Written questions by Obese-Jecty.

What recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Future Cruise Anti-Ship Weapon programme on the level of military cooperation between the UK and France.

The Future Cruise Anti-Ship Weapon programme is a vital programme within the UK-French Lancaster House agreement. This programme develops a key collaboration on two next generation deep strike and anti-ship weapons that will offer increased opportunities for co-operation for both the Air and Naval Forces of France and UK, building upon the success of the joint UK Storm Shadow and France SCALP missiles currently in operational use.

Communities and Local Government, if he will set out the transitional arrangements prior to equalisation of differences in Council Tax rates across merging local authorities.

Council tax is managed by local authorities, who decide what level of council tax they wish to set. The Government sets referendum principles each year and any authority which sets a council tax increase above the principles must have it approved by voters. There is an established system for the harmonisation of council tax levels across the area of a restructured local authority area, whereby the difference between the Band D level of the highest and lowest charging predecessor areas must narrow each year, until a single uniform Band D is reached across the new authority. There is no minimum or maximum requirement on the extent to which the gap must close each year, provided harmonisation is completed by the start of year 8 at the latest. This is set out in The Local Government (Structural Changes) (Finance) Regulations 2008 (SI 2008/3022).

With reference to his Department's policy paper entitled IA action plan for justice, published on 31 July 2025, what progress he has made in linking offender data through (a) BOLD and (b) Data First programmes.

Using ‘Splink’ (Splink: MoJ’s open source library for probabilistic record linkage at scale - GOV.UK), the Department has made significant progress in linking offender data through both the BOLD and Data First programmes, as follows: Through BOLD: Data has been shared and linked across Government Departments and other agencies to produce 16 offender-related datasets linking cases and people across contact with the criminal courts, police, prisons, and probation services, drug treatment services, local authorities (in relation to homelessness) as well as assessments of offender risks and needs and child benefit. To date, these datasets have been used to address key critical evidence gaps in policy (leading to 8 offender-related analytical publications), and to develop new operational tools for frontline staff. Details on the BOLD programme and its outputs to date can be found at: Ministry of Justice: Better Outcomes through Linked Data (BOLD) - GOV.UK. More recently, BOLD have developed a software package, Laurium, which uses AI to extract structured insights from free-text data (like case notes), thereby extracting more value from linked datasets. Through Data First: The Ministry of Justice has linked and shared eight justice datasets, connecting cases and people across civil, family and criminal courts, prisons, and probation services, as well as assessments of offender risks and needs. These datasets are made available to accredited academic researchers via trusted research environments, facilitating powerful new research insights both within individual domains, where repeat service users can be identified for the first time, as well as on end-to-end cross justice system journeys. To date, this has resulted in over 50 academic projects. Details on Data First datasets and outputs to date can be found at: Ministry of Justice: Data First - GOV.UK.

With reference to his Department's policy paper entitled AI action plan for justice, published on 31 July 2025, what progress he has made in establishing a (a) single and (b) secure identity for each individual within the criminal justice system.

We are continuing to explore the potential for a single, secure digital identity for each person interacting with the justice system. The Core Person Record service, which links existing data across courts, prisons and probation, is currently being piloted and represents an early step towards this ambition. Delivering a single, secure identity will form part of a wider programme of long-term transformation, supported by investment in data quality, interoperability and infrastructure across the justice system.

When access to the capabilities environment of the Tackling Organised Exploitation programme will be available to police forces.

As part of the response to the Casey Independent Audit of Group-Based Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse the government has recently provided £426,000 of new funding to the Tackling Organised Exploitation Programme (TOEX). The new funding will enable TOEX to extend access to its suite of cutting-edge investigative apps and digital tools, stored within its secure capabilities environment, to all Home Office police forces in England and Wales.In total, the Home Office is providing TOEX over £9 million this year to increase law enforcement’s capability to respond to organised exploitation, including by providing dedicated intelligence, analytical and technical expertise. This includes child sexual exploitation, alongside other organised exploitation crimes including modern slavery, organised immigration crimes, and criminal exploitation.The additional funding will allow for the expedited roll out of the TOEX Capabilities Environment, to ensure all police investigators in England and Wales have access to the full array of TOEX’s AI-enabled and time-saving tools.The TOEX programme contacted all forces in England and Wales to provide information on how they can access the TOEX tools following the Minister’s announcement is August. In addition to the 15 police forces which are already utilising TOEX tools, a further 12 forces are currently onboarding. TOEX are continuing to engage with further forces to support the expansion.

With reference to page 134 of his Department's Strategic Defence Review 2025, published on 2 June 2025, what progress he has made in identifying mutually beneficial partnerships (a) across Government and (b) with the private sector.

Work to identify any opportunities for mutually beneficial partnerships across Government and with the private sector, will be brought forward as part of the Recapitalisation Plan which has a target completion date of February 2026.

With reference to page 53 of the Strategic Defence Review, published on 2 June 2025, how many meetings of the Defence Growth Board she has chaired in 2025 to date.

The Chancellor has chaired one meeting of the Defence Growth Board in 2025 to date. The Defence Industrial Strategy, published on 8 September 2025, details how this government is making Defence an engine for growth, and the Chancellor and Defence Secretary are working closely to turn the strategy into action.

With reference to page 41 of the National Security Strategy 2025, published in June 2025, CP 1338, in which cases does the UK plan to become a more activist state willing to intervene more deeply in the economy.

The Government will not hesitate to intervene, where necessary, to protect our national security interests, and we will use the Defence Industrial Strategy to make Defence an engine for growth, backing British jobs, British industry and British innovation.

With reference to his Department's policy paper entitled AI action plan for justice, published on 31 July 2025, what steps he is taking to enhance (a) AI leadership, (b) governance, (c) ethics, (d) data, (e) digital infrastructure and (f) commercial frameworks.

The Ministry of Justice’s AI Action Plan for Justice set out a series of bold, ambitious steps to promote the responsible use of AI tools across the department and the wider justice system. A Justice AI Unit headed up by a Chief AI Officer has been established. To embed ethics into our approach, we have developed a publicly accessible AI and Data Science Ethics Framework. This practical toolkit, created in partnership with the Alan Turing Institute, guides developers, policymakers, and decision-makers from inception through to deployment. We are also taking steps to improve the quality of our data to facilitate greater AI enablement. This includes linking offender data across systems through our BOLD and Data First programmes to improve public safety, rehabilitation, youth justice, prevention and victim services.The Ministry of Justice is working with existing suppliers to leverage their AI capabilities to support the delivery of services and will continue to explore the opportunities available in the supplier market that will support the delivery of the AI Action Plan. Through Procurement framework including Crown Commercial Services Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Spark DPS frameworks and leveraging the benefits of Memorandums of Understanding in place between HMG and supplier in the marketplace, the Ministry of Justice will develop AI capabilities for the future.

With reference to recommendation 47 of the Strategic Defence Review 2025, published on 8 July 2025, when Protector will be integrated with P-8 Poseidon.

The exploration of the Maritime capability for Protector is being considered as part of the Defence Investment Plan to take onboard the Review's vision and recommendations and turn them into a delivery plan. We will ensure that this Plan is affordable, considers infrastructure and people, alongside capabilities and maximises the benefits of defence spending to grow the UK economy.

With reference to page 42 of the Defence Industrial Strategy: Making Defence an Engine for Growth, published on 8 September 2025, CP 1388, by when she expects the British Business Bank to (a) introduce tailored market approaches and (b) offer the £40 to £60 million to strategically important, capital-intensive businesses.

The British Business Bank will be able to deploy the funding it was allocated at Spending Review, and which was outlined in the Defence Industrial Strategy, from the beginning of the next financial year. As a commercially independent organisation the BBB will select its own investments, in line with the Mandate set by government.

What recent progress she has made in signing a new contract to (a) run, (b) maintenance and (c) support the Law Enforcement Cloud Platform.

The Law Enforcement Cloud Platform (LECP) is moving away from using an outside service provider and will start managing its own support through the in-house Shared Application Service (SAS) team.By the end of this financial year key roles will be taken over by civil servants and other Home Office Digital staff. During 2026, service management and security for LECP will be included in a unified support model, reducing reliance on external providers.

Innovation and Technology, what progress she has made in establishing an AI governance framework.

AI is a general-purpose technology with a wide range of applications, which is why we believe that most AI systems should be regulated at the point of use by existing regulators. A range of rules already apply to AI systems, including data protection, competition, equality legislation and other sectoral regulation. The government is working with regulators to support them on their AI capability needs.The most advanced systems pose distinct opportunities and risks. We are committed to ensuring the UK is prepared for the changes AI will bring.

With reference to recommendation 47 of the Strategic Defence Review 2025, published on 8 July 2025, when will Protector be integrated with Type-26 frigates.

The exploration of the Maritime capability for Protector is being considered as part of the Defence Investment Plan to take onboard the Review's vision and recommendations and turn them into a delivery plan. We will ensure that this Plan is affordable, considers infrastructure and people, alongside capabilities and maximises the benefits of defence spending to grow the UK economy.

What the full scope is of Operation Beaconport.

The National Police Operation, launched in response to the Casey Independent Audit of Group-Based Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse, has been named Operation Beaconport. The Operation is being set up to, as Baroness Casey recommended, ensure that past failures are addressed, justice is delivered, best practice is shared, and that we equip the system to deal with complex cases effectively.The Operation is bringing together, for the first time, local and national policing partners and will be overseen by the NCA. Terms of Reference are being set and details of the Operation will be announced in due course. However, work is not standing still and phase one of the review of closed group-based child sexual exploitation cases is underway with over 1,200 cases identified, of which 216 have been prioritised. The Operation is in its early stages therefore no arrests and prosecutions have been made.

With reference to page 42 of the Defence Industrial Strategy: Making Defence an Engine for Growth, published on 8 September 2025, CP 1388, by when she expects the British Business Bank Industrial Strategy Growth Capital to provide the additional £4 billion.

The British Business Bank’s Industrial Strategy Growth Capital provides an additional £4 billion across the 8 Industrial Strategy sectors and is expected to be deployed over a four-year period. This funding will be committed through existing investment vehicles and is anticipated to be allocated by the end of the 2029–30 financial year, with some follow on funding for companies beyond 2030.

Media and Sport, what recent progress she has made on heritage high street regeneration programmes.

This year the government launched new funding for heritage which will benefit high streets and beyond.The £15m Heritage at Risk Capital Fund which enables individuals and organisations in the most deprived neighbourhoods in England to rescue and repair at-risk historic sites and buildings that bring people together, like shops, pubs, parks and town halls. In August 2025, funding was announced for 37 much-loved historic buildings and sites, many of which are located on high streets and in town centres.Alongside this, the £4.85m Heritage Revival Fund has a particular emphasis on town centres and helps to rescue and repurpose neglected historic buildings in England, enabling community organisations, charities and social enterprises to take ownership and repurpose sites such as theatres, department stores and former banks.These funds will support the government’s Pride in Place Strategy, announced by the Prime Minister on 25th September 2025, to tackle local issues in 339 of the UK's most disadvantaged communities.

Food and Rural Affairs, what progress has he made in delivering the Livestock Information Transformation Programme.

Defra's Livestock Information Transformation Programme (LITP) is delivering significant progress towards modernising England's livestock traceability systems. LITP will enable faster response to animal disease outbreaks, provide data to help improve animal health and welfare, give further assurances on food safety, support productivity, and facilitate trade. LITP has completed the initial design and development phase for the new Livestock Information Service (LIS), which will replace outdated species-specific systems with a single, multispecies platform capable of near real-time movement reporting. The pilot phase for the new cattle service will begin in December 2025 with selected cattle keepers, with wider availabillity to all cattle keepers across England planned over 2026. Livestock traceability data from England, Wales and Scotland will continue to be integrated, enabling Chief Veterinary Officers to track livestock locations and movements across the UK. This ensures we maintain a robust biosecurity management, providing a more efficient system for both Government and industry. Following cattle implementation, additional species will be added on to LIS, with timelines to be confirmed once cattle rollout is complete. This programme represents the Government’s commitment to modernising livestock traceability and will deliver enhanced disease control capabilities, improved animal welfare monitoring, and stronger support for trade and the country’s farmers.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the implementation of the European Train Control System on the East Coast Mainline on the feasibility of a new station at Alconbury Weald.

1) There are no current plans to construct a new East Coast Main Line (ECML) station at Alconbury Weald. The Department recognises the importance of the ECML and is starting work with Network Rail and industry stakeholders on development of a long-term strategy of investment for the route. 2) The following progress has been made on the East Coast Digital Programme. In May 2025, the first phase of the scheme was complete with the removal of conventional lineside signals, and all services using digital signalling on the Northern City Line (NCL) between Finsbury Park and Moorgate. This is the first no signals commuter railway in the country, and first of any kind since the early Cambrian Line pilot in 2011. 100,000 services have now operated on NCL using digital signalling. The infrastructure between Welwyn and Hitchin has been upgraded for the first European Train Control System (ETCS) section on the ECML. In line with the approach taken on NCL, the Welwyn to Hitchin section will initially operate as an overlay (i.e. able to operate with both conventional and digital signalling) to facilitate driver conversion training. The work is being led by Network Rail who, subject to the necessary assurances and regulatory processes, anticipate being able to begin driver train using digital signalling through that section from summer 2026. 3) Work to implement the ETCS on the East Coast Mainline between Huntingdon and Kings Cross is scheduled to be completed in the early 2030s.

Innovation and Technology, with reference to page 12 of the National Security Strategy 2025, CP 1338, published on 24 June 2025, what recent progress he has made on building the national security agenda for (a) AI and (b) other frontier technologies.

I refer the hon. Member for Huntingdon to the answer of 15th September 2025 to Questions 72559 and 72560. (Q. National Security: Digital Technology)DSIT is supporting the implementation of the National Security Strategy by identifying, nurturing, and protecting the UK’s sovereign strengths in science, technology, and innovation, and by aligning objectives and metrics to achieve measurable results.The Government's response to the AI Opportunities Action Plan sets out a comprehensive programme of work to build national capacity and accelerate adoption. This includes our commitment to 20x public compute, establishing the sovereign AI unit backed by up to £500 million, and our investment into cutting edge research via the AI security institute. We have also committed to publishing an AI for Science strategy.DSIT has also committed to work with the Ministry of Defence to pull through innovative capabilities to mission at speed and foster a thriving and world-leading UK defence technology sector through collaboration in multiple areas e.g. on the creation of UK Defence Innovation (UKDI) and closer working on National Security Strategic Investment Fund (NSSIF) investment programmes.