Written questions by Wrigley.

What estimate his Department has made of the cost of infrastructure improvement works at HMNB Devonport; and whether those works involve the (a) removal, (b) containment and (c) replacement of equipment identified as radioactively contaminated.

The current estimate for the costs of infrastructure improvement works at Devonport including the Naval Base and Dockyard are £5 billion. This important activity, which includes works at HMNB Devonport and investment in Devonport Dockyard, will support the Royal Navy’s military outputs for decades to come. These works include areas of the Nuclear Authorised and Licensed Sites at Devonport and will include the removal, upgrade and replacement of equipment/systems which have been identified as radioactive.

Whether the Establishment Management Plan at HMNB Clyde includes actions to monitor and manage any potential discharges of radioactive material into surrounding environments.

The Establishment Management Plan (EMP) at His Majesty’s Naval Base (HMNB) Clyde does not include actions to monitor and manage any potential discharges of radioactive material into surrounding environments. Its focus is on maintaining safe, secure, and high-quality estate, buildings, and infrastructure. Whilst the EMP is not a nuclear safety document it will be informed by, and take into consideration, regulatory requirements. While the treatment of radioactive material is outside of the scope of the EMP, I can confirm handling radioactive substances safely and securely at HMNB Clyde are of the utmost importance. HMNB Clyde engages frequently with regulators to ensure it is discharging its responsibilities in compliance with regulations concerning the treatment of radioactive materials. There are extant Defence and independent monitoring programmes in place also.

For what reason she did not provide a substantive response to the Freedom of Information Act request with reference number 359A/25 on her Department's use of services provided by Palantir Technologies UK Ltd.

The Home Office issued a substantive response to the requester in May 2024, which stated:We have carried out a thorough search and we have established that no current Palantir contracts or use of Palantir software were identified within the Home Office.

What plans her Department has to extend the Ukrainian Permission Extension scheme.

Individuals in the UK under one of the Ukraine Schemes can apply to extend their permission by up to an additional 18 months through the Ukraine Permission Extension (UPE) scheme, which opened to applications on 4 February 2025. The scheme provides the same rights and entitlements to access work, benefits, healthcare and education as the original Ukraine schemes.On 1 September, the Home Secretary announced in parliament that the Ukraine Permission Extension scheme (UPE) would be extended for an additional 24 months to enable those eligible to obtain a further period of permission following their initial permission under UPE. More detail will follow in due course.

What estimate he has made of the cost of planned infrastructure upgrades at Rosyth Dockyard; whether those upgrades include the (a) removal and (b) treatment of legacy radioactive materials; and how many redundant nuclear-powered submarines are docked at that facility.

The preliminary plans for infrastructure upgrades at Rosyth Dockyard have been approved and industry have been engaged to begin progressing the scheme design. Once the scheme design is complete final costs for the project will be negotiated. The work will include the requirement to deliver a contingent docking facility for HMS DREADNOUGHT during its sea trial period, at Rosyth Dockyard.The Submarine Dismantling Project (SDP) includes infrastructure works at Rosyth, where final costs for the project are still being negotiated, to enable the removal and processing of all legacy radioactive waste from dismantled submarines. Activity at Rosyth has begun, with HMS SWIFTSURE being dismantled and a further six decommissioned nuclear submarines awaiting disposal.

Pursuant to the Answer of 17 July 2025 to Question 66340 on the South West Rail Resilience Programme, whether her Department has received the assessments completed by Network Rail in 2024 on the outline design options for Phase 5 of the Programme; and what her Department’s criteria are for determining whether to proceed to the next stage of development.

Following receipt of the Outline Business Case for Phase 5 of the Resilience Programme from Network Rail in 2024, the Department is funding further cliff monitoring and drainage works on this section of route. The project will be kept under review at future funding events once these works are complete.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of contracts held by Palantir Technologies in (a) strategic competitor and (b) other countries on (i) his foreign policy and (ii) data security.

The UK continues to support the open, responsible, secure, and resilient development and innovation of technologies globally, through collaboration with governments, technology companies, and academia. Under the UK data protection regime, organisations must ensure there are appropriate safeguards in place when handling UK data.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when his Department plans to respond to correspondence of 13 June 2025 from the hon. Member for Newton Abbot.

I apologise for the delay in responding to the hon. Member's correspondence. I issued a response to the hon. Member on 21 July.

Whether her Department has (a) issued guidance to and (b) held discussions with local authorities on the estimated end date of the Ukraine Permission Extension Scheme.

From 4 February 2025, individuals in the UK under a Ukraine visa scheme have been eligible to apply for the Ukraine Permission Extension (UPE) scheme, granting an additional 18 months’ permission to stay in the UK as well as access to work, benefits, healthcare, and education. The duration of permission is calculated from the date of application, meaning end dates will vary accordingly. Those granted permission in February 2025, for example, will have permission to stay in the UK until August 2026.The Government recognises the importance of providing clarity and reassurance to Ukrainians living in the UK under the Ukraine visa schemes and is aware that many individuals and families are seeking certainty about their future once their leave under the UPE schemes expires. As such, the Government is actively considering the future of the Ukraine visa schemes and will provide further clarity as soon as it is in a position to do so.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether any dedicated Asian hornet rapid response teams have been (a) disbanded and (b) downsized since 2023.

The response to Yellow-Legged Hornet (YLH) also known as Asian hornet is carried out by the Animal and Plant Health Agency’s (APHA) National Bee Unit (NBU). The NBU do this as part of the overall programme of work that they deliver for Defra from the funding allocated to APHA. The NBU has been taking action against YLH since 2016 and has developed a fine-tuned effective response. They frequently find a nest within a day of an initial sighting being reported. Therefore, Defra has not established dedicated Asian hornet rapid response teams.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether allocated funding to the Animal and Plant Health Agency for Asian hornet response operations has changed since 2023.

The response to Asian hornet also known as Yellow-Legged Hornet (YLH) is carried out by the Animal and Plant Health Agency’s (APHA) National Bee Unit (NBU). The NBU do this as part of the overall programme of work that they deliver for Defra from the funding allocated to APHA. There isn’t a specific budget allocated to the response to YLH. Being part of APHA means the NBU can draw on further resources which allows them to take action on notifiable bee diseases, while continuing to provide an effective response to YLH. In 2023 there was a large increase in the number of YLH nests found in GB and the NBU located and destroyed 72 nests in 56 locations. Further analyses during the winter of 2023 indicated that a few of the nests may have reached maturity and released queens which overwintered. Therefore in 2024 the NBU carried out spring trapping for YLH in 4 areas across the south of GB. Additional funds were allocated for the spring trapping work.

Food and Rural Affairs, how many full-time equivalent staff were assigned to the (a) identification and (b) removal of yellow-legged Asian hornet nests in (i) 2025, (ii) 2023 and (iii) 2022.

There has been 0.5 full-time equivalent (FTE) staff assigned to nest destruction in 2022, 2023 and 2025. This means they were assigned to that role and available on call when needed. There has been one FTE Senior Operational Lead dedicated to yellow-legged hornet since 2024 to manage the overall response. No other staff are employed or allocated on a full-time basis to yellow-legged hornet The response is managed by redeploying staff from other business as usual delivery, based on outbreak demand.

When the Ukraine Permission Extension Scheme is due to end.

From 4 February 2025, individuals in the UK under a Ukraine visa scheme have been eligible to apply for the Ukraine Permission Extension (UPE) scheme, granting an additional 18 months’ permission to stay in the UK as well as access to work, benefits, healthcare, and education. The duration of permission is calculated from the date of application, meaning end dates will vary accordingly. Those granted permission in February 2025, for example, will have permission to stay in the UK until August 2026.The Government recognises the importance of providing clarity and reassurance to Ukrainians living in the UK under the Ukraine visa schemes and is aware that many individuals and families are seeking certainty about their future once their leave under the UPE schemes expires. As such, the Government is actively considering the future of the Ukraine visa schemes and will provide further clarity as soon as it is in a position to do so.

Media and Sport, when her Department plans to respond to correspondence from the hon. Member for Newton Abbot of 3 June 2025.

A response for both letters will be sent to the Hon Member shortly. I apologise for the delay.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of delays in Ukrainian Visa Extension Schemes applications on Ukrainians in the Newton Abbot constituency.

We recognise the importance of minimising any delays in the processing of UPE applications. The vast majority of Ukraine Permission Extension Scheme applications are being processed within Service Level Agreements. There may be applications which have varying levels of complexity which can cause a delay to an application. Applicants that apply before their previous permission expires will continue to have their conditions maintained under Section 3C of the Immigration Rules.Information on visa processing times for applications made from within the UK can be found here: Visa processing times: applications inside the UK - GOV.UK

Media and Sport, when her Department plans to respond to correspondence from the hon. Member for Newton Abbot of 9 June 2025.

A response for both letters will be sent to the Hon Member shortly. I apologise for the delay.

Whether the Pension Schemes Bill will include provisions to (a) support and (b) incentivise investment by pension funds in climate transition-related assets.

While the Department does not hold data on the proportion of UK pension fund assets allocated to climate solutions, we do require pension schemes to evaluate Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) factors, including climate change, in their investment strategies. Specifically, trustees of larger schemes are required to assess and report on climate-related risks and opportunities, including investments in climate solutions. This reporting is done in accordance with the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) recommendations. We will be considering whether to update sustainability reporting, following our review of the TCFD Regulations this year, and the outcomes to the two Government’s consultations currently underway on UK Sustainability Reporting Standards and our Transition Plans manifesto commitment. Measures outlined in these aims on improving transparency and accountability across the economy, helping investors—including pension schemes—understand how climate and nature-related issues affect their investment choices. Measures outlined in The Pension Schemes Bill, concerning productive investment and consolidation of UK occupational workplace pension schemes, can significantly benefit social and environmental objectives by enabling larger, more efficient schemes to engage more effectively with companies on ESG issues, and to invest in a wider range of assets, including those focused on sustainability and long-term impact, such as, infrastructure, renewable energy, and other socially responsible projects.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure that pension schemes are encouraged to address long-term climate and biodiversity risks in their investment strategies.

While the Department does not hold data on the proportion of UK pension fund assets allocated to climate solutions, we do require pension schemes to evaluate Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) factors, including climate change, in their investment strategies. Specifically, trustees of larger schemes are required to assess and report on climate-related risks and opportunities, including investments in climate solutions. This reporting is done in accordance with the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) recommendations. We will be considering whether to update sustainability reporting, following our review of the TCFD Regulations this year, and the outcomes to the two Government’s consultations currently underway on UK Sustainability Reporting Standards and our Transition Plans manifesto commitment. Measures outlined in these aims on improving transparency and accountability across the economy, helping investors—including pension schemes—understand how climate and nature-related issues affect their investment choices. Measures outlined in The Pension Schemes Bill, concerning productive investment and consolidation of UK occupational workplace pension schemes, can significantly benefit social and environmental objectives by enabling larger, more efficient schemes to engage more effectively with companies on ESG issues, and to invest in a wider range of assets, including those focused on sustainability and long-term impact, such as, infrastructure, renewable energy, and other socially responsible projects.

What steps he is taking to ensure that the NHS (a) retains the intellectual property in relation to the technical sovereignty for and (b) is not locked in to using the Federated Data Platform.

The National Health Service retains the intellectual property of solutions it funds or develops, including all associated data models, products, and analytical solutions of the NHS Federated Data Platform, and the background intellectual property remains the property of the respective party. The contract for the FDP and Associated Services includes specific provisions to mitigate vendor lock-in and support transition to an alternative provider at the end of the contractual period. The contract is available at the following link: https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/0f8a65b5-23a2-4294-abb1-a7fd8efb3ad0

If he will publish a list of (a) call-off contracts, (b) contract values and (c) delivery milestones awarded to Palantir Technologies under Crown Commercial Service frameworks since 2020.

Crown Commercial Service (CCS) does not maintain a centralised list of all call-off contracts, values, or delivery milestones awarded to Palantir Technologies. Details of individual call-off contracts, including contract values and delivery milestones, are publicly available on the Contracts Finder website: https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk. Contracts Finder lists information on government contracts worth over £12,000 (including VAT), including those awarded by departments and agencies across the public sector. It is the responsibility of the contracting authority to upload contract information to Contracts Finder.