Written questions by Obese-Jecty.

How many people have been prosecuted for flying a drone in a Restricted Fly Zone around (a) closed prisons and (b) young offender institutions since January 2024.

Flying a drone in the restricted airspace around a closed prison or young offender institution is an offence contrary to the Air Navigation Order 2016. The Civil Aviation Authority is responsible for investigating and prosecuting this offence and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) does not hold any data in respect of it. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) does not hold any data which shows the number of defendants prosecuted and convicted of offences created by the Prison Act 1952 including the offences created by sections 40B, 40C and 40CB. Similarly, no data is held showing the method of used to convey items into or out of a prison or young offender institution. To establish how many defendants charged with these offences were prosecuted and if a drone was used would require a manual review of case files and this would be at disproportionate cost. Management information is available from 2024 which shows the number of offences charged by way of section 40B, 40C and 40CB in which a prosecution commenced. The table below shows the number of these offences from 1st January 2024 to 30th September 2025.2024January - September 2025Prison Act 1952 { 40B }344285Prison Act 1952 { 40C }193116Prison Act 1952 { 40CB }32Prison Act 1952 and section 1(1) of the Criminal Attempts Act 1981 { 40C }1613Prison Act 1952 and section 1(1) of the Criminal Law Act 1977 { 40C }7241Data Source: CPS Case Management Information SystemThe figures relate to the number of offences and not the number of individual defendants. It can be the case that an individual defendant is charged with more than one offence against the same complainant. No data are held showing the final outcome or if the charged offence was the substantive charge at finalisation.

What NATO intelligence functions are based at RAF Wyton.

No NATO intelligence functions are based at RAF Wyton.

How many civil servant positions within the Ministry of Defence were gapped as at (a) 5 July 2024 and (b) 1 February 2026.

In line with recommendations from the Strategic Defence Review the Ministry of Defence aims to reduce Civil Service costs by at least 10% by 2030. To achieve this, the Department is employing a range of workforce levers to facilitate a measured and sustainable approach to workforce reductions. As part of this process, all Civil Service vacancies are being reviewed. Until this work is complete, it is not possible to provide specific numbers of posts vacant or not being actively recruited at the dates requested.

With reference to page 16 of the Police reform white paper, From Local to National: A New Model for Policing (CP1489), by when will the Police Efficiency and Collaboration Programme be fully operational.

The Police Efficiency and Collaboration Programme (PECP) was announced in November 2024 as part of the Government’s manifesto commitment to set a up a programme to drive down costs in policing.The programme is operational and already making savings. Some examples of the work already underway includes signing 39 forces up to a new commercial energy strategy and piloting central purchasing within policing. These savings will be fully validated and assured after the conclusion of the financial year.

With reference to page 22 of the Police reform white paper, From Local to National: A New Model for Policing (CP1489), by when will every neighbourhood police officer and Police Community Support Officer have completed enhanced additional training.

The Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee (NPG) commitments were met in July 2025, including the start of the national roll out of the College of Policing’s Neighbourhood Policing Programme – Career Pathway (NPP), providing specialist training to police officers and PCSOs.The NPG confirms by the end of this Parliament, every neighbourhood police officer and PCSO will complete enhanced additional training under the NPP, covering themes such as community engagement, problem solving and tackling ASB.

Innovation and Technology, what information does her Department hold on the number of occasions that Ministers from her Department met with representatives from MBR Acres since 5 July 2024.

The Department has held three Ministerial meetings with MBR since 5 July 2024. All meetings were attended by Minister Vallance. The first took place on 18 July 2025 as part of a wider meeting with Contract Research Organisations (CROs). Further meetings were held on 17 September 2025 and also on 2 October 2025.

With reference to page 22 of the Police reform white paper, From Local to National: A New Model for Policing (CP1489), by when will she design new standards so that neighbourhood officers are not routinely abstracted to other areas.

Visible and responsive local policing is essential to restoring public confidence. The Government is committed to rebuilding neighbourhood policing and restoring the vital link between police forces and the communities they serve.As part of our Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee, we are working with forces to develop national abstraction standards for delivery by the end of this Parliament. These will protect the additional 13,000 neighbourhood officers from being routinely abstracted so they can focus on tackling crime and anti-social behaviour in their neighbourhoods.

How many civil servants have left the Ministry of Defence via the targeted voluntary exit scheme since 5 July 2024.

Since 5 July 2024, the Ministry of Defence has instigated one targeted voluntary exit scheme; this was launched on 6 Jan 2026. This scheme is Department-wide but targeted at certain professional cohorts and forms part of our response to workforce planning objectives set out in the Strategic Defence Review. This scheme is ongoing and the number of exits will not be known until later in the year. Since 5 July 2024, there have been 39 voluntary exits which can be attributed to localised workforce change activities and not via a targeted scheme such as that currently in operation.

When will he lift the civil service recruitment controls in his department.

An initial month-long recruitment pause was introduced in October 2025 across the Department as one of a range of workforce levers to facilitate a measured and sustainable approach to workforce reductions. The pause has been extended and is currently being reviewed. Throughout the pause, business areas have had the flexibility to approve exemptions where there are exceptional pressures.

With reference to page 22 of the Police reform white paper, From Local to National: A New Model for Policing (CP1489), how can local residents find out who their named, contactable officer is.

The Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee is ensuring a more consistent standard of neighbourhood policing across England and Wales. Every neighbourhood has named, and contactable officers dedicated to tackling crime and anti-social behaviour locally, with forces increasing patrols in town centres and other hotspots based on local demand and intelligence.Details of all named, contactable officers can be found on force websites, where the public are able to type in their postcode to find out about their neighbourhood policing team and area, local policing priorities and how to contact their neighbourhood teams.

What assessment has he made of the potential merits of exceptions for (a) Military Intelligence Services and (b) Special Forces operators under the Hillsborough Law.

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) keeps under continual review the implications of proposed legislation for Defence activities, including those undertaken by the most sensitive parts of Defence and the Armed Forces.Work is ongoing across the MOD to ensure that all Defence organisations can meet their legal obligations under the forthcoming Hillsborough Law, while also maintaining the necessary protections for highly sensitive operational capabilities and broader National Security.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what information her Department holds on the Government Departments Lord Mandelson could access using his work pass.

As was the case under successive administrations, the Government does not comment on security matters.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what information her Department holds on (a) severance and (b) compensation payments received by Lord Mandelson following the termination of his role as the UK Ambassador to the United States of America.

I refer the Hon. Member to the Government's response to the Urgent Question tabled on 12 February, the Written Ministerial Statement in the name of the Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister that same day, and Oral Statement on the 23 February which set out an update on the Government's process. We will set out further details in due course. The Government wishes to ensure that Parliament's instruction is met with the urgency and transparency that it deserves.

Which Royal Navy project is working to harness AI through machine-speed, data-centric decision making to improve the decision action cycle.

Alongside the development of the Maritime Fighting Web, several Royal Navy initiatives are underway to harness AI to improve the decision action cycle. These include establishing a Royal Navy Targeting organisation to represent the maritime component of the Integrated Force; conducting exercises and training with NATO Allies, Partners, and other Services; and working with the Defence Artificial Intelligence Cell on emerging technologies. These efforts incorporate lessons from the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and address current operational risks facing the Royal Navy.

What information his Department holds on the full scope of Project Goldweed.

Project Goldweed is currently in the delivery phase. Due to operational and commercial sensitivities I am unable to provide any further detail.

What information his Department holds on the full scope of Project Lily.

The full scope of Project Lily was to include the procurement of a single, contractor supported, commercial off-the-shelf uncrewed surface vessel and a remote operations centre for year-round, global, open ocean operations. The uncrewed surface vessel was for military data gathering and was to include a two-year period of Government owned, commercially operated support before transitioning to a Government owned, Government operated solution with commercial support. This project was cancelled following a decision to consider alternative internal options to meet this requirement. Should any future procurement be required, details of the opportunity will be published in the usual way via the Defence Sourcing Portal.

What is the full scope of Project Troubler.

Project TROUBLER is currently in the concept phase. 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 at this stage.

How many pre-existing foodbanks have been brought into official statistics each year since 2010.

The Department does not hold data on the number of pre-existing foodbanks that have been brought into official statistics. Statistics on food bank use are published annually in the Households Below Average Income statistics report and are only available from 2021/22 onwards. The most recent publication is available here: Households below average income: for financial years ending 1995 to 2024 - GOV.UK.

What information his Department holds on the full scope of Project Upham.

Project UPHAM is the name given to pre-concept work undertaken with a view to the future procurement of digital sighting systems for small arms. Given its pre-concept status, the scope and specification of this project have not been defined.

Pursuant to the Answer of 30 January 2026 to Question 107819 on Military Intelligence, what was the (a) cost and (b) start date of the existing multi‑year contract with Google for Secret‑level cloud hosting and data services.

The Ministry of Defence awarded the £400 million Secret Community Cloud (SCC) contract to Google Cloud on 8 September 2025, and work began in early October.