Written questions by Dhesi.

What steps he is taking to improve the armed forces’ ability to conduct ground launched conventional deep precision strikes.

Activities under the Trinity House partnership between the UK and Germany are progressing technical work to mature and inform choices for very long-range Deep Precision Strike capabilities that would expand the UK's options for retaliation to attack, or threat of attack, on the UK or its Allies.

Whether he plans to improve the defence capability to shoot down ballistic missiles targeted at the UK.

Ballistic Missiles are one of several threat categories that are managed through our Integrated Air and Missile Defence enterprise. Integrated Air and Missile Defence investments will be prioritised appropriately against the threat as part of the future Integrated Force. Work to deliver the Strategic Defence Review recommendations, including on homeland Integrated Air and Missile Defence, will be prioritised appropriately against the assessed threat picture as part of the future Integrated Force and will be set out in the forthcoming Defence Investment Plan.

How many phone calls to court phone numbers are unanswered on average per day; and what is this number as a percentage of all calls.

We are unable to provide data on calls made to local Court and Tribunal venues. However, HM Courts & Tribunals Service regularly publishes data on calls made to service centres which can be found through the following link: HMCTS management information – modernised services - GOV.UK.

What steps courts take to comply with data protection laws.

HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) is an executive agency of the Ministry of Justice. The Department is the data controller for HMCTS data, and the Ministry of Justice Data Protection Officer (DPO) covers HMCTS.HMCTS has a Data Protection Governance team which works closely with the Ministry of Justice DPO, to maintain a Data Protection Framework. The framework supports HMCTS staff to discharge their duties in compliance with data protection laws. HMCTS publishes Personal Information Charters for court and tribunal users, to help them understand how HMCTS uses and protects personal data. The HMCTS Personal Information Charters can be found here.HMCTS maintains Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIA) for processing activities and produces data sharing agreements where HMCTS data is shared with partners across the justice system.All HMCTS staff must complete annual mandatory data security training which covers handling and protecting personal data. These measures ensure that courts uphold high standards in the handling and protection of personal data in accordance with data protection legislation.

If he will write to the hon. Member for Slough outlining (a) why the High Court of Justice King’s Bench Division Administrative Court has been (i) writing to the hon. Member for Slough and (ii) sending him sealed court orders regarding a court case to which he is not a party, (b) why this has continued after correspondence from his office, (c) whether all parties for this case are aware of (A) this case and (B) the orders relating to it, (d) whether all parties for this case are aware that the hon. Member for Slough has been sent this information and (e) whether, if required, the Information Commissioner's Office will be informed.

HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) processed the claim accurately and in accordance with the information provided by the claimant.HMCTS has advised that the hon. Member for Slough’s parliamentary email address was included on the claim form by the claimant to the proceedings as the contact address for the Second Defendant. As a result, this was added to the court database and would generate court correspondence including court orders to the hon. Member’s parliamentary email address.HMCTS received an email from the MP’s office on 29 December 2025 and the court issued a response to him on the same day. The MP continued to receive correspondence because his office did not specify that the email address should be removed. The court would usually require notification and evidence that an administrative error has been made so the individual's details can be removed from the court record.Documents were sent to the hon. Member for Slough who is not a party to this case rather than to the second defendant. HMCTS has corrected this and is ensuring service on the second defendant and will notify all parties.This is not a matter for the Information Commissioners Office as HMCTS has followed the process and accurately recorded the claim details from the claimant’s form.

What checks are undertaken to ensure Hon Members and other individuals are not sent court orders to which (a) they are not party and (b) have sensitive personal information of others.

HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) processed the claim accurately and in accordance with the information provided by the claimant.HMCTS has advised that the hon. Member for Slough’s parliamentary email address was included on the claim form by the claimant to the proceedings as the contact address for the Second Defendant. As a result, this was added to the court database and would generate court correspondence including court orders to the hon. Member’s parliamentary email address.HMCTS received an email from the MP’s office on 29 December 2025 and the court issued a response to him on the same day. The MP continued to receive correspondence because his office did not specify that the email address should be removed. The court would usually require notification and evidence that an administrative error has been made so the individual's details can be removed from the court record.Documents were sent to the hon. Member for Slough who is not a party to this case rather than to the second defendant. HMCTS has corrected this and is ensuring service on the second defendant and will notify all parties.This is not a matter for the Information Commissioners Office as HMCTS has followed the process and accurately recorded the claim details from the claimant’s form.

What steps he is taking to reduce the number of court phone numbers that, when called, tell you to call a different number.

HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) is committed to improving the experience of users contacting us by telephone. We have migrated call handling for a number of services from local courts and tribunals to centrally managed National Service Centres. Since migration telephony wait times continue to improve, for example, average call waiting times in our digital service centres have fallen year on year, from 17 minutes in December 2023, to 15 minutes in December 2024, and to 13 minutes in December 2025, against our 15-minutes target.A proportion of callers continue to use older phone numbers that appear on historic paperwork or in third‑party online sources retained by citizens and professionals. To avoid leaving these callers without guidance, HMCTS maintains recorded messages on such lines to signpost to the correct, active number or service.

How many people have been employed to answer phone enquiries for the High Court in each of the last 5 years.

HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) HR does not hold information relating to people employed to answer phone enquiries for the High Court. This is because answering telephone enquiries is a responsibility spanning multiple different role profiles.No HMCTS role has the sole responsibility of answering telephone enquiries in its entirety, and so the word “telephone” or “phone” does not feature in any job titles.

What steps his Department is taking to improve (a) customer service, (b) accessibility and (c) the ability of users to speak to a human operator in its court telephone system.

HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) is taking steps to improve the service it provides Court and Tribunal users, for example, through the delivery of the Service Improvement Framework which focuses on written communications, telephone call handling, complaint handling and public facing information. This will be in place from April 2026.HMCTS has developed an Accessibility Strategy following a Government Internal Audit Agency recommendation in September 2024 and is building an action plan to support delivery of the strategy.HMCTS’ new digital services are designed and built to be simple, accessible, and easy to use. HMCTS has a digital support service to help those who are digitally excluded (based on access, skills or confidence) to complete digital forms.  HMCTS digital services are required to comply with The Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) Accessibility Regulations 2018, under the Equality Act 2018. Our digital services are tested against the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.2 AA Standard to make sure they comply with the regulations.To improve call handling within HMCTS, some services, including Crime Magistrates, Civil and Family, have migrated call handling from local Courts into National Service centres. This change was made in recognition that a more efficient and consistent service can be delivered through modern technology and centrally managed, dedicated contact centre teams.

Communities and Local Government, what recent discussions he has had with local authorities on taking steps to ensure that properties under their responsibility comply with Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022.

The Government has published guidance to support understanding and compliance with the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 and has since updated this to ensure it meets the needs of users including social housing providers. Officials have frequently presented at forums with local authorities and engage regularly at official level with those who are responsible for the Regulations to understand how these are working on the ground, alongside providing policy expertise and identifying where further or amended guidance is needed. A 2023 survey indicated that understanding and compliance with the Regulations is positive. A review of the Regulations is being planned, and the Government will use any learning from this to address any questions or queries around the requirements of the Regulations.

What part of his Department is leading on the Home Defence programme.

The Resilience Action Plan and Home Defence Programme are led by the COBR Director and COBR Directorate, with oversight by the Deputy National Security Advisor (DNSA) for Intelligence, Defence and Security. Ministerial oversight is provided by the Security Minister.

If he will (a) have discussions with cabinet colleagues on the merits of reducing student loan debt as part of a recruitment package for attracting and retaining recent graduates into the armed forces and (b) estimate the cost to the public purse of such a policy.

The Armed Forces already provide several opportunities to support tertiary education both before service and while serving. These include bursaries, sponsored degree study, in-service degrees and Learning Credits to offset the cost of undergraduate and postgraduate study. These schemes ensure that personnel are supported in gaining valuable qualifications and skills benefiting not only the individual, but also enhancing operational capability.

Following the decision to disband the Resilience directorate in the Cabinet Office, who is responsible for implementing the Resilience Action Plan.

The COBR Directorate in the Cabinet Office is responsible for the coordination of resilience, civil contingencies planning, and crisis management across the system. This brings together the former Resilience Directorate and the former COBR Unit, which will ensure that all phases of the crisis management cycle report to a single Director and is in line with the Cabinet Office vision for a specialist, smaller and more strategic centre.

What the title is of the Senior Responsible Owner leading on the (a) Home Defence Programme and (b) Resilience Action Plan.

The Resilience Action Plan and Home Defence Programme are led by the COBR Director and COBR Directorate, with oversight by the Deputy National Security Advisor (DNSA) for Intelligence, Defence and Security. Ministerial oversight is provided by the Security Minister.

How many civil servants FTE work on the Home Defence Programme within the Cabinet Office.

The Home Defence Programme (HDP) is led by the COBR Directorate in the Cabinet Office. COBR is responsible for coordinating preparedness and response to a range of risks facing the UK, including potential hostilities affecting the UK. For national security reasons, the government does not routinely comment publicly on the size of such teams.

If he will (a) review and (b) update the UK’s Defence Contribution in the High North strategy, published in March 2022, to ensure it (i) reflects the Government’s policies and (ii) adequately addresses (A) current and (B) emerging security challenges in the arctic region.

The 2025 Strategic Defence Review (SDR) sets out the Government's approach to deterring threats and strengthening security in the Euro-Atlantic area, including the Arctic and High North. The region features strongly in the SDR's strategic thinking, particularly in relation to the Royal Navy's Atlantic Bastion concept (which includes securing the North Atlantic and adjacent waters), the importance of NATO's Northern Flank, our co-operation through the Joint Expeditionary Force and bilaterally with nations such as Norway, and the anticipated geostrategic shifts due to climate change, including increased accessibility and competition in the High North.The Government continues to monitor developments in the Arctic region closely, including Russia's military posture and capabilities in the region. This is achieved through a combination of intelligence assessments, engagement with allies, and participation in multinational fora such as the JEF and NATO.NATO is strengthening its deterrence and defence as a result of the increasing threat from Russia and will continue to adapt as necessary.

If he will take steps to strengthen the UK’s preparedness, in coordination with NATO allies, for threats to the security of British Overseas Territories.

The Ministry of Defence remains firmly committed to ensuring the security and resilience of the United Kingdom and its Overseas Territories. In line with our obligations and strategic priorities, we continue to take steps to strengthen preparedness against emerging threats, working closely with NATO allies and other international partners.

If he will take steps to strengthen the UK’s preparedness, in coordination with NATO allies, for threats to the security of NATO members in the Baltic region.

In coordination with NATO allies, we have committed to strengthening preparedness and deterrence to counter threats to the Baltic region, ensuring that our forces remain capable, credible, and ready to respond to any threat to Alliance security. This is demonstrated through the UK’s lead as framework nation for NATO’s multinational battlegroup in Estonia and contribution of surveillance aircraft to NATO’s BALTIC SENTRY, which protects critical national infrastructure in the Baltic Sea. Additionally, and in line with our NATO Article 3 commitments, the UK is the framework nation for the Joint Expeditionary Force, which has demonstrated the UK’s leadership, preparedness and responsiveness to security threats in the High North and Baltic.

If he will take steps to strengthen the UK’s preparedness, in coordination with NATO allies, in response to threats to the security of Greenland.

Greenland is part of the Kingdom of Denmark, which is a member of NATO. NATO has made clear that the North Atlantic, High North and Arctic is a priority area for deterrence and defence and Allies are stepping up to enhance security in the region. As a NATO ally the United States is an essential partner in this endeavour. As the Strategic Defence Review makes clear, the UK is increasing its presence, activities and investments to keep the Arctic safe and to deter adversaries, including through Atlantic Bastion and leadership of the Joint Expeditionary Force.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will ensure that her Department has contingency plans in place to respond to any invasion or hostile act against Greenland by a foreign power.

It has been the long-standing policy of the United Kingdom under successive governments never to speculate on hypothetical operational responses to hypothetical scenarios.I refer the Hon Member to the statement made to the House by the Foreign Secretary on 5 January, and her responses to questions raised in that debate, where she set out in comprehensive terms the UK's position on Greenland.