Written questions by Obese-Jecty.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to the policy paper entitled English Devolution White Paper​: Power and partnership: Foundations for growth, published on 16 December 2024, what process will be used to decide on the new unitary councils in Cambridgeshire; and what his planned timeline is for making that decision.

On 5 February 2025 councils in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough were invited to submit proposals for unitary local government by 28 November 2025. Once a proposal has been submitted it will be for the government to decide on taking a proposal forward and to consult as required by statute. The exact timings and detail will depend on the proposals received and the decision taken on which proposal, if any, to implement.Decisions on the most appropriate option for each area will be judgements in the round, having regard to the statutory guidance and the available evidence. One of the criteria is that proposals should show how councils in the area have sought to work together in coming to a view that meets local needs and is informed by local views. We expect there to be wide engagement with local partners and stakeholders, residents, workforce and their representatives, and businesses on a proposal. The engagement that is undertaken should both inform the development of robust proposals and should also build a shared understanding of the improvements expected through reorganisation.

Communities and Local Government, what consideration she will give to the findings of district councils public consultations in determining the structure of new unitary councils in Cambridgeshire.

On 5 February 2025 councils in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough were invited to submit proposals for unitary local government by 28 November 2025. Once a proposal has been submitted it will be for the government to decide on taking a proposal forward and to consult as required by statute. The exact timings and detail will depend on the proposals received and the decision taken on which proposal, if any, to implement.Decisions on the most appropriate option for each area will be judgements in the round, having regard to the statutory guidance and the available evidence. One of the criteria is that proposals should show how councils in the area have sought to work together in coming to a view that meets local needs and is informed by local views. We expect there to be wide engagement with local partners and stakeholders, residents, workforce and their representatives, and businesses on a proposal. The engagement that is undertaken should both inform the development of robust proposals and should also build a shared understanding of the improvements expected through reorganisation.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of (a) the Strategic Defence Review 2025 and (b) Project Grayburn on the infantry’s (a) manning establishment, (b) battalion structures and (c) doctrine.

Project GRAYBURN is currently in the concept phase with the aim of identifying and understanding the capability requirements. As part of this phase, performance, interoperability and complexity are some of the characteristics under consideration. Due to the current phase of the project and commercial sensitivities I am unable to provide further detail. The Strategic Defence Review sets out a clear path for transformation across Defence. The Defence Investment Plan will set out in more detail the Department’s capability plan in the Autumn, replacing the Defence Equipment Plan.

Innovation and Technology, what recent discussions he has had with academics on the (a) development, (b) validation and (c) uptake of alternative methods to animal testing.

The Secretary of State has had no meetings on alternative methods. However, as the Minister of State for Science, Research and Innovation, Minister Vallance and officials have met with academics including at Alternative Methods to Animals in Science Strategy Roundtables and at meetings run by the Home Office. Lord Vallance has also engaged with academics developing non-animal alternatives, including the Harries lab at the University of Exeter.The Government is committed to supporting non-animal alternatives and will publish a strategy to support their development, validation and adoption later this year.

Which new Royal Navy vessels will be manufactured with (a) British-made virgin steel, (b) British-made recycled steel and (c) steel sourced overseas.

Royal Navy vessels use a variety of steel, manufactured and sourced from the UK and overseas. Type 26 and Type 31 frigates, currently under construction, are being manufactured predominantly using steel sourced overseas, as the specification of thin plate steel required for shipbuilding cannot currently be reliably sourced in the UK. The Fleet Solid Support ships programme is still in the design phase and no orders for steel have been placed.The sourcing of steel used in our shipbuilding programmes is a matter for the prime contractors, who we encourage to source UK steel wherever it is technically and commercially feasible. We are unable to say whether the UK steel content of the ships currently under construction contain British-made virgin or recycled steel, as this information is not held.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when his Department started using the term Occupied Palestinian Territories in official documentation.

The UK government has used the term "Occupied Palestinian Territories" regularly since 2007.It has been the position of the UK Government since 1967 that the Occupied Palestinian Territories (West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and Gaza) are not lawfully part of the State of Israel. In line with relevant UN Security Council Resolutions, we regard East Jerusalem as part of the Occupied Palestinian Territories. We consider that the level of control that Israel retains over these territories amounts to occupation under international law and hence that Israel's presence is governed by the provisions of the Fourth Geneva Conventions of 1949, to which Israel is a state party.

With reference to the Written Statement of 17 December 2024 on Developments in Military Housing, HCWS323, when his Department commenced negotiations with Annington Homes Ltd. to reacquire 36,000 service family estate homes.

Negotiations with Annington Homes Ltd to reacquire c36,000 Service Family Accommodation properties began in May 2024. These negotiations included direct meetings at a senior level. Continued legal engagement included three legal summits held in November and December 2024. The opportunity for this landmark deal was presented following a High Court ruling in May 2023 in the Ministry of Defence's (MOD) favour. This established MOD’s legal right to reacquire the houses from Annington, providing a once-in-a-generation opportunity to fix the long-term decline in military housing and deliver homes fit for heroes. The deal represented excellent value for money. MOD purchased the estate for under £6 billion and the properties were valued by Annington at £10.1 billion (when not subject to leases). Eliminating the liabilities associated with the leases created budgetary headroom to partially fund this purchase, meaning that the public expenditure impact of this measure, and the impact on public sector net debt, is confined to £1.7 billion.

Pursuant to the Answer of 13 January 2025 to Question 23535 on Hawk Aircraft, how many Hawk T1 aircraft are airworthy.

There are currently thirteen Hawk T1 aircraft that are airworthy with the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team, with a further four aircraft being cycled through scheduled routine depth maintenance. Additional aircraft are held in storage in the sustainment fleet for future support to that forward fleet. We have sufficient airframes to ensure all Red Arrows tasking until 2030 as planned. The Strategic Defence Review committed to a cost-effective fast jet trainer.

What estimate she has made of the number of litres of ethanol that will be supplied as a result of the US-UK trade deal on 8 May 2025.

The US-UK Economic Prosperity Deal (EPD) does not impact the number of litres of ethanol that will be supplied in the UK as renewable transport fuel. The UK also already imports a significant amount of ethanol from the US. The deal requires the UK to provide a preferential duty-free tariff rate quota of 1.4 billion litres for U.S. ethanol across the economy. Across Government we will continue to work closely with the industry to understand the impacts of the trade deal and other issues on the UK’s bioethanol companies.

Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to help phase out the use of animals for antibody production.

The Government is committed to the development of non-animal alternatives and will publish a strategy to support their development, validation and adoption later this year.The Government-funded National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research (NC3Rs) has a collaborative programme of work investigating accelerating the adoption of non-animal derived antibodies and resources to support researchers to adopt these technologies.Further steps supporting alternative methods, including any targets to phase out specific applications of animal testing, will be outlined in the upcoming strategy.

Innovation and Technology, what steps he is taking to phase out the use of dogs in (a) scientific and (b) regulatory procedures and replace them with human-specific technologies.

The Labour Manifesto includes a commitment to “partner with scientists, industry, and civil society as we work towards the phasing out of animal testing”, which is a long-term goal.The Government will publish a strategy later this year to support the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods, which will set out clear objectives and measurable milestones. Any work to phase out animal testing, including the use of dogs in scientific and regulatory procedures, must be science-led and in lock step with partners including regulators.

Innovation and Technology, what assessment he has made of the 2020 EU Reference Laboratory for alternatives to animal testing's recommendation on non-animal derived antibodies.

The Government-funded National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals In Research is leading work to accelerate uptake of non-animal derived antibodies (NADA), in collaboration with members of the EU Reference Laboratory Committee for animal testing alternatives that developed the NADA recommendation. In 2021, in response to the recommendation, the Animals in Science Committee reviewed antibody licence applications to assess how 3Rs are being implemented.The Government will publish a strategy later this year to support the development, validation, and adoption of alternative methods, which will set out any targets to phase out specific uses of animal testing.

Innovation and Technology, whether he plans to replace animal testing in the development of (a) monoclonal antibody therapies and (b) other drugs with more effective human-specific methods.

Regulatory approval processes already permit human-specific methods for drug testing where humans are the only relevant pharmacological species and the drug’s mechanism of action is well-defined and clinical monitoring is in place. This can include monoclonal antibody (mAbs) therapies. Where animals are still required for mAb testing, the National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research (NC3Rs) collaborates with industry and regulators to minimise their use. (https://nc3rs.org.uk/our-portfolio/re-evaluating-need-mab-chronic-toxicity-studies)The Government will publish a strategy to support the development, validation and adoption of alternatives later this year, including any targets to phase out specific animal testing.

Innovation and Technology, whether he is taking steps (a) at the International Council for Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for Pharmaceuticals for Human Use and (b) in other international regulatory forums to help increase the global (i) adoption and (ii) validation of human-specific technologies.

The Government is committed to the development of non-animal alternatives and will publish a strategy to support their development, validation and adoption later this year.The Medicines & Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) adopts guidelines published by the International Council for Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for Pharmaceuticals for Human Use (ICH). The Government regularly engages with international regulators with a view to influencing guidance updates. Further details will be highlighted when the plan is published later this year.

Innovation and Technology, what assessment he has made of the implications for his Department’s policies of the document by the Food and Drug Administration entitled Roadmap to Reducing Animal Testing in Preclinical Safety Studies, published on 10 April 2025, and the announcement by the National Institutes of Health on 29 April 2025 on animal testing.

The Government has reviewed the FDA roadmap and is engaging with the MHRA on how to accelerate the science-led adoption of alternatives to the use of animals for drug development and testing. The Government will publish a strategy later this year that will support this ambition and accelerate the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods across the biosciences.

When he expects the new Defence Research and Evaluation organisation to be fully operational.

In response to the Strategic Defence Review (SDR) recommendations, and as part of Defence Reform, the department is currently making substantive changes to the end-to-end process for Science, Technology, Innovation, Integration, Acquisition and Support. These changes will ensure Defence: better adopts leading edge research from academia, allies and wider government; works more closely with UK based industry especially SMEs to mature leading edge technology; better leverages the UK’s leading financial sector for the benefit of defence; and catalyses UK based industry to execute differentiating innovation; all at a pace to enable us to react to the threats faced by the nation. The DRE will be formed by an evolution of Dstl and Defence Science and Technology. There is still design work to be completed and will be announced in due course. The intention remains to focus the organisation on that work that must be done in Government for UK defence and security, including: early-stage research that must be led by officials; maintaining critical national capabilities in essential areas such as chemical and biological defence, novel and unconventional weapons, explosives and energetics and counter-terrorism technology where the market cannot sustain; and ensure Ministry of Defence is an intelligent customer for Science and Technology. The SDR stated that the department may wish to keep the Dstl brand. Dstl is a widely respected brand internationally and nationally.

With reference to the Spending Review 2025. published on 11 June 2025, what proportion of the of GDP announced for defence and security spending is to be spent on (a) defence and (b) security.

The Prime Minister announced in February that total NATO qualifying defence spending will rise to 2.6% GDP by 2027. The NATO definitions pertain to defence spending; there is no definition of security spending.

When she plans to publish the police reform White Paper.

We have been working closely with policing in the development of these important reforms. The new Joint Home Office and Policing Reform Team, which includes secondees from the National Police Chiefs’ Council, Association of Police and Crime Commissioners and other policing organisations, have been closely involved in helping to shape the police reform proposals and development of the White Paper.We will provide an update in due course.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 9 June 2025 to Answer 55083 on British Indian Ocean Territory: Sovereignty, how much of the cost will come from the budget of (a) his Department and (b) the Ministry of Defence.

I refer the Hon Member to the answer given to his previous question 56674.

What his planned timetable is for reviewing the National Nuclear Strategic Plan for Skills.

The National Nuclear Strategic Plan for Skills will be reviewed and refreshed later this year. The additional 18,000 jobs in the defence nuclear workforce will be located predominately in the Defence Nuclear Enterprise locations specified on page 11 of Command Paper 1058: Delivering the UK’s Nuclear Deterrent as a National Endeavour, available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/defence-nuclear-enterprise-command-paper.