Ben Obese-Jecty MP: written questions
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Written questions
Unmanned Air Systems: ProcurementMinistry of DefenceTabled 16 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 10485More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Malloy Aeronautics T-150 heavy lift UAVs have been procured for a) Ukrainian Armed Forces and b) British Armed Forces since 5 July 2024.
Answer: Since 5 July 2024, the Ministry of Defence has procured 175 Malloy Aeronautics T-150 heavy lift uncrewed aerial systems (UAS) for the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and 20 for the United Kingdom Armed Forces.
Answered 24 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordDefence: Artificial IntelligenceMinistry of DefenceTabled 16 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 10475More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps has he taken to use machine learning to train defence AI in targeting based on the current Ukrainian targeting dataset.
Answer: The Ministry of Defence is drawing on lessons from Ukraine’s experience of modern warfare, particularly in the use of data and artificial intelligence. These insights are shaping our capability development, enhancing support for communications infrastruct...
Answered 24 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordRussia: ShippingMinistry of DefenceTabled 16 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 10474More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the answer of 8 June 2026 to question 6167 on Russia: Shipping, whether the maritime interdiction of the Russian Shadow Fleet vessel SMYRTOS was conducted under Article 110 of UNCLOS.
Answer: The interdiction of the vessel SMYRTOS was conducted in accordance with domestic and international law, including under Article 110 of UNCLOS.
Answered 24 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordHawk Aircraft: DecommissioningMinistry of DefenceTabled 16 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 10473More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the answer of 10 June 2026 to question 6942 on Hawk Aircraft, what was the percentage of Final Fatigue Index used for a) XX159 and b) XX301 at the time they were deregistered and retired from service.
Answer: The final percentage of fatigue index when the airframes were deregistered and retired from service was as follows:XX159 70.81%XX301 68.98%
Answered 24 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordHawk Aircraft: DecommissioningMinistry of DefenceTabled 16 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 10472More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the answer of 10 June 2026 to question 6942 on Hawk Aircraft, on what dates were (a) XX159 and (b) XX301 deregistered and retired from service.
Answer: XX159 entered Service in January 1979 and was retired from Service and deregistered in May 2025. XX301 entered Service in February 1980 and was retired from Service and deregistered in September 2025. I can confirm both platforms that have been retired en...
Answered 22 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordDefence: Cost EffectivenessMinistry of DefenceTabled 16 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 10471More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the £3.5 billion of in-year efficiency savings to be made within his Department is included within the cost envelope for the Defence Investment Plan.
Answer: Work to finalise the Defence Investment Plan (DIP) will continue at pace with the new Defence Secretary, and the Prime Minister has been clear that he is determined to publish the DIP before the NATO summit in July.
Answered 22 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordShipping: RussiaDepartment for TransportTabled 16 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 10470More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, on what date did (a) the SMYRTOS lose its Cameroonian registration and (b) UK authorities become aware of the change in flag status.
Answer: The SMYRTOS was deregistered from the Cameroonian flag registry on 26 May. UK authorities first received reporting that SMYRTOS was flying a false flag on 08 June.
Answered 23 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordShipping: RussiaDepartment for TransportTabled 16 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 10469More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information her Department holds on the number of times the sanctioned Russian Shadow Fleet vessel SMYRTOS transited a) through the English Channel or b) through the wider UK EEZ since 24 March 2026.
Answer: Before the UK Government’s interdiction of the SMYRTOS on 14 June, the SMYRTOS had transited the Channel once since 24 March 2026 while on North-East passage to the Baltic across 24-25 May. This was on the French side of the Traffic Separation Scheme but ...
Answered 24 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordShipping: RussiaDepartment for TransportTabled 16 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 10468More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, from which budget will the cost of detaining the SMYRTOS at Weymouth anchorage come from.
Answer: The Department for Transport is lead department for the detention of the vessel. However, we are clear that the ship owner continues to be responsible for the upkeep of the vessel, and provisions for crew members.
Answered 24 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordHinchingbrooke HospitalDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 16 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 10466More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 8 June 2026 to Question 6174, what his planned timetable is to write to the Hon. Member for Huntingdon with an update.
Answer: I can confirm that I have written to the hon. Member with an update. I have asked my officials to work with colleagues at Northwest Anglia Foundation Trust to develop a staged and costed plan for the replacement of their Electronic Patient Record and esse...
Answered 6 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordDefence: ExpenditureMinistry of DefenceTabled 16 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 10462More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the size of the defence budget deficit was in 2010-11.
Answer: In their report of 21 July 2010, the NAO estimated that the shortfall between the estimated defence budget and the forward defence spending programme was between £6 billion and £36 billion over 10 years, depending on the budget assumptions used.
Answered 24 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordF-35 AircraftMinistry of DefenceTabled 16 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 10461More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the answer of 12 June 2026 to question 6959 on F-35 Aircraft, what progress he has made on facilitating the ability of the Lightning Force to deliver tactical mission set 3.
Answer: Fitted with the AN/APG-81 radar and BAE Systems AN/ASQ-239 system the F-35B has powerful Electronic Attack and Radar Jamming capabilities to suppress and disrupt adversary radars. It can also geolocate those adversary radar systems at range and share this...
Answered 24 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordIslamic State: SyriaAttorney GeneralTabled 16 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 10355More
Question: To ask the Solicitor General, pursuant to the Answer of 9 June 2026 to Question 6957 on Repatriation: Syria, how many people have been prosecuted upon return to the UK for crimes committed overseas as a foreign fighter under the Terrorism Acts.
Answer: The Crown Prosecution Service does not collate or publish specific data on categories of offender such as individuals who have returned to the UK following participation in any conflicts overseas.
Answered 23 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordHMP The Verne: Prison AccommodationMinistry of JusticeTabled 16 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 10354More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the answer of 9 June 2026, to question 5487 on HMP The Verne: Prison Accommodation, what is the remaining scope of work at HMP The Verne.
Answer: As per our response to Question 5487, 40 Rapid Deployment Cells have been delivered at HMP The Verne and are operational. The project is therefore complete.
Answered 24 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordHMP/YOI Standford Hill: Prison AccommodationMinistry of JusticeTabled 16 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 10353More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, who is the new contractor for the construction of the 240 Category D additional places at HMP Standford Hill.
Answer: The contractor delivering the additional 240 Category D places at HMP Standford Hill is Bovis Construction.
Answered 24 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordEGNOSDepartment for TransportTabled 16 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 10352More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the answer of 8 June 2026, to question 4885 on Transport: Global Navigation Satellite Systems, by when will she have completed the review of the case and viability of rejoining the EGNOS programme.
Answer: A comprehensive review is being undertaken of the transport case and the practicalities of rejoining the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay System (EGNOS), with the aim of determining how to best take this policy forward by the end of the year.
Answered 24 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordAirspace: Unmanned Air SystemsDepartment for TransportTabled 16 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 10351More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she has taken to update the Air Navigation Order 2016 to integrate Beyond Visual Line of Sight drone operations with other airspace users.
Answer: Through the Future of Flight Programme, the Department is working with the Civil Aviation Authority, industry and other government partners to put in place the policy, regulatory and legislative framework needed to support routine Beyond Visual Line of Si...
Answered 24 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordChallenger Tanks: ProcurementMinistry of DefenceTabled 16 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 10346More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of engineering problems caused by gearboxes on the delivery timeline of Challenger 3.
Answer: Challenger 3 remains in the Demonstration phase. The design continues to be refined by the manufacturer to ensure the vehicle meets its required performance standards. As design maturity has improved, the Prime Contractor has refined elements of the desig...
Answered 24 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordNuclear Weapons: ProcurementMinistry of DefenceTabled 15 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 10074More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 11 June 2026 to Question 7775 on Defence Nuclear Enterprise, what is the (a) whole life cost, (b) 2025-26 cost and (c) 2026-27 budget for Astraea.
Answer: As the Astraea programme is in its early development, it is too early to provide an accurate whole life cost estimate. Cost estimates are being developed and are subject to Cabinet Office and HM Treasury major project scrutiny in the usual way. I am withh...
Answered 18 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordMilitary Aircraft: TrainingMinistry of DefenceTabled 15 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 10073More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 8 June 2026 to Question 5095 on Military Aircraft: Training, what is the average length of holdover time for pilots waiting to commence their front-line Operational Conversion Unit.
Answer: As of 16 June 2026, the average length of holdover time for fast jet pilots waiting to commence front-line Operational Conversion Unit (OCU) following the completion of UK Military Flying Training System (UKMFTS) courses, was 121 days.
Answered 23 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordHawk AircraftMinistry of DefenceTabled 15 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 10072More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the answer of 10 June 2026 to question 6942 on Hawk Aircraft, at the date of their respective registration and retirement were a) XX159 and b) XX301 part of the sustainment fleet.
Answer: XX159 entered Service in January 1979 and was retired from Service and deregistered in May 2025. XX301 entered Service in February 1980 and was retired from Service and deregistered in September 2025. I can confirm both platforms that have been retired en...
Answered 22 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordHawk AircraftMinistry of DefenceTabled 15 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 10071More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the answer of 10 June 2026 to question 6942 on Hawk Aircraft, why were a) XX159 and b) XX301 deregistered and retired from service.
Answer: This activity was undertaken as part of the managed drawdown of the Hawk T1 fleet ahead of the planned Out of Service Date (OSD) in 2030.XX301 has been transferred to the Defence School of Aeronautical Engineering at RAF Cosford for use as an instructiona...
Answered 18 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordF-35 Aircraft: EnginesMinistry of DefenceTabled 15 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 10070More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the answer of 9 June 2026 to question 6171 on F-35 Aircraft: Engines, what the timeline is for the upgrade of the remaining TR-3 refresh.
Answer: The timeline for the remaining upgrades of the United Kingdom’s F-35B aircraft to Technology Refresh 3 standard has yet to be finalised.
Answered 18 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordRussia: ShippingMinistry of DefenceTabled 15 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 10067More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the official footage released by the MOD of the operation to board the Russian Shadow Fleet vessel SMYRTOS on 14 June 2026, were any of the shots within the footage staged for promotional purpos
Answer: Suggestions that the UK’s interdiction of the Russian shadow fleet vessel Smyrtos was staged for publicity purposes are false. While we don’t routinely comment on specific operational details, the footage released was of secondary clearance of all spaces ...
Answered 30 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordIntelligence Services: RecruitmentCabinet OfficeTabled 15 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 10063More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, for what reason is the MI5, MI6 and GCHQ Summer Intelligence Internship only open to Black, Asian and ethnic minority applicants.
Answer: The UK Intelligence Community (UKIC) runs a number of internships and placement schemes. They are designed to provide insight about what it is like to work in UKIC. The eligibility criteria for specific internship schemes in UKIC are made publicly availab...
Answered 3 Jul 2026
Original Parliament record
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