Every parliamentary written question tabled by Ben Obese-Jecty this session, with the full answer and department. See how every department answers, or back to the MP page.
Showing 2,541–2,560 of 4,549 · this parliament
What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Manchester Digital Campus project on national security.
The Government Property Agency is working with the Cabinet Office to progress a business case for the Manchester Digital Campus (“MDC”). Subject to final approval MDC will form a central component of this Government’s Digital, AI and Innovation Campus in Manchester and would build capacity benefitting multiple Government Missions.
Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of aligning the 15% tax rate paid by bookmakers on racing with the 21% tax rate on online gaming on the horse racing industry.
There has been ministerial engagement between my Department and His Majesty’s Treasury to ensure that they are aware of the specific way British horseracing is funded and the potential implications of any changes to taxation. Future proposals on Gambling Duties are a matter for HMT, should legislative changes come about, we expect them to be accompanied by tax and impact notes from HMT, as is standard practice.
With reference to her Department's press release entitled 4.2% pay rise for police officers across England and Wales, published on 1 August 2025, what proportion of the £120 million was allocated to Cambridgeshire Constabulary.
This Government is committed to ensuring that policing has the resources it needs and the allocation of funding to police forces remains an important consideration.The method for distributing the additional funding will be communicated in due course.
With reference to page 42 of the National Security Strategy 2025, published in June 2025, CP 1338, what progress she has made on supporting priority sectors through a new National Wealth Fund investment for defence companies.
The National Wealth Fund was directed in its Statement of Strategic Priorities to consider the role it can play in supporting the delivery of the wider Industrial Strategy, including in the defence sector. It was also directed to consider investments in dual-use technologies across its priority sectors, to better support the UK’s defence and security.The National Wealth Fund is just one of many levers to support the defence sector. The National Security Strategy 2025 included a historic commitment to spend 5% of GDP on national security by 2035.
Innovation and Technology, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing legislation to enable a phase out of animal testing in medical research over the next decade.
The legal framework in the UK already requires that animals are only ever used in science where there are no validated alternatives available.The Government is committed to supporting alternatives to animals in science and will shortly publish a strategy to support their adoption.
With reference to page 133 of his Department's Strategic Defence Review 2025, published on 2 June 2025, what progress he has made in creating a single Recapitalisation Plan for Defence infrastructure.
A Recapitalisation Plan for Defence Infrastructure is currently being drafted with a target completion date of February 2026.
With reference to the data tables accompanying the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority Annual Report 2024-25, published on 11 August 2025, which projects are affected by the challenges to recruit the required (a) skills and (b) experience levels in the Army Programme Management Office.
These resource challenges are impacting a significant portion of the Army Portfolio. The confidence assessments of the programmes are available in the National infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority Annual Report 2024-25, accessible here: https://ar25.nista.grid.civilservice.gov.uk/tables. The Army Programme and Portfolio Office actively manages the prioritisation of programmes to ensure its workforce is allocated where it is most needed. To retain and enhance this skilled cohort, the office offers comprehensive Portfolio, Programme and Project Management training packages to develop current personnel and to attract talent into the team.
What (a) financial, (b) manpower and (c) other material contributions the UK has made to foreign comparative testing with the US in the last 12 months.
The Ministry of Defence actively supports the Foreign Comparative Testing (FCT) programme by collaborating on programme development and working with FCT representatives to identify promising UK technologies. Detailed outcomes remain the responsibility of the individual companies and the FCT.
With reference to page 105 of the Strategic Defence Review, updated on 8 July 2025, if he will list the sites he has considered for the Royal Navy's training estate.
The Ministry of Defence keeps the Royal Navy’s training estate under regular review to ensure it continues to meet both current and future operational requirements. As part of the Strategic Defence Review, all elements of the training estate are being assessed to ensure the Navy can deliver modernised training, support the increased use of Reservists, and maintain the capacity to train allies and partners without impacting national priorities. The Royal Navy has a number of training establishments listed below:Britannia Royal Naval College (BRNC)HMS Raleigh (RAL)Commando Training Centre Royal Marines (CTC)HMS Sultan (SUL)HMS Collingwood (CWD)HMS Yeovilton (YVL)HMS Culdrose (CUL)HM Naval Base Devonport
With reference to page 48 of the Strategic Defence Review 2025, published on 8 July 2025, what recent progress he has made in establishing a digital warfighter group.
Mature work on the concept is underway on the core functions of the Digital Warfighter Group, its operating model and detailed design on its construct. Its focus will be to deploy digital warfighters alongside conventional warfighters to enable the rapid application of digital technologies in support of operational activities. The financial overheads have been submitted into the Defence Investment Plan process, and if funded and resourced, should be delivered at Initial Operating Capability in July 2026 as per the Strategic Defence Review.
How many children were victims of (a) all forms of violent assault, (b) battery, (c) actual bodily harm and (d) grievous bodily harm by (i) age and (ii) gender in each year since 2015.
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 10th October is attached.
What (a) financial, (b) manpower and (c) other material contributions the UK has made to US coalition warfare projects in the last 12 months.
There is no single cohering group that collects this information. Each of the single Services and Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL) independently propose and deliver projects as part of the Coalition Warfare Programme. This collaboration has taken place over the past 20 years.
With reference to page 42 of the Defence Industrial Strategy: Making Defence an Engine for Growth, published on 8 September 2025, CP 1388, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of using the National Wealth Fund to provide funding for dual-use graphene technology created by Paragraf in Huntingdon constituency.
The National Wealth Fund invests in capital intensive projects, businesses, and assets by offering financing in the form of debt, equity and guarantees. The Government published the National Wealth Fund’s Statement of Strategic Priorities on 19 March which directed the National Wealth Fund to consider investments in dual-use technologies across its priority sectors of clean energy, digital and technologies, advanced manufacturing, and transport to better support the UK’s defence and security. The National Wealth Fund is operationally independent and has delegated authority to make investment decisions, subject to those investments meeting certain conditions agreed with HM Treasury. An investment made by the National Wealth Fund would need to have satisfied its investment principles and internal approval processes.
Whether local authorities are able to utilise the expertise of the (a) Office for Investment, (b) National Wealth Fund and (c) British Business Bank.
The UK's public investment bodies, including the Office for Investment, National Wealth Fund, and British Business Bank, are committed to working with each other, local government and the private sector to support regional growth.a) The Office for Investment actively pursues investment projects that support national growth missions and infrastructure strategies across the UK. It will work closely with local and regional partners, including local authorities, to support this. This includes helping key places to identify, develop, and showcase investment opportunities with global investors that are aligned with the UK's Industrial Strategy. b) The National Wealth Fund offers commercial and financial advice, and has £4bn to provide low-cost lending, to local authorities across the UK. It is also trialling Strategic Partnerships with Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, West Midlands, and Glasgow City Region to provide enhanced support to help places develop and finance long-term investment opportunities. c) The British Business Bank works closely with local and regional stakeholders to improve access to finance for small and medium-sized enterprises, including through its Nations and Regions Investment Funds and upcoming cluster champion activity, supporting local economic priorities through targeted funding and investment readiness support.
With reference to page 88 of the Strategic Defence Review 2025, published on 8 July 2025, what progress she has made on working with the Ministry of Defence to develop understanding of the Armed Forces among young people in schools.
I refer the hon. Member for Huntingdon to the answer of 13 June 2025 to Question 57466.
What assessment has he made of the potential impact of US Section 232 steel and aluminium tariffs on the level of exports.
Thanks to the strength of the UK-US partnership, the UK remains the only country to benefit from a preferential 25% tariff on steel and aluminium exports to the US, avoiding the global rate of 50%. The UK is therefore uniquely positioned as the only country to have secured this commitment, giving our companies a 25% competitive advantage over global competitors.We continue to engage closely with the steel and aluminium sectors, holding regular discussions with senior industry leaders and trade unions to assess and understand the impact of US tariffs.
What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Timms review on the Health Transformation Programme.
The Health Transformation Programme is transforming the entire Personal Independence Payment (PIP) service to improve customer experience and efficiency, build trust in our decisions and support people to enter or remain in work. The Programme is working closely with the Timms review and will support the delivery of any service changes following its outcome, to ensure PIP is fair and fit for the future.
If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of including travel to swimming lessons within the scope of the sport premium.
Schools receive core funding for activities within the curriculum, including delivery and travel for swimming and water safety lessons. After pupils have completed their core curriculum swimming and water safety lessons, it is permissible to use the physical education and sport premium for top-up lessons, including transport costs for pupils who have not met national curriculum requirements.
With reference to the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority Annual Report 2024-25, published on 11 August 2025, what the projects are that have been added to the Government Major Products Portfolio since the 2023-24 financial year.
The projects which have joined the Government Major Projects Portfolio since the 2023-24 financial year are included in the 2023-24 IPA Annual Report, and the 2024-25 NISTA Annual Report.
What assessment he has made of the risk to UK strategic capability from the global precision weapons of hostile nations.
The threat from global precision weapons is advancing, proliferating and converging. As a response, the Strategic Defence Review announced an investment of £1 billion to enhance our homeland air and missile defence. This investment will be prioritised appropriately as part of the future Integrated Force. Work to deliver the Strategic Defence Review recommendations, including on all aspects of the Integrated Air and Missile Defence, will be set out in the Defence Investment Plan to be published this year.