Written questions by Obese-Jecty.

What the scope is of Project RECODE.

Project RECODE (Real Time Combat System Open Data Enablers) is a programme to maintain and modernise vital combat management systems and their shared infrastructure and networks, on Royal Navy (RN) vessels including Type 23 frigates, Type 45 destroyers, Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carriers and Type 26 frigates. Combat management systems are the primary method for RN operators to interact with weapons and sensors and they support functions such as Situation Awareness, Tactical Picture Compilation, Threat Evaluation and Weapon Assignment and Navigation.

Pursuant to the Answer of 1 September 2025 to Question 69521 on Ajax Vehicles: Procurement, what will be the distribution of the 93 Ares vehicles across units.

The 93 ARES platforms will be distributed in line with the Army’s fielding plan and Defence priorities.

What the outcome was of the recent trial by HMS Trent of the Helicopter Visual Landing Aid System.

The recent trials of the Helicopter Visual Landing Aid System (HVLAS) onboard HMS Trent was a success. Three days of rigorous testing through day and night landings by a Wildcat Helicopter has shown the technology to be effective. As a result, we plan to fit HMS Spey, another Batch 2 Offshore Patrol Vessel, with HVALS as she enters scheduled refit.

What progress the Royal Navy has made on developing Maritime Integrated Air and Missile Defence and Strike capability.

Progress has been made through enhancements to Air and Missile Defence and Strike capabilities for the Royal Navy (RN) of today, the effectiveness of which have been demonstrated on operations. These include the fielding of the Naval Strike Missile, Combat Management System upgrades under Project RECODE and continued progress in Laser Directed Energy Weapons. Looking ahead, the Future Air Dominance System (FADS) is a transformative multi-domain Royal Navy programme that will provide Maritime Integrated Air and Missile Defence against the toughest of threats in the air and space domain, and Long-Range Precision Strike against the most difficult targets in air, land, and maritime domains. Work is continuing at pace to identify a preferred approach for the FADS with the RN and teams across defence working together on the operational problem statement and potential architectural solutions.

What progress the Royal Navy has made on developing the Common Anti-air Modular Missile.

The Common Anti-Air Modular Missile continues to be a cornerstone of Air Defence for both the Royal Navy and the British Army. It remains in service on Type 23 Frigates, with programmes commenced to allow operation on Type 45, Type 26 and Type 31 platforms. Software developments have continued to improve missile performance since its introduction in 2017. A mid-life refresh programme is due to start in 2029 to extend the munitions’ availability to both Services until the late 2040s.

What the size was of the asylum application decision appeals backlog on 1 August 2025.

The Home Office publishes data on asylum in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on asylum claims awaiting an initial decision, is published in table Asy_D03 of the asylum detailed datasets. Information on how to use the datasets can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbooks. The latest data relates to as at 30 June 2025.Data on the First-tier Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber) open caseload by case type is published in table FIA_4 of the ‘Tribunal Statistics’ by the Ministry of Justice. The latest data relates to 2024/25 Q4.

How many Commonwealth service-leavers have paid for visa applications for dependents since 5 July 2024.

All applications are submitted to the Home Office. The Ministry of Defence does not hold information about the number of applications submitted by Service personnel on discharge, or by their family members.

What steps he has taken to develop the Defence industrial base in order to rapidly scale lower-value and highly attritable autonomous collaborative platforms.

The Ministry of Defence is advancing the defence industrial base for autonomous collaborative platforms through initiatives like the Defence Industrial Strategy, Defence Tech Scaler, and strengthened industry partnerships.Clear strategies, including the RAF Autonomous Collaborative Platforms Strategy and Defence Drone Strategy, set standards, while projects like BriteStorm and StormShroud showcase progress.

What the scope is of Project CORVUS.

Project CORVUS will procure a new Tactical Uncrewed Air System (TUAS) to deliver the Land Tactical Deep Find (LTDF) capability, essential to enable the Army’s Recce-Strike complex for the Divisional and Corps battles. It will deliver the replacement for the Watchkeeper TUAS and will be fielded by 47 Regiment Royal Artillery. CORVUS will be integrated into the Land ISTAR digital ecosystem and will distribute information to headquarters and artillery fire units via ZODIAC. This will speed up processing times and the Sensor-Decider-Effector chain to greatly enhance the lethality of Land forces.

Food and Rural Affairs, which public sector organisations are required to ensure that 50 per cent of their catering consists of British produce.

The Government’s firm ambition is that, whilst working within our legal constraints, half of all food purchased across the public sector should be locally produced or certified to higher environmental standards. In support of this ambition, we published a new national procurement policy statement (NPPS) in February this year. The NPPS sets expectations for government contracts to favour products certified to high environmental standards that we think high-quality British producers are well-placed to meet.

What progress he has made on developing the Royal Navy’s Force Threat Evaluation and Weapon Assignment functionality enabled by Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning.

Force-Level Target Evaluation and Weapon Assignment (FTEWA) is a central part of the Royal Navy’s pivot to a Hybrid Navy, being developed under the Future Air Dominance System (FADS) programme. By networking our mix of crewed and uncrewed platforms together we will be able to use the optimum weapon from across the networked force to deal with each threat. Machine Learning, and eventually full AI, will be a key part of this functionality and be used in the generation of a single force level situational awareness view, the generation of a threat evaluation list and the recommendation of the optimum weapon to deal with each threat. This will allow operators to make the best decision in time to deal with each threat. FTEWA is in concept phase with the various building blocks described above being developed in parallel.

Pursuant to the Answer of 1 September 2025 to Question 69515 on Typhoon Aircraft: Decommissioning, what roles the four Tranche 1 Typhoons are conducting.

1435 Flight flies the four Tranche 1 Typhoon FGR4 at Mount Pleasant complex. The unit provides air defence and Quick Reaction Alert in the South Atlantic Islands.

With reference to the UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy, CP 1337, published on 23 June 2025, what progress he has made on re-establishing a nuclear fuel cycle for defence reactor fuel.

The Nuclear Fuels programme is in its early development phase and we are currently working with industry to develop options for its delivery. These options will inform the timescales for completion.

What the scope is of Project TELUM.

Project TELUM aims to deliver the successor capability to the services currently provided under the Light Aircraft Flying Task 2 (LAFT2) contract, which is set to expire in March 2030. The LAFT2 contract supports a range of services and flying tasks for Air Cadets, University Air Squadrons, the Royal Navy, the Army, and ad hoc flying training requirements, all of which will be addressed by Project TELUM.

How many days were lost to sickness absence by civil servants in their Department (a) in total and (b) on average per employee between 5 July 2024 and 4 July 2025.

Information on sickness absence is published annually as part of the Civil Service Sickness Absence report.Data has been published up to the end of the 2023/24 financial year and is available on gov.uk: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-service-sickness-absence-2024/civil-service-sickness-absence-2024-report.Data for subsequent years, including those spanning the periods requested are due for publication, from early 2026 and annually following that.

Whether any defence operational developments are eligible for fast-track planning as nationally important Crown Developments in Huntingdon constituency.

There are currently two projects potentially eligible for fast-track planning as nationally important Crown Developments in Huntingdon constituency.

What progress he has made on the development of a Type 91 uncrewed arsenal ship/missile barge.

The need for a mix of crewed and uncrewed autonomous vessels to provide Air and Missile Defence and Strike Capabilities for the Royal Navy was endorsed in the Strategic Defence Review. Technology demonstrators to support and de-risk the transition to the envisaged ‘hybrid’ Surface Fleet are underway. The Type 91 ‘Arsenal Ship’ is being assessed for feasibility and affordability within the Concept Phase of the Future Air Dominance System (FADS) programme, with a recommendation to be made in the Outline Business Case planned for June 2026.

How many days were lost to sickness absence by civil servants in their Department (a) in total and (b) on average per employee between 5 July 2024 and 4 July 2025.

HM Treasury complies with the Cabinet Office’s sickness absence collection quarterly process. All submissions of details relating to his question can be found through this cross-government designed process.

How many Commonwealth service-leavers who have served between four and six years have paid for a visa upon discharge since 5 July 2024.

All applications are submitted to the Home Office. The Ministry of Defence does not hold information about the number of applications submitted by Service personnel on discharge, or by their family members.

What recent progress she has made in establishing the jobs and careers service.

We are reforming Jobcentre Plus and creating a new service across Great Britain that will enable everyone to access support to find good, meaningful work, and support to help them to progress in work, including through an enhanced focus on skills and careers. We are taking a test and learn approach to developing the new service including incorporating the learnings from other tests and trials underway. We will continue our work with local government, including Strategic Authorities, and Devolved Governments as we design, test, and trial the service. Earlier this year we launched our first Jobs and Careers Service Pathfinder based in Wakefield, West Yorkshire. The Pathfinder is our first step in testing elements of the new service based on the 5 pillars set out within the Get Britain Working White Paper that underpin the delivery of the new Jobs and Careers Service. It will also look at how the new service can integrate with other local services. This will support us to develop a new service that is locally tailored and embedded, designed to meet the different needs of local labour markets, local people and local employers. Further Pathfinders, including ones that are focused on support for young people and those with health conditions, will be launched this year. We have also started testing a new Get Britain Working Coaching Academy. Once in place, this will offer further training for a range of our colleagues to deliver high-quality coaching conversations for customers, focused on goal setting and action planning, as part of our commitment to enhancing the way we interact with people. We currently have two large scale trials in progress testing changes to how we currently operate. The first, to test providing support for people by telephone and video as well as face to face appointments. The second, to test whether meeting unemployed people less frequently in a Jobcentre would have an impact on their work outcomes and whether this approach is more beneficial for particular groups. We will incorporate learnings from these and other tests and trials to inform the design of the new service and how the new service could operate differently.