theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Kerry McCarthy:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 22 July 2025 to Question 68072 on Housing Benefit: Supported Housing, what further discussions he has had with stakeholders on proposals to increase the Housing Benefit disregard for working single claimants from £5 to £57. \p Sir Stephen Timms: We acknowledge there is a challenge arising from the interaction between Universal Credit and Housing Benefit, particularly for working age customers living in Supported Housing and Temporary Accommodation.

A wide range of customers currently receive rent support through Housing Benefit, including pensioners, residents in Supported Housing or Temporary Accommodation, and those who have not yet migrated to Universal Credit. Any amendment to the Housing Benefit taper would therefore apply across these groups.

Eradicating the financial cliff edge some individuals face as they incrementally increase their earnings could not be achieved by simply aligning the taper rates within the two benefits. Officials are undertaking further analysis to assess its impact on the various groups and will continue considering policy options with stakeholders.

It remains our priority to ensure that those who can work are supported to enter and sustain employment. Any future decisions on housing support will be made in the round, prioritising measures that best meet Government objectives within the current fiscal environment.
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Neil Coyle:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of (a) the causes of the reduction in foodbank use in this calendar year and (b) how this trend can be built upon. \p Dame Diana Johnson: The Government is committed to tackling poverty and ending mass dependence on emergency food parcels. We have already introduced the Fair Repayment Rate, reducing the Universal Credit overall deductions cap from 25% to 15% of a customer’s standard allowance, giving 1.2m households an average of £420 per year. In addition, we have also uprated benefit rates for 2025/26 in line with inflation, with 5.7 million Universal Credit households forecast to gain by an average of £150 annually.

The Government has also taken further action to support low-income households including through the increase in the National Living Wage to £12.21 an hour from April 2025, boosting the pay of 3 million workers.

Ahead of Child Poverty Strategy publication in the autumn, we have already taken substantive action across major drivers of child poverty. This includes an expansion of Free School Meals that will lift 100,000 children out of poverty by the end of this Parliament and a new £1 billion package to reform crisis support, including funding to ensure the poorest children do not go hungry outside of term time. We have also announced £600 million to extend the Holiday Activity and Food Programme.
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Siân Berry:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he will take steps to ensure that (a) disabled people who receive means-tested benefits and (b) young people are represented on the Timms Review of Personal Independence Payment. \p Sir Stephen Timms: The Timms Review will be co-produced with disabled people, the organisations that represent them, clinicians, experts, MPs and other stakeholders, to ensure that expertise from a wide range of perspectives is drawn upon.

On 30 October, I announced that I would co-chair the Review alongside Sharon Brennan and Dr Clenton Farquharson CBE. Together, they bring a wealth of expertise and experience on health and disability issues, as well as the co-production process.

We will oversee a steering group which will lead the co-production process. To ensure lived experience is at the heart of its work, the majority of the steering group will be disabled or representatives of disabled people’s organisations. Members will be recruited via an open and accessible expression of interest (EOI), which has been designed to ensure the steering group reflects a broad range of perspectives, including lived experience of disability and professional expertise. The EOI is now live and will run until 30 November.
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Sir James Cleverly:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 25 June 2025 to Question 60481 on Disability: Candidates, how much funding has been allocated to support the Access to Elected Office programme during the Spending Review period. \p Sir Stephen Timms: It is this government’s ambition to see more disabled people in public office. We have been clear that we will champion disabled people’s rights and work closely with them so that disabled people’s views and voices are at the heart of decision-making.

The new fund is currently in development and the funding allocation is subject to the current Spending Review process. More information about the fund will be announced in due course.
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Ian Lavery:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she plans to require NHS employers to provide ongoing (a) training and (b) health surveillance for all staff who (i) handle and (ii) otherwise may be exposed to hazardous medicinal products; and how her Department monitors compliance with those standards. \p Sir Stephen Timms: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 30 October 2025 to Question UIN 84444.
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Ian Lavery:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will take steps to review the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations to ensure that hazardous medicinal products with reprotoxic effects are controlled to the same standard as (a) carcinogens and (b) mutagens. \p Sir Stephen Timms: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 30 October 2025 to Question UIN 84440.
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Ian Roome:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department plans to (a) adopt a list of hazardous medicinal products and (b) require safety data sheets for finished medicines. \p Sir Stephen Timms: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 30 October 2025 to Question UIN 84436.
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Ian Lavery:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she is taking steps to promote the use of (a) biological safety cabinets, (b) closed‑system drug‑transfer devices and (c) engineering controls in healthcare settings; and whether she plans to provide funding for NHS trusts to implement these controls. \p Sir Stephen Timms: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 30 October 2025 to Question UIN 84144.
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Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what progress he has made on the review of the Personal Independence Payment assessment. \p Sir Stephen Timms: The Timms Review will be co-produced with disabled people, the organisations that represent them, clinicians, experts, MPs and other stakeholders, to ensure that expertise from a wide range of perspectives is drawn upon.

On 30 October, I announced that I will co-chair the Review alongside Sharon Brennan and Dr Clenton Farquharson CBE. We will oversee a steering group responsible for leading the co-production process, setting the Review’s strategic direction, priorities and workplan. The group will be made up of a majority of disabled people or representatives of disabled people’s organisations and will be recruited through an open and transparent Expression of Interest (EOI) process. The EOI is now live and will run until 30 November.

The Review will report to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions for final decisions in autumn 2026, with an interim update expected ahead of that.
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Martin Wrigley:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to reduce the time taken by her Department to make decisions relating to disability benefits. \p Sir Stephen Timms: To reduce decision times for disability benefits, we have deployed additional staff and we continue to prioritise urgent cases while monitoring demand and addressing backlogs where necessary. These actions have led to faster processing of new claims, with clearance times for Disability Living Allowance (DLA) for children reducing significantly. We have also increased staffing in Access to Work (AtW) and we are prioritising urgent applications. This is alongside reviewing our policy framework to explore opportunities to further reduce processing times for AtW applications. We are also allocating additional resource to disputes activity to improve processing times for Mandatory Reconsiderations and Appeals across PIP and DLA.
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Dr Scott Arthur:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he has made an estimate of the annual cost to the public purse of young people in supported housing working reduced hours due to the interaction between Housing Benefit and Universal Credit taper rates. \p Sir Stephen Timms: No such assessment has been made. People on a low income living in Supported Housing receive Universal Credit for help with their daily living costs and Housing Benefit for help with their housing costs. Customers living in Supported Housing are also able to access higher levels of housing support through Housing Benefit.

We are considering options to improve work incentives for residents of supported housing and temporary accommodation, while taking into account the views of stakeholders. Any future decisions on housing support will be made in the round, prioritising measures that best meet Government objectives within the current fiscal environment.

It remains the department’s priority to ensure that those who can work are supported to enter the labour market and to sustain employment.
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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much Lancashire County Council has received in adult skills funding since 1 July 2024. \p Andrew Western: Lancashire County Council do not receive either Adult Skills Fund (ASF) or Advanced Learner Loans from the Department for Education, nor do they receive an ASF allocation from any Strategic Authorities who have devolved ASF. It should be noted that Lancashire County Council is not the only council in Lancashire, and the other councils may receive an ASF allocation. Funding is not devolved in Lancashire, and therefore providers are directly funded by the Department.

Lancashire County Council has received Skills Bootcamps allocations from the Department for Education in Financial Year 24-25 and Financial Year 25-26. The allocated amount for Lancashire in Financial Year 24-25 was £6,442,906, and in Financial Year 25-26 it was £7,034,047.09 (including an element for additional construction). Skills Bootcamps funding allocations: 2025 to 2026 - GOV.UK

The total grant allocated represents the maximum amount allocated. The Department for Education does not expect areas to spend their full allocation. Areas typically spend about 50% to 60% of their allocation due to the payment milestone approach.
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Siân Berry:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department will wait for the outcome of its independent investigation of youth inactivity before deciding whether to proceed with proposals to prevent under-22s from accessing the health element of Universal Credit, in the context of the Pathways to Work Green Paper. \p Sir Stephen Timms: Nearly one million young people - approximately one in eight 16 to 24-year-olds - are currently not in education, employment, or training (NEET). Further to this, the number of young people claiming Universal Credit (UC) Health Element and Employment and Support Allowance has increased by more than 50% in the last five years, with 80% of young people on the UC Health element currently citing mental health reasons or a neurodevelopmental condition among declared health conditions.

We need to look at this problem holistically, which is why we have launched an independent report to investigate the persistently high numbers of young people out of work, education and training led by former Health Secretary Alan Milburn. The report will examine why increasing numbers of young people are falling out of work or education before their careers have begun - with a particular focus on the impact of mental health conditions and disability.

We consulted on raising the age someone can access the UC Health Element to 22 in the Green Paper ‘Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working. We are considering responses and will provide an update in due course.
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Martin Wrigley:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department has taken to help ensure the adequacy of Access to Work grants to fund the support requirements of employers offering placements. \p Sir Stephen Timms: Funding has been secured to continue the scheme for the entire Spending Review period.

In the Pathways to Work Green Paper, we consulted on the future of Access to Work and how to improve the scheme so that it helps more disabled people in work. Since Access to Work was first designed, the style, scope and cost of the support that people require has changed significantly, yet Access to Work has stayed broadly the same.

We are considering responses to the consultation and will set out our plans in due course. The findings from this will inform the chosen future direction of Access to Work. Once this is established, we will consider timelines and work closely with stakeholders to ensure an appropriate transition.
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Siân Berry:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he will make it his policy to (a) carry out ongoing evaluation of the co-production process and (b) ensure that a final evaluation (i) includes anonymous feedback from participants and (ii) is published alongside the final report of Timms Review of Personal Independence Payment. \p Sir Stephen Timms: This is the first time that the Government has undertaken co-production on this scale, and we are ready to listen, learn and refine our approach to support this work to succeed.

We are in the process of procuring co-production expertise to facilitate the work of the steering group. We will draw upon this expertise to support the DWP to evaluate the success of the co-production process.

The Review will be co-produced with disabled people, the organisations that represent them, clinicians, experts, MPs and other stakeholders. It will therefore be for the Review’s steering group to provide direction on the form the evaluation should take, and on content of the Review’s recommendations.
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Robin Swann:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to ensure that deaf and disabled people and Deaf and Disabled People's Organisations from Northern Ireland can engage in the Timms Review, including through the proposed Panel. \p Sir Stephen Timms: Listening to the lived experience and expertise of disabled people will be critical to the Review’s success. Over the summer, I met with representatives from more than 50 organisations across the disability, welfare and co-production spaces, including organisations from all four nations.

While PIP is a transferred matter in Northern Ireland, there is a long-standing principle of parity between the social security systems of the Northern Ireland Executive and the UK Government. It is therefore important that the Review hears from disabled people in Northern Ireland and the organisations that represent them.

We have launched an open and accessible Expression of Interest to join the Review’s steering group, and we strongly encourage applications from people across the UK, regardless of background or location. The steering group will include a majority of disabled people or representatives of Disabled People’s Organisations.

Once in place, the steering group will oversee a programme of engagement and participation that brings together the full range of views and voices.
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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of suspended child benefit payments on (a) Universal Credit and (b) other means-tested benefits. \p Sir Stephen Timms: No assessment has been made.

Child Benefit, administered by His Majesty’s Revenue & Customs (HMRC), is not taken into account as income when calculating a Universal Credit award or other means-tested benefits. It is used to assess benefit levels for the purpose of determining whether to apply the benefit cap which limits the amount of social security benefits a working age household can receive. The benefit cap is applied through Housing Benefit and Universal Credit.

The Department will continue to work closely with HMRC on all relevant matters.
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Siân Berry:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether existing Personal Independence Payment claimants could have their support reduced following changes implemented in response to the Timms Review of Personal Independence Payment. \p Sir Stephen Timms: The Timms Review aims to ensure we have a system that supports disabled people to achieve better health, higher living standards and greater independence, including through employment.

The Review will be co-produced with disabled people, the organisations that represent them, clinicians, experts, MPs and other stakeholders. Co-production will be led by a steering group, a majority of whose members will be disabled or representatives of disabled people’s organisations. I will co-chair the steering group alongside Sharon Brennan and Dr Clenton Farquharson CBE.It will be for the steering group to set the Review’s strategic direction and agree its recommendations. We will not pre-empt the Review’s decisions.
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Anneliese Midgley:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help uphold health and safety standards in relation to worker exposure to hazardous substances. \p Sir Stephen Timms: The Health and Safety Executive’s (HSE) 10 year strategy Protecting People and Places, sets a clear objective to reduce work-related ill health and to deliver on this. There is also a focus on reducing workplace exposure to hazardous substances.

Hazardous substances are subject to The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 (as amended) (COSHH). These regulations require employers to undertake a risk assessment to decide the measures needed to prevent, or where this is not reasonably practicable, adequately control the exposure of their employees to hazardous substances. Once assessed, COSHH requires employers to implement the controls identified.

HSE publishes an  Approved Code of Practice and guidance to COSHH and a suite of free web guidance Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) - HSE to help employers assess and control the risks from hazardous substances.

HSE engages widely with industry stakeholders to raise awareness of work-related ill health, commonly addressing exposure to hazardous substances. Inspectors from HSE also routinely tackle exposure to hazardous substances when inspecting workplaces and investigating concerns or incidents. They will take enforcement action where the standards are not met.
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Neil Duncan-Jordan:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when the Minister for Disability plans to meet (a) the British Assistive Technology Association and (b) other disability sector organisations. \p Sir Stephen Timms: I regularly meet with disability sector organisations, details of meetings are published here: DWP ministerial gifts, hospitality, travel and meetings - GOV.UK.
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Rupert Lowe:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 27 October 2025 to Question 83169 Universal Credit: Telephone Services, how many and what proportion of calls to the Universal Credit helpline dropped in each of the last five years. \p Sir Stephen Timms: DWP does not maintain a telephony reporting measure for “dropped calls”
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Rachel Gilmour:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of (a) Health and Safety Executive regulations on the interaction between walkers and cattle and (b) how those regulations are communicated to (i) farmers and (ii) the public. \p Sir Stephen Timms: Health and safety legislation places a duty on farmers to manage the risk to the public from cattle as far as it is reasonable to do so.

The nature of modern health and safety legislation is largely goalsetting, rather than prescriptive. This is important for workplaces such as farms where measures that may be reasonable to control risk from cattle on one farm, may not be reasonable on another farm for a variety of reasons.

The legal duty on the farmer under the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 (HSWA) is to manage their cattle herd so the animals within it present a low level of risk to members of the public using fields with public access. Farmers should take all measures that are reasonably practicable to control or reduce risk.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) provides free published guidance to assist farmers in their duties. Guidance sheets AIS17EW (and AIS17S in Scotland) set out the hierarchy of control measures that farmers are expected to consider and, where possible implement.

HSE works closely with key industry stakeholders such as Britain’s Farm Safety Partnerships in a variety of ways to raise awareness within the farming community of their legal duties when considering keeping cattle in fields with public access.

As part of its work to communicate the legal requirements on farmers to members of the public, it has in a number of its media communications and press releases regarding cattle, also drawn attention to The Countryside Code - GOV.UK. This guidance produced by Natural England is aimed at members of the public and provides them with information on how to stay safe in the countryside.
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Graeme Downie:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what guidance his Department has issued on whether people on Universal Credit are entitled to raise funds for the purpose of standing for election. \p Sir Stephen Timms: Funding received and managed by local and national political parties would not be taken into account in assessing an individual’s entitlement for Universal Credit (UC). Money received personally by an individual, including for their political purposes, is generally treated as capital in UC, and can affect eligibility and payment amounts if a customer’s total capital exceeds £6,000. There are no plans to review these rules.
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Martin Wrigley:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will take steps to form a UK inventory of gas critical (a) parts and (b) products. \p Sir Stephen Timms: The Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations (1998) place a legal requirement on those who undertake gas work to be competent and Gas Safe Registered. The Gas Safe Register Rules of Registration require engineers to carry an in-date, valid ID card which displays who the holder is, and what gas work they are competent to perform. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) continue to advise consumers to always verify the identity and credentials of engineers or persons entering their property.

HSE has no power to form a UK inventory of gas critical parts and products or restrict online or physical sale of gas appliances or parts.
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 27 October to Question 83064 on Unmanned Air Systems: Training, how many base level FPV operators were trained via Project DRONE ACADEMY. \p Al Carns: Project DRONE ACADEMY was a time limited innovation project that ran for 12 months from May 2024 to April 2025. The 120 operators were trained from a variety of units across Army, Navy and Air Force. At the end of the trial, all lessons and equipment from the project were transferred to the Army’s Combat Manoeuvre Centre (CMC) to inform their ongoing FPV drone flying training offering.
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James MacCleary:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department plans to (a) scrap, (b) sell or (c) donate to Ukraine the MQ-9 Reaper when it leaves service. \p Al Carns: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 23 April 2025 to Question 44918.

There are no plans to sell or donate any MQ-9 Reaper Remotely Piloted Air Systems to Ukraine.

Disposal will be managed in accordance with our Foreign Military Sales (FMS) contractual obligations.
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions he has had with cabinet colleagues on the UK’s position in the event of military action by the United States against Venezuela. \p Al Carns: The Defence Secretary engages with Cabinet colleagues on a range of foreign policy issues. The US is the UK’s principal defence and security partner and the depth of our defence relationship with the US remains an essential pillar of our security.
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Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will list the titles of all the events organised by Civil Service networks in his Department since 2023. \p Louise Sandher-Jones: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) does not hold a list of all the titles of events organised by Defence Networks and there is no centrally held record of MOD’s internal network events.
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, who the members are of the Defence Investors’ Advisory Group. \p Luke Pollard: The Defence Investors Advisory Group is co-chaired by Kerry Baldwin and Sharon White (Baroness White of Tufnell Park) and brings together venture growth, private equity, lending and financial expertise to inform the development and delivery of the Defence Finance and Investment Strategy (DFIS), to be developed by early 2026.
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Andrew Rosindell:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to (a) streamline army recruitment and (b) increase (i) regular and (ii) reserve military personnel numbers. \p Louise Sandher-Jones: As part of the Strategic Defence Review, the Department has committed to increasing the British Army to at least 76,000 full time soldiers in the next Parliament.

Under this Government, we have driven improvements to recruiting process, stripping out outdated medical policies, reducing the time it takes to receive candidate medical records and widening cross-Government data sharing.

These measures, along with targeted recruiting and a restructure of the Army's recruiting organisation, are delivering results. Year on year the Army's soldier intake numbers are up 13%, officer numbers are up 10%.

Regarding specific measures to increase Army reserve numbers, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 13 June 2025 to Question 57778 to the hon. Member for Huntingdon (Ben-Obese Jecty) which remains extant.
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 42 of the Defence Industrial Strategy: Making Defence an Engine for Growth, published on 8 September 2025, CP 1388, what elements will be covered in the (a) Defence Finance and Investment Strategy and (b) Defence Investment Plan. \p Luke Pollard: The forthcoming Defence Investment Plan will, for the very first time, outline our investment priorities, taking into account our priority national security sub-sectors and the associated UK industrial capability. It will cover the full scope of the defence programme, from people and operations to equipment and infrastructure, to ensure we can deliver the vision set out in the Strategic Defence Review.

The Defence Finance and Investment Strategy will look at the entire spectrum of defence companies, from start-ups through to primes, and provide recommendations to the Defence Secretary on how barriers to investment in defence can be removed while making the sector more attractive for private investment, including venture capital, private equity and pension funds.

We have stood up a Defence Investors Advisory Group to help develop the Defence Finance and Investment Strategy, bringing together some of the best minds from banking, pension funds, venture capital and Strategic Finance. The Advisory Group held their first meeting on 27 October.
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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the US government shutdown on joint UK–US defence (a) projects and (b) research collaboration. \p Luke Pollard: There has been no impact on our defence projects or research collaboration where we have continued to engage with those essential US staff who continued to work during the shutdown.
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress he has made on delivering the Shadow MK2 upgrade programme. \p Luke Pollard: I can confirm that the Shadow Mk2 upgrade programme has been cancelled as it is late and has failed to deliver the capability that our Armed Forces need. It is also facing unacceptable cost escalation and delays.

This decision will allow us to focus on investing in other defence priorities and the Shadow Mk1.

We won't shy away from making difficult decisions that arise in the best interests of our Armed Forces and the taxpayer.
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James MacCleary:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether RAF flights over Gaza have led to (a) the release of any of the hostages and (b) other humanitarian benefits. \p Al Carns: As is a longstanding convention, I cannot comment on intelligence matters for reasons of national security and to preserve our ability to respond to future hostage incidents around the world.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-19)

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James MacCleary:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the RAF surveillance footage over the Eastern Mediterranean, Israel and Gaza was livestreamed. \p Al Carns: As is longstanding convention, I cannot comment on intelligence matters for reasons of national security and to preserve our ability to respond to future hostage incidents around the world.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-19)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-19 conversation_238

Sam Rushworth:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 6 of the Strategic Defence Review 2025, published on 2 June 2025, what discussions his Department has had with (a) Durham County Council, (b) the North East Mayor and (c) industry representatives on the potential location of an always-on munitions factory in the North East. \p Luke Pollard: We are committed to ensuring the Defence industry is an engine for growth through strengthened industrial relationships and domestic investment. As published in the UK Defence Footprint the North East region has seen £178 million of Defence spending in 2024-25. We have committed £6 billion this Parliament towards munitions, as outlined in the Strategic Defence Review 2025, which supports defence capacity whilst generating local jobs and economic prosperity. This investment includes £1.5 billion for building six new energetics and munitions factories in the UK to deliver an 'always on' pipeline, locations and arrangements of which are being assessed through ongoing work. Whilst it is currently premature to comment on specific site proposals and their assessment, more detail will be available once the necessary preparatory work has been completed.
wrans/answers2025-11-19 conversation_239
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-19)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-19 conversation_239

Sam Rushworth:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 6 of the Strategic Defence Review 2025, published on 2 June 2025, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of locating at least one of the proposed always-on munitions factories in County Durham. \p Luke Pollard: We are committed to ensuring the Defence industry is an engine for growth through strengthened industrial relationships and domestic investment. As published in the UK Defence Footprint the North East region has seen £178 million of Defence spending in 2024-25. We have committed £6 billion this Parliament towards munitions, as outlined in the Strategic Defence Review 2025, which supports defence capacity whilst generating local jobs and economic prosperity. This investment includes £1.5 billion for building six new energetics and munitions factories in the UK to deliver an 'always on' pipeline, locations and arrangements of which are being assessed through ongoing work. Whilst it is currently premature to comment on specific site proposals and their assessment, more detail will be available once the necessary preparatory work has been completed.
wrans/answers2025-11-19 conversation_240
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-19)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-19 conversation_240

Laurence Turner:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the cost to the public purse was of constructing Glenart Castle Mess in Longbridge. \p Luke Pollard: Glenart Castle Mess was constructed in July 2017. The total construction time for the entire project, including planning/prebuild and post-building works was from 2014 to 29 September 2017. The capital cost of the construction of Glenart Castle Mess in Longbridge, was £29.5 million. This figure reflects the cost of building the Mess itself. However, the total capital cost of the wider project, which included associated infrastructure such as utilities, highways, hardstanding, weather protection shelters, and risk assessments, was c£36.2 million.
wrans/answers2025-11-19 conversation_241
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-19)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-19 conversation_241

Sam Rushworth:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 6 of the Strategic Defence Review 2025, published on 2 June 2025, when he plans to announce the locations of the six new always-on munitions factories; and if he will publish the details of the site-selection criteria allowed by national security. \p Luke Pollard: We are committed to ensuring the Defence industry is a powerhouse for economic growth through strengthened industrial relationships and domestic investment. As published in the UK Defence Footprint the North East region has seen £178 million of Defence spending in 2024-25. We have committed £6 billion this Parliament towards munitions, as outlined in the Strategic Defence Review 2025, which supports defence capacity whilst generating local jobs and economic prosperity. This investment includes £1.5 billion for building six new energetics and munitions factories in the UK to deliver an 'always on' pipeline, locations and arrangements of which are being assessed through ongoing work. We plan for construction of the first six new munitions factories to begin in 2026.
wrans/answers2025-11-19 conversation_242
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-19)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-19 conversation_242

Mr Gregory Campbell:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 12 November 2025 to WPQ 88205, when the remaining 7 F-35 aircraft ordered from Lockheed Martin under Tranche 1 will be delivered. \p Luke Pollard: The Department expects to have received all seven F-35B aircraft ordered in Production Lot 17 by the end of April 2026.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-19)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-19 conversation_243

Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 20 October to Question 79450 on Guided Weapons, which project the £1billion investment to enhance our homeland air and missile defence falls under. \p Luke Pollard: The £1 billion investment in Integrated Air and Missile Defence follows the Strategic Defence Review's recommendation and respond to the threat the UK faces in the Air domain. There is no project name for this investment. Work to deliver the Strategic Defence Review recommendations, including on homeland Integrated Air and Missile Defence, will be prioritised appropriately against the threat as part of the future Integrated Force and set out in the Defence Investment Plan to be published this year.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-19)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-19 conversation_244

Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, by when he expects Phase 2 of Project REPLICATOR 2 to be completed. \p Luke Pollard: The final report for the current phase is due in May 2026.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-19)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-19 conversation_245

Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, who the eight companies participating in Phase 2 of Project REPLICATOR 2 are. \p Luke Pollard: From an initial 196 bidders, six suppliers have been down-selected for physical trials. The name of these companies cannot yet be disclosed publicly.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-19)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-19 conversation_246

Dr Al Pinkerton:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that housing maintenance providers deliver an (a) effective and (b) reliable service for Armed Forces personnel in Surrey Heath constituency. \p Luke Pollard: As at 12 November 2025, 99% of Service Family Accommodation (SFA) properties serving the Surrey Heath constituency meet or exceed the Decent Homes Standard (DHS). Maintenance standards for SFA follow provisions outlined in JSP 464, the DHS and the Housing Health and Rating Safety System, with contractual performance measures ensuring statutory safety checks and maintenance are completed effectively.

The Ministry of Defence ensures effective and reliable housing maintenance services for Armed Forces personnel through close monitoring of Industry Partners using Key Performance Indicators, regular reviews, audits and customer feedback.
wrans/answers2025-11-19 conversation_247
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-19)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-19 conversation_247

Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the full scope is of Project Beehive. \p Luke Pollard: Project BEEHIVE is a joint endeavour between the Royal Navy (RN) and UK Defence Innovation to deliver 20 uncrewed surface vessels to the Surface Flotilla and Commando Force.

This initiative will not only deliver a vital Maritime Remote and Autonomous Systems (MRAAS) capability for Coastal Forces and Commando Force, but also serve as an accelerator and proving ground for the RN’s future Hybrid Navy. By enabling rapid adoption and operational testing of cutting-edge technologies, Project Beehive will drive innovation, de-risk future acquisition, and ensure the RN remains ready to meet evolving threats.
wrans/answers2025-11-19 conversation_248
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-19)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-19 conversation_248

Gideon Amos:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the current level of availability is for service family accommodation; how this level has changed over the last five years; and what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Afghan resettlement programme on those levels of availability. \p Luke Pollard: The Department did not record data to accurately determine stock availability until April 2023. As this information cannot be gathered retrospectively, data prior to this date is unavailable.

The table below shows a year-on-year comparison of Service Family Accommodation (SFA) availability from April 2023 to April 2025, including current availability as at November 2025.

Apr 23

Apr 24

Apr 25

Nov 25

Total SFA

47,793

47,770

47,638

47,697

Number of available vacant properties

1,978 (4.14%)

1,372 (2.88%)

2,213 (4.65%)

2,745 (5.76%)

The allocation of SFA for the Afghan Resettlement Programme has been carefully planned to minimise the impact on Service families.

This involves utilising surplus SFA, properties earmarked for disposal, and void properties requiring refurbishment. Refurbishing otherwise unfunded void properties not only supports SFA demand but also delivers a lasting benefit to the Ministry of Defence.
wrans/answers2025-11-19 conversation_249
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-19)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-19 conversation_249

Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the feasibility of including directed energy weapons in the specification for the Global Combat Air Programme. \p Luke Pollard: The Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP), has considered a wide range of existing and future weapon capabilities to meet the evolving threat.
wrans/answers2025-11-19 conversation_250
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-19)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-19 conversation_250

James MacCleary:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of (a) procuring new or (b) converting Typhoon aircraft into a SEAD/EW capable fighter. \p Luke Pollard: The RAF continuously reviews UK requirements across all mission sets; this includes the SEAD/EW mission and includes new additive effects including from Autonomous Collaborative Platforms (ACP) such as STORMSHROUD.

Further details on UK Combat Air, ACP and the potential future integration of Combat Collaborative Aircraft investments will be subject to the forthcoming Defence Investment Plan.
wrans/answers2025-11-19 conversation_251
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-19)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-19 conversation_251

James MacCleary:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 24 March 2025 to Question 38649 on Unmanned Air Systems: Procurement, whether the MQ-9 Reaper is currently in service. \p Luke Pollard: No, the MQ-9 Reaper has retired from service and is replaced by the MQ-9B Protector remotely piloted aircraft.
wrans/answers2025-11-19 conversation_252
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-19)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-19 conversation_252

James MacCleary:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his planned timeline is for the integration of the Future Cruise/Anti-Ship Weapon on the Joint Strike Fighter. \p Luke Pollard: The Future Cruise Anti-Ship Weapon programme is designed to be integrated on Typhoon and Rafale aircraft, as well as future platforms including the Global Combat Air Programme. Fit checks on F35 have been successfully conducted to test if FC/ASW can be integrated if required. All decisions on capabilities will be in the Defence Investment Plan.