committed to appointing the right person for this critical role, which is central to delivering a trusted and effective service for our people.
wrans/answers2025-11-24 conversation_166
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-24)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-24 conversation_166

Mr Calvin Bailey:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when his Department plans to respond to the Veterans Advisory and Pensions Committee 2025 report; and if he will meet representatives of regional Veterans Advisory and Pensions Committees following that response. \p Louise Sandher-Jones: As the new Minister for Veterans and People, I am currently reviewing and understanding my portfolio, which includes the Veterans Advisory and Pensions Committees. This includes reviewing previous advice also provided to my predecessor. This forms part of a much wider and far-reaching review to streamline and improve the offer to our people, which remains ongoing. A response will be issued in due course.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-24)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-24 conversation_167

Jim McMahon:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he plans to expand support for armed forces cadet units in England. \p Louise Sandher-Jones: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 16 September 2025 to Question 76173 to the hon. Member for Surrey Heath (Dr Al Pinkerton).

Cadets: South East (docx, 16.5KB)