Written questions by Obese-Jecty.

What are the capability differences between Challenger 2 and Challenger 3.

The Challenger 3 Main Battle Tank will deliver a significant improvement in capability over its predecessor, the Challenger 2. Enhancements include a digitalised turret fitted with the latest 120mm smoothbore gun paired with the most lethal ammunition available; world-class UK-designed armour and an Active Protection System; and improved automotive performance. New advanced sighting systems, sensors and processing capabilities will improve situational awareness and interoperability with other units.

What progress has he made in procuring the Patria 6x6 armoured vehicle.

In December 2025, the UK joined the Common Armoured Vehicle System research and development programme, a multinational initiative with Finland, centred around the Patria 6x6 armoured vehicle. The programme is in the assessment phase.

What assessment has he made of the potential merits of procuring the RCT30 turret for the Boxer platform.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question 6805 on 4 October 2024 which confirms the British Army has conducted operational analysis, lethality and survivability studies, which includes analysing potential turreted options. The British Army will continually review the capabilities, priorities and affordability choices that will be provided by BOXER and other platforms to ensure that its armoured Fighting Vehicle fleet best meets Defence and NATO's needs.

What steps she has taken to help tackle the use of AI in proliferating indecent images of children.

The Government recognises the serious and evolving threat posed by AI being misused to create child sexual abuse material. We know offenders will seek to exploit emerging technologies for their own sexual gratification.AI-generated child sexual abuse is not a victimless crime. The material often includes depictions of real children, escalating the risk of contact abuse. The volume and realism of this material can make it increasingly challenging for safeguarding partners to identify and protect children. Offenders can also use these images to groom and blackmail children.The Government announced in the Violence Against Women and Girls strategy that we will ban nudification apps and other tools designed to create synthetic non-consensual intimate images (NCII) to stop women and girls’ images being tampered with and exploited without their consent.This Government is also introducing specific measures within the Crime and Policing Bill to tackle AI driven child sexual abuse. These include:Criminalising AI models that have been developed to create child sexual abuse material (CSAM). These optimised models produce hyper-realistic indecent images that often contains the likeness of real children. This offence will carry a sentence of up to five yearsUpdating the existing law criminalising ‘paedophile manuals’ to cover AI as well. Manuals which provide guidance on how to use AI to create CSAM will be punishable by up to three years in prison.A new criminal offence to target moderators and administrators who run sites dedicated to child sexual abuse, including where these horrific images are created or advice is shared using AI. These crimes will now carry a sentence of up to 10 years in prison.A further amendment to empower authorised bodies- including AI developers and child protection organisations- to scrutinise AI systems to help improve safeguards and prevent them generating harmful content in the first place.These measures are part of this Government’s ongoing efforts to make sure offenders are held accountable for their actions and have no safe place to hide online.UK law is crystal clear: child sexual abuse material is illegal, whether AI generated or not. Producing, storing, sharing or searching for any content depicting child sexual abuse is a criminal offence.

With reference to the Quarterly service personnel statistics: 1 October 2025, what assessment has he made of the cause of the decrease of personnel in the Full-Time Trained Strength (RN/RM & RAF) and Full-Time Trade Trained Strength (Army) in the 12 months to 1 October 2025.

UK Regular Armed Forces intake is now greater than outflow at the Tri-Service level and strength remained stable over a rolling 12-month period. Published stats (1 October 2025) show that since 1 October 2024, the total number of UK Forces Personnel has increased by 0.3% (increase of 516 to 182,063). Armed Forces inflow has increased by 13% when compared to previous 12-months. In the same period outflow reduced by 8%. There is no single reason why personnel leave the Armed Forces, but the personnel who completed the Armed Forces Continuous Attitude Survey indicated reasons for leaving the Armed Forces included the impact of Service life on family and personal life and opportunities outside the Armed Forces. We are pleased to be reversing the trend of decline, with more people joining our Armed Forces than leaving for the first time in four years. But we know there is more to do to and are taking decisive action, including speeding up the process for those wishing to rejoin the Armed Forces, giving personnel the largest pay rise in decades and scrapping 100 outdated recruitment policies, and legislating the first-ever Armed Forces Commissioner to improve Service life.

What assessment has he made of the potential merits of procuring the K9-Thunder 155mm self-propelled howitzer.

Many 155 mm Artillery systems, including K9-Thunder, were considered as candidates for the Army’s enduring artillery capability, prior to selection of the Remote Controlled Howitzer 155 mm for the Mobile Fires Platform. The Army continues to evaluate its need against current conditions.

What progress has he made in procuring a new 155mm self-propelled howitzer for the Royal Artillery.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 12 November 2025 to Question 88294, which remains extant.

What is the out-of-service date of the 105mm light gun.

On current plans, the Out of Service Date for L118 105 mm Light Gun is 2030.

Pursuant to the answer of 16th December 2025, to question 98210 on Submarines: Decommissioning, what is the schedule for (a) defueling the 12 remaining decommissioned submarines and (b) dismantling all remaining submarines.

The twelve decommissioned, first generation Pressurised Water Reactor (PWR1) submarines awaiting defuel in Devonport will dock in a specialised, licensed dock in Devonport, following processes regulated by the Office for Nuclear Regulation. The used fuel will be removed, loaded into a qualified transport container and transported to Sellafield prior to long-term storage in the Geological Disposal Facility. Submarines will be dismantled after the fuel has been removed. Work is underway to prepare the dock facilities and associated resources in line with plans to recommence defueling in 2026. Dismantling of Swiftsure commenced in Rosyth in 2023. This demonstrator project will refine the disposal process and is on track to be dismantled by the end of 2026, achieving the commitment given to the Public Accounts Committee in 2019.  Lessons learned from these defuel and dismantling projects will provide more certainty around the schedule for defueling and dismantling the remaining 22 decommissioned submarines.

For what reason a) RFA Lyme Bay and b) RFA Mounts Bay have not been put to sea.

As a matter of policy, the Department does not comment on the detailed operational readiness or tasking of individual ships.

Pursuant to the answer of 16th December 2025, to question 98210 on Submarines: Decommissioning, what is the process for defueling decommissioned submarines.

The twelve decommissioned, first generation Pressurised Water Reactor (PWR1) submarines awaiting defuel in Devonport will dock in a specialised, licensed dock in Devonport, following processes regulated by the Office for Nuclear Regulation. The used fuel will be removed, loaded into a qualified transport container and transported to Sellafield prior to long-term storage in the Geological Disposal Facility. Submarines will be dismantled after the fuel has been removed. Work is underway to prepare the dock facilities and associated resources in line with plans to recommence defueling in 2026. Dismantling of Swiftsure commenced in Rosyth in 2023. This demonstrator project will refine the disposal process and is on track to be dismantled by the end of 2026, achieving the commitment given to the Public Accounts Committee in 2019.  Lessons learned from these defuel and dismantling projects will provide more certainty around the schedule for defueling and dismantling the remaining 22 decommissioned submarines.

Pursuant to the answer of 11th December 2025 to question 90800 on F-35 Aircraft: Procurement, what is the total size of the remuneration package for the RAF Engineers Financial Retention Incentive.

The total remuneration package for the RAF Engineers Financial Retention Incentive is approximately £113.5 million.

Pursuant to the answer of 11th December 2025 to question 90800 on F-35 Aircraft: Procurement, what assessment has he made of the potential impact of the time taken to ensure that the programme has the required numbers of engineers on the ability to maintain the F-35 fleet.

The Department is taking measures to improve the recruitment and retention of engineers, whilst also increasing the number of engineers on the F-35 Lightning Force to improve availability.

What information he holds on the number of British-qualified judges sit on the Court of Final Appeal in Hong Kong.

The Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal publishes the names of its non-permanent judges on its website.The list is available at https://www.hkcfa.hk/en/about/who/judges/npjs/index.html.

What amphibious vessels are available to the a) Royal Navy and b) Royal Fleet Auxiliary.

As a matter of policy, the Department does not comment on the detailed readiness or availability of individual ships.

What steps she plans to take to help tackle the use of end-to-end encryption in proliferating indecent images of children.

The implementation of E2EE without safety mitigations has catastrophic consequences. In 2024, tech companies reported 7 million fewer incidents of suspected child sexual abuse exploitation to NCMEC compared to 2023. This decline is linked to reduced detection capabilities due to E2EE and platform design choices. Offenders deliberately migrate to encrypted platforms to evade detection, using E2EE as a safe haven for grooming, sextortion, and CSAM distribution.Technology exists to detect and prevent the abhorrent abuse of children, including in end-to-end encryption (E2EE). Platform design cannot be used as an excuse to avoid detection and reporting obligations. Under the Online Safety Act, in-scope services must assess and act on risks regardless of their technical architecture – including the risk of child sexual exploitation and abuse on public and private parts of their service. Section 121 of the Act gives Ofcom the power to issue a Technology Notice requiring a service to deploy accredited technology – or use best endeavours to develop or source technology – to detect and remove child sexual exploitation and abuse across public and private parts of the service, including encrypted environments, where necessary and proportionate. Where companies fail to protect users, the regulator, Ofcom, can issue fines of up to £18 million or 10% of a company's global revenue, whichever is greater.The Government announced further work to protect children from sexual abuse online in the Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy. Government will work constructively with companies to make it impossible for children in the UK to take, share or view a nude image. This is about prevention. Preventing the harm from happening in the first place whilst avoiding the need for data collection, data sharing or reporting. The technology exists. Now the government wants to work with tech companies to go further.

What steps he is taking to prevent industrial action from Royal Fleet Auxiliary a) ratings and b) officers.

The Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) is a vital element of Defence, enabling the ability to deliver operational effect in conjunction with our allies around the world. We continue to engage constructively with the trade unions which represent RFA ratings and officers. It would not be appropriate to offer more detail of these engagements as discussions are ongoing.

By when will the first phase of the Light Mobility Vehicle Project be completed.

The Light Mobility Vehicle (LMV) sub programme is in its Concept Phase. On current plans, formal market engagement will commence in early 2026.

What discussions she has had with the Mayor of London on the potential impact of the cost of the Piccadilly Line renovation on TfL's finances.

Government announced a £2.2bn investment over the next four years for TfL at the Spending Review. This multi-year settlement marks the largest Government capital contribution to London's transport infrastructure in over a decade and is in addition to £485m delivered at the Budget in 2024. As transport in London is devolved to the Mayor of London, it is for him and TfL to assess the merits and financial impacts of capital projects and make decisions on investment including upgrades to the Piccadilly Line.

What project milestone was achieved by General Dynamics on 23 July 2025.

All criteria for Ajax Initial Operating Capability (IOC) were met on 23 July 2025 and following a period of review, IOC was declared by the Army on 15 September 2025. I have put in place a Ministerial led review into the Ajax programme, which will assess how effective the Department has been at implementing the actions of previous reviews, and seeking anything further that is required regarding safety. It will be conducted by experts who are not part of the AJAX programme, including Malcolm Chalmers, to provide a more independent view. It will be overseen by me and report to the Defence Secretary. It will be conducted at pace, but it will not be rushed.