Written questions by Obese-Jecty.

Pursuant to the Answer of 9 September 2025 to Question 72563 on Sanctions, which company received a penalty of £1.1 million in May 2025.

HMRC is unable to disclose this information due to its taxpayer confidentiality obligations. The Department for Business and Trade, on behalf of HMRC, publishes a notice every quarter in respect of the number of businesses and individuals that may have been prosecuted or received a compound settlement. This data is anonymised but allows exporters to remain aware of any enforcement outcomes. These updates can be found in Notices to exporters - GOV.UK.

What is the out-of-service date of the Watchkeeper TUAS.

As announced by the Secretary of State in 2024, the Army’s Watchkeeper Mk 1 Uncrewed Aerial System is in the process of being retired from service with an Out of Service Date of March 2027.

Pursuant to the Answer of 9 September 2025 to Question 74146 on Defence: Huntingdon, (a) what and (b) where those two projects are.

I hope the hon. Member will understand that I cannot place all the details in the public domain at this time, but the two projects potentially eligible for fast-track planning in Huntingdon are still under consideration. No final decision has been made with respect to the location of the projects, their design or timescales for operational readiness.

What the full scope is of Project Theia.

Project THEIA is the British Army’s flagship digital transformation programme. Project THEIA is structured around three core objectives; transforming digital culture and behaviours, integrating information across domains and enhancing decision-making. The project has delivered major initiatives to support the digitalisation and modernisation of the British Army.

Pursuant to the Answer of 9 September 2025 to Question 72364 on North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust: Medical Records, by when he expects North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust to submit that investment case.

The North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust is unable to confirm the date the investment case will be submitted, as this is subject to conversations between NHS England regional and national colleagues to confirm necessary approvals and funding for the Outline Business Case. We are working to ensure this happens in a timely manner to secure the trust and integrated care system strategic objectives, and to meet the timeline for the new hospital opening at Hinchingbrooke.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the introduction of CBAM in January 2027 on defence imports.

The UK government is introducing a carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM) on 1 January 2027 to address the risk of carbon leakage. The UK CBAM is a new tax which will ensure that highly traded, carbon intensive goods which are imported from overseas face a comparable carbon price to what is paid by manufacturers producing the same goods in the UK. The CBAM will only initially be applied to specific imports from a small number of production sectors (aluminium, cement, fertiliser, hydrogen and iron & steel) at risk of carbon leakage. This encompasses less than 3% of total UK imports. A draft tax information and impact note is publicly available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/draft-legislation-carbon-border-adjustment-mechanism/draft-tax-information-and-impact-note

What the total cost was of the Armoured Cavalry 2025 Programme.

The Approved Budget Level (ABL) for the Armoured Cavalry (Ajax) Programme is £6.3 billion. This has not changed since 2014. The estimated cost of the programme against this approval is £6.2 billion. The programme cost is estimated in real terms with inflation factored in.

Pursuant to the Answer of 9 September 2025 to Question 73562 on Ajax Vehicles: Procurement, what his Department's definition is of specialist troops.

The Department does not formally define the term ‘specialist troops’. In the context of Ajax, as per the pursuant Parliamentary Question, the term ‘specialist troops’ is used informally, and in this context refers to Anti -Tank Javelin Teams, Snipers and Support Troops.

What assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the test flights of the Boeing MQ-28 Ghost Bat (Block 1) for the Royal Australian Air Force.

This Government launched the Strategic Defence Review (SDR) which set out the pathway for the next decade and beyond to transform Defence. A key part of the SDR's vision for UK defence is innovation driven by lessons from Ukraine - harnessing drones, data, and digital warfare to make our Armed Forces stronger and safer. The SDR recommends that the Royal Air Force should shift towards the greater use of uncrewed systems as an immediate priority. As part of this transformation, uncrewed and autonomous systems will be incorporated into the Royal Air Force through a broad mix of capabilities to enhance operational effectiveness. This Government is investing an additional £2 billion this Parliament into autonomous systems, including drones, and will establish a new Defence Uncrewed Systems Centre at initial operating capability by February 2026. The exact types of uncrewed systems to be procured and the associated investment will be determined as part of the Defence Investment Plan.

Pursuant to the Answer of 9 September 2025 to Question 73562 on Ajax Vehicles: Procurement, how his Department defines specialist troops in this context.

The ARES variant is the common base for all the Ajax variants and will be used to deliver and support specialist troops across the battlefield. The term ‘specialist troops’ is used informally, and in this context refers to Anti -Tank Javelin Teams, Snipers and Support Troops.

When the RAF’s dual-capable aircraft programme will be delivered.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer my predecessor gave to Question 63225 on 7 July 2025 to the hon. Member for Poole (Neil Duncan-Jordan). https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2025-06-26/63225

What assessment he has made of the capability of the United States Navy’s MQ-25 Stingray aerial refuelling drone.

This Government launched the Strategic Defence Review (SDR) which set out the pathway for the next decade and beyond to transform Defence. A key part of the SDR's vision for UK defence is innovation driven by lessons from Ukraine - harnessing drones, data, and digital warfare to make our Armed Forces stronger and safer. The SDR recommends that the Royal Air Force should shift towards the greater use of uncrewed systems as an immediate priority. As part of this transformation, uncrewed and autonomous systems will be incorporated into the Royal Air Force through a broad mix of capabilities to enhance operational effectiveness. This Government is investing an additional £2 billion this Parliament into autonomous systems, including drones, and will establish a new Defence Uncrewed Systems Centre at initial operating capability by February 2026. The exact types of uncrewed systems to be procured and the associated investment will be determined as part of the Defence Investment Plan.

What discussions his Department has had with the former UK Ambassador to the US on the purchase of defence equipment from the US.

The UK Ambassador to the United States, met routinely with senior Defence officials to discuss a range of issues across the UK-US relationship, including opportunities for closer collaboration on technology partnership, AUKUS and other ways to deepen the UK-US bilateral relationship.

What assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the test flight of the General Atomics YFQ-42 drone.

This Government launched the Strategic Defence Review (SDR) which set out the pathway for the next decade and beyond to transform Defence. A key part of the SDR's vision for UK defence is innovation driven by lessons from Ukraine - harnessing drones, data, and digital warfare to make our Armed Forces stronger and safer. The SDR recommends that the Royal Air Force should shift towards the greater use of uncrewed systems as an immediate priority. As part of this transformation, uncrewed and autonomous systems will be incorporated into the Royal Air Force through a broad mix of capabilities to enhance operational effectiveness. This Government is investing an additional £2 billion this Parliament into autonomous systems, including drones, and will establish a new Defence Uncrewed Systems Centre at initial operating capability by February 2026. The exact types of uncrewed systems to be procured and the associated investment will be determined as part of the Defence Investment Plan.

Pursuant to the Answer of 8 September 2025 to Question 71955 on Compressed Natural Gas: Huntingdon, what steps his Department is taking to help to continually (a) improve and (b) maintain the (i) resilience and (ii) security of Huntingdon Gas Compressor.

The Government takes the protection and resilience of energy infrastructure incredibly seriously. We continue to work extensively with the energy sector, industry and other key stakeholders to identify and implement improvements to ensure energy infrastructure, including Huntingdon Gas Compressor, can safely operate and are resilient both now and in the future. Ofgem is currently developing the RIIO-3 price control framework 2026–2031, which will set the level of permitted investment in maintaining and upgrading the gas network. This ensures companies can continue to invest in safe and reliable infrastructure, while keeping costs fair and transparent for consumers.

What assessment he has made of the potential merits of procuring the IFV variant of the General Dynamics Ajax.

There are no current plans to procure an IFV variant of Ajax.

Pursuant to the Answer of 8 September 2025 to Question 71981 on Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the outcome of Project Hunter ahead of the commencement of Project Grayburn.

Project HUNTER was established to select a new weapon system to be employed in the Army Special Operations Brigade (ASOB) specialist role. Project GRAYBURN was commissioned to replace the L85 (SA80) rifle. Though two different weapons, lessons learned from Project HUNTER are being used on Project GRAYBURN to influence training, ergonomics, maintenance, sight systems, safety, suppressors, ammunition, cleaning, equipment, personnel, information, doctrine, organisation, infrastructure, and logistics.

Pursuant to the Answer of 8 September 2025 to Question 73614 on Challenger Tanks: Supply Chains, when trials for Challenger 3 are due to be completed ahead of acceptance of the final build standard.

The Challenger 3 trials are currently planned to conclude by the end of 2026. This timeline is subject to ongoing review by the project team to ensure it remains aligned with delivery milestones, operational requirements, and any emerging technical risk.

What the full scope is of Project Keyes.

Project KEYES is a pre-concept plan to replace the L115 and L121 Sniper rifles in the early 2030s and will consider requirements as it progresses.

Pursuant to the Answer of 8 September 2025 to Question 72212 on F-35 Aircraft: Nuclear Weapons, what progress he has made on integration of (a) Meteor and (b) SPEAR 3 via the F-35 Joint Program Office.

I refer the hon. Member to the Answer my predecessor gave to him on 9 June 2025 to Question 52037, and I gave to him on 8 September to Question 73567.