Written questions by Obese-Jecty.

Pursuant to the answer of 17th November 2025, to question 88464 on Prison Accommodation, how many a) places at new prisons, b) permanent cells at existing prisons and c) Rapid Deployment Cells will form the 3,250 places in the South West and Central region.

As set out in the 10-Year Prison Capacity Strategy, published in December 2024, we are delivering an additional 14,000 prison places, and aim to do so by 2031, having already delivered c.2,600 since taking office. The following table provides a breakdown of the places to be delivered in each region by new prison places, permanent cells at existing prisons and rapid deployment cells (RDCs), with each number rounded to the nearest 50 places. Due to rounding, total places may not align to the other categories.Region Total Places New Prison Places Permanent Cells RDCs South West & Centralc.3,250c.1,450c.1,600c.200South East & Eastc.2,4000c.2,100c.250Walesc.3500c.250c.100Midlandsc.2,750c.2,000c.700c.50North Westc.2,900c.1,700c.1,100c.100North Eastc.6500c.400c.200This breakdown represents current projections which may vary when compared to previous projections due to changes in programme scope or our delivery approach, as well as the inclusion in the original response of temporary additional places used in private prisons (which are not covered in the questions above).Due to rounding, and contingency within the programmes, our delivery total exceeds the 14,000 place commitment.

What progress has she made in replacing the key supplier for the 10K Additional Prison Places Estate Expansion Houseblocks and Refurbishment programme.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 11 November 2025 to Question 87997.

What progress he has made in replacing the key supplier for the 10K Additional Prison Places Estate Expansion Category D programme.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 11 November 2025 to Question 87997.

What assessment has she made of the potential implications for her policies of the outcome of the joint Ofsted and CQC Area SEND Inspection published on 13 May 2025.

Cambridgeshire local area partnership was inspected by Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) from 27 to 31 January 2025. The inspection outcome was that the local areas partnership’s arrangements lead to inconsistent experiences and outcomes for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). Five areas for improvement were identified and the department is working with the local partnership to monitor improvement in these five areas.Where a council does not meet its duties, the department can take action that prioritises children’s needs and supports local areas to bring about rapid improvement. We offer a range of universal, targeted and intensive support through department-managed programmes, such as our sector led improvement Partners.The current Ofsted/CQC area SEND inspection framework was launched in January 2023. All local areas are due to receive a full inspection under this framework by the end of 2027, driving better outcomes and standards in the system.As part of our Plan for Change, the department is determined to fix the SEND system and restore the trust of parents. We will bring forward a full Schools White Paper early in the new year.

What assessment has he made of the import costs of biomass sourcing of the fuel for the Drax power station.

It is for generators to determine the most cost effective way of importing biomass, as this is a commercial decision. All transportation of biomass must comply with strict supply chain emission thresholds in order to be eligible for any subsidy.

Innovation and Technology, what assessment has she made of the potential merits of introducing new measures on governing the influence of agentic AI tools.

AI is a general-purpose technology, with a wide range of applications, which is why the UK believes that the vast majority of AI should be regulated at the point of use – including agentic AI tools.A range of existing rules already apply to AI systems, such as data protection, competition, equality legislation, and online safety. In response to the AI Action Plan, the government confirmed it would work with regulators to boost their capabilities.This is complemented by the work of the AI Security Institute, which has deepened our understanding of the critical security risks posed by frontier AI, including agentic AI. We are committed to ensuring our rule book is up to date and future-proofed so the UK is prepared for the changes AI will bring.

With reference to her Department's news story entitled Honour-based abuse crackdown in raft of new measures, published on the 26 August 2025, how many of the 2,755 honour-based abuse related offences recorded by police in England and Wales related to cases in which (a) men and (b) boys were victims.

'Honour’-based abuse is a serious form of abuse that nobody should have to experience. This is why we are tackling it through our mission to halve violence against women and girls (VAWG) in a decade.To prevent and respond effectively to forced marriage and female genital mutilation (FGM) it is essential that we understand the prevalence of these crimes.Building on the feasibility study conducted by the University of Birmingham in 2023/24, the Home Office has commissioned a pilot research project to support the development of a national prevalence estimate for forced marriage and female genital mutilation. This work is already underway.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the proportion of Bangladeshi asylum seekers that have arrived via a) visas or b) other leave in the year to June 2025 on the asylum system.

This government has already taken action to stem the surge in asylum claims from visa holders, including record numbers of credibility interviews and mandating a genuine study requirement for short term student routes. The number of student visa holders claiming asylum has reduced every quarter since this government took office.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the proportion of Pakistani asylum seekers that have arrived via a) visas or b) other leave in the year to June 2025 on the asylum system.

This government has already taken action to stem the surge in asylum claims from visa holders, including record numbers of credibility interviews and mandating a genuine study requirement for short term student routes. The number of student visa holders claiming asylum has reduced every quarter since this government took office.

With reference to the assurances he gave during his opening speech at the Second Reading of the Northern Ireland Troubles Bill, that nobody who had taken part in paramilitary activity would be able to participate in the Victims and Survivors Advisory Group, what clause within the Bill underpins those assurances.

Clause 8(3) of the Northern Ireland Troubles Bill sets out that appointments to the Victims and Survivors Advisory Group are made by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, following the consultation set out in Clause 9. The Government will not appoint anyone who was previously involved in paramilitary activity to the Victims and Survivors Advisory Group.

Pursuant to the Answer of 17 November 2025, to Question 88976 on Fireworks: Injuries, how many prosecutions have there been in each of the past five financial years for (a) deliberately and (b) negligently causing an injury with a firework.

Acting recklessly with or throwing fireworks can cause life-changing injuries. These actions can result in criminal prosecution and/or civil liability, depending on whether the injury was caused deliberately, recklessly or negligently.There are numerous offences this can fall under, including: s.39 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988 (common assault/battery) or from the+ Offences against the Person Act 1861: s47 (assault occasioning actual bodily harm), s20 (wounding/inflicting grievous bodily harm), s18 (wounding/causing grievous bodily harm with intent to do grievous bodily harm), s28 (grievous bodily harm by the unlawful explosion of gunpowder or other explosive substance), s29 (unlawfully causing gunpowder or some other explosive substance to explode with intent to cause grievous bodily harm). The charge chosen will depend on the facts and circumstances of the case and the level of injury caused.During the most recently available 12 months (ending June 2025) management information shows that a total of 102,493 offences charged by way of the above legislation, commenced prosecution in magistrates’ courts. Of these charges the CPS is unable to identify which offences specifically involved fireworks as opposed to physical assaults or the use of other types of weapons, without a manual review of each case, which would incur disproportionate cost.If an injury is caused through negligence (e.g. due to an accident at a private or publicly organised display) the person who set off the firework (or the event organiser/landowner) may be sued for damages in a civil court. Information on proceedings in civil courts is held by HM Courts and Tribunals Service.

With reference to page 139 of the Ministry of Defence Annual Report and Accounts 2024-25, how was the retirement of the Albion and Bulwark landing platforms calculated at a constructive loss of £428,459,000.

The decision to decommission both HMS Albion and HMS Bulwark was announced in November 2024. In the period from 2022 to 2024, a total of £72.1 million has been spent on refitting HMS Bulwark. Neither HMS Albion nor HMS Bulwark were due to go to sea ahead of their out-of-service dates in 2033 and 2034. Their disposal shows that we are delivering for defence by divesting ourselves of old capabilities to make way for the future. These ships were effectively mothballed by the previous Government. As part of disposal procedures, we have calculated the write-down costs, in line with Managing Public Money and Ministry of Defence accounting policies. The constructive loss of £428,459,000 reflects the write-down of remaining value of HMS Albion and HMS Bulwark and their associated capital works, spares and consumables following the decision to bring forward their out-of-service dates.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment has she made of the merits of providing intelligence support to US forces involved in Operation Southern Spear.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer provided on 3 November to Question 85121.

When will he publish the most recent quarterly portfolio review of his Department’s projects within the Government major projects portfolio.

In line with other Departments, the Ministry of Defence discloses declassified programme performance information for most of our major programmes, alongside the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority (NISTA) Annual Report. The next NISTA Annual Report and proactive disclosure will cover the Financial Year 2025 to 2026 and will be published in summer 2026.Routine examination of the performance of our major projects and programmes that will contain security classified material is achieved through various governance boards and committees to ensure that senior management intervention is applied where and when it is needed throughout the year.

With reference to the data tables accompanying the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority Annual Report 2024-25, published on 11 August 2025, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the rating of the E7 Wedgetail SRO Delivery Confidence Assessment.

Delivery Confidence Assessments reflect that moment in time and will change throughout a programme's lifecycle. An assessment of Red does not mean that the programme is undeliverable, but that there are management interventions required as a priority in order to increase the likelihood of being able to deliver to approved time, performance and cost.The National Armaments Director holds all the levers of procurement, enabling the necessary interventions to be applied in support of programmes assessed as Red.

With reference to the data tables accompanying the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority Annual Report 2024-25, published on 11 August 2025, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the rating of the Core Production Capability IPA Delivery Confidence Assessment.

Delivery Confidence Assessments reflect that moment in time and will change throughout a programme's lifecycle. An assessment of Red does not mean that the programme is undeliverable, but that there are management interventions required as a priority in order to increase the likelihood of being able to deliver to approved time, performance and cost.The National Armaments Director holds all the levers of procurement, enabling the necessary interventions to be applied in support of programmes assessed as Red.

With reference to the data tables accompanying the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority Annual Report 2024-25, published on 11 August 2025, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the rating of the Future Combat Air System IPA Delivery Confidence Assessment.

Delivery Confidence Assessments reflect that moment in time and will change throughout a programme's lifecycle. An assessment of Red does not mean that the programme is undeliverable, but that there are management interventions required as a priority in order to increase the likelihood of being able to deliver to approved time, performance and cost.The National Armaments Director holds all the levers of procurement, enabling the necessary interventions to be applied in support of programmes assessed as Red.

With reference to the data tables accompanying the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority Annual Report 2024-25, published on 11 August 2025, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the rating of the Land Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance IPA Delivery Confidence Assessment.

Delivery Confidence Assessments reflect that moment in time and will change throughout a programme's lifecycle. An assessment of Red does not mean that the programme is undeliverable, but that there are management interventions required as a priority in order to increase the likelihood of being able to deliver to approved time, performance and cost.The National Armaments Director holds all the levers of procurement, enabling the necessary interventions to be applied in support of programmes assessed as Red.

With reference to the data tables accompanying the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority Annual Report 2024-25, published on 11 August 2025, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the rating of the SKYNET 6 IPA Delivery Confidence Assessment.

Delivery Confidence Assessments reflect that moment in time and will change throughout a programme's lifecycle. An assessment of Red does not mean that the programme is undeliverable, but that there are management interventions required as a priority in order to increase the likelihood of being able to deliver to approved time, performance and cost.The National Armaments Director holds all the levers of procurement, enabling the necessary interventions to be applied in support of programmes assessed as Red.

With reference to the data tables accompanying the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority Annual Report 2024-25, published on 11 August 2025, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the rating of the Mine Hunting Capability SRO Delivery Confidence Assessment.

Delivery Confidence Assessments reflect that moment in time and will change throughout a programme's lifecycle. An assessment of Red does not mean that the programme is undeliverable, but that there are management interventions required as a priority in order to increase the likelihood of being able to deliver to approved time, performance and cost.The National Armaments Director holds all the levers of procurement, enabling the necessary interventions to be applied in support of programmes assessed as Red.