Written questions by Obese-Jecty.

How many Afghans were brought to the UK via the Afghan Response Route in each month the scheme was open.

As the responsible Department, the Home Office produce quarterly statistics for immigration. These statistics are broken down by the route in which the individual entered the UK. The Afghan Response Route (ARR) is included and can be accessed via the link below: safe-legal-routes-summary-tables-jun-2025.ods As of 4 July 2025, the ARR is closed. This Government continues to support the Afghan Resettlement Programme (ARP) and is taking seriously our commitment to deliver on our promise to our Afghan friends and allies – many of whom stood side-by-side with the UK's Armed Forces in Afghanistan. By the end of this Parliament, we aim to have successfully honoured our obligation to complete relocations of eligible persons.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the introduction of CBAM in January 2027 on defence procurement.

The UK Government will introduce a Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) on 1 January 2027 to address the risk of carbon leakage, and support efforts towards industrial decarbonisation to achieve net zero. Initially, the CBAM will apply only to specific imports from a limited number of sectors at risk of carbon leakage, including aluminium, cement, fertiliser, hydrogen, iron and steel. These sectors collectively account for less than 3% of total UK imports. The government expects the CBAM to have a negligible inflationary impact on consumers in the near term. The Ministry of Defence (MOD) will continue to engage as the policy develops to fully assess the implications for Defence. The MOD is committed to addressing climate and environmental challenges, complying with environmental legislation and standards, while ensuring Defence activities and national security are protected.

What are his Department’s ethical principles for developing and deploying AI.

The SDR recognised the transformative potential of AI and set out MOD's commitment to accelerate the adoption of AI-enabled capabilities across warfighting domains. All development and use of AI across Defence must align with MOD's AI Ethics Principles, published in 2022 in the Ambitious, Safe Responsible policy. The five principles are: human centricity, responsibility, understanding, bias and harm mitigation, and reliability. Joint Services Publication 936 on Dependable AI defines the governance and assurance processes necessary to apply these principles as part of a proportionate, risk managed approach.

What assessment has he made of the potential merits of adopting the (a) L403A1-AIW, (b) the L119A1/A2 and (c) the Sig Sauer MCX as the replacement for the L85A3.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on the 28 April 2025 to Question 45196.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of F-35B aircraft (a) production and (b) delivery into service on the delivery of the SPEARCAP 3 programme.

The programme for the Spear Capability 3 air-to-surface weapon and its integration onto the F-35B is currently under review, with a Review Note in development and planned for submission towards the end of 2025. The estimated current timeline for in-service capability is expected to be early 2030s, but this will be confirmed as part of the review.

How many tonnes of humanitarian aid were delivered to Gaza as part of Operation Underhill.

UK Defence delivered approximately 110 tonnes of humanitarian aid to Gaza in 2024. UK aid drops were judged to be accurate and to have landed within the designated drop zones.

What is the 8005 manning establishment for an infantry (a) platoon, (b) company and (c) battalion in the heavy mechanised role equipped with Boxer.

The Department does not release detailed information on its workforce requirements below top-level figures. I hope that the hon. Gentleman will understand that I am withholding the information as its disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.

When the SPEAR Capability 4 will be operationally ready.

SPEAR Capability 4 reached Full Operational Capability on Typhoon in 2022. The system remains in-service with Typhoon.

What assessment he has made of the capability of the Royal Navy’s Project CETUS crewless submarine demonstrator following its launch in February 2025.

The Ministry of Defence is continuing to assess XV EXCALIBUR to determine its operational capabilities. Since its launch in February 2025, the vessel has already completed Sea Acceptance Trials and recently participated in multinational collaboration as part of Exercise TALISMAN SABRE. As a capability demonstrator, XV EXCALIBUR is not intended to enter operational service, but will continue to be subject to progressive experimentation and capability demonstration activities. XV EXCALIBUR will inform the Royal Navy’s future Extra Large Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (XLAUV) fleet by helping to understand and develop how XLAUVs can be operated, maintained and commanded.

Will the Royal Air Force’s Protector MQ-9B be certified by the (a) civilian aviation authority and (b) the military aviation authority.

As a military registered air system, Protector RG Mk1 only requires certification by the Military Aviation Authority, who issued the Military Type Certificate for the air system in April 2025. Protector is already capable of operating in Class A and C airspace in the UK and the Ministry of Defence continues to work closely with the CAA and international authorities to integrate Protector globally.

On what date Ant Middleton was appointed by the Executive Council as the first Chief Cadet of the Volunteer Cadet Corps.

In November 2019, Ant Middleton was appointed as Chief Cadet and Honorary Captain in the Royal Navy’s Volunteer Cadet Corps. This ended nine months later following controversial statements made on Twitter.

How many Ares vehicles will be required by an infantry platoon in the armoured role.

The Department does not release detailed information on its workforce requirements below top-level figures. I hope that the hon. Gentleman will understand that I am withholding the information as its disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.

Whether he has made an assessment of the (a) immediate and (b) short-term threat posed to Taiwan by recent Chinese military activity in the region.

The Ministry of Defence pays close and persistent attention to Chinese military activity and its implications. The UK considers the Taiwan issue one that should be settled peacefully by the people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait through constructive dialogue, without the threat or use of force or coercion. We do not support any unilateral attempts to change the status quo. This includes increased Chinese assertiveness towards Taiwan.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Russian use of (a) Kinzhal and (b) Zircon missiles.

The Department is aware of and continues to monitor the impact of the Russian use of these and other missile types.

What the composition is of the UK ISTAR Force.

The current RAF UK ISTAR Force is listed below: Poseidon MRA1 RC-135W Rivet Joint Reaper (MQ-9A) Protector RG Mk1 (MQ-9B) Shadow R1 Wedgetail AEW Mk1

What AI tools are used by the Defence Equipment and Support Artificial Intelligence and Automation Centre.

Defence Equipment and Support's (DE&S) Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Automation Team uses a range of tools and techniques to develop software and AI within Defence. Their tools and techniques evolve quickly and in line with the rapid evolution of AI technology and the Ministry of Defence's (MOD) obligations to ensure responsible use of AI. The tools used are commercially available cloud-based tools, including open source. The AI software is built on Defence's Digital Backbone (including MODCloud and Defence DevSecOps Service). DE&S make careful use of Cloud services such as Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service where appropriate. All such use is assured through Secure by Design and in line with MOD policy on AI.

What is the planned in-service date of SSN-AUKUS.

The planned in-service dates for Royal Navy submarines are withheld as disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability, effectiveness, or security of the Armed Forces. The aim is to deliver the first UK submarines into service in the late 2030s to replace the current Astute-Class vessels.

What the scope is of the TIQUILA intelligence, surveillance, tracking and reconnaissance programme.

TIQUILA is delivering Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance (ISTAR) enabled Mini Uncrewed Air Systems (MUAS). TIQUILA will deliver Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLoS) persistent ISTAR information to Brigade Combat Teams across a wide-range of environmental and climatic conditions. This capability will support Light, Medium and Heavy manoeuvre brigades beyond visual line of sight.

What plans the Global Combat Air Programme has to use the EJ200 engine.

The Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) is developing a new aircraft to enter service in the mid-2030s. The early flying demonstrator will utilise EJ200 engines, these engines won’t be used in the final production model.

Pursuant to the Answer of 23 July 2925 to Question 68113 on Army, what assessment he has made of the potential effectiveness of the prototype software defined deep recce strike complex tested in May 2025.

A thorough technical review of the progress and lessons learnt has been conducted to inform the future ASGARD development pathway. Much of the capability derived is now being exploited, including one-way effectors and networking that enables the flow of data between software and domains. The provision of Artificial Intelligence features has improved the speed at which decisions are made, increasing operational tempo, while reducing the risk to human life.