Written questions by Obese-Jecty.

What the cost is of the Defence Nuclear Enterprise in each year until 2029/30 as a proportion of GDP.

Spend in relation to the Defence Nuclear Enterprise will be considered as part of the Defence Investment Plan.

Innovation and Technology, with reference to the Policy paper: “Replacing animals in science: A strategy to support the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods”, published on 11 November 2025, what progress has she made in increasing challenge-led innovation funding schemes to deliver alternative methods priorities for a) development and b) validation.

The commitments to increase investment and expand challenge led innovation for alternative methods are being led by UKRI.The Strategy was supported by £75m of funding and commits to increasing investment in alternative methods. UKRI has been in discussion to consider the most effective delivery approach and £20 million of increased funding is already available through the Pre‑clinical Translational Models Hub funding call, launched in March 2026. In addition, Innovate UK launched a £2 million Contracts for Innovation competition in February 2026.

Innovation and Technology, with reference to the policy paper entitled Replacing animals in science: A strategy to support the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods, published on 11 November 2025, what progress she has made on awarding the first round of Validation Accelerator grants.

The Validation Accelerator grant commitment is being led by UKRI and will be delivered through a number of mechanisms, For example, Innovate UK’s £2 million Contracts for Innovation: Industrial Human‑Relevant Drug Models competition, launched in February 2026, supports the development and commercialisation of non‑animal methods to assess the pre‑clinical pharmacokinetics and cardiovascular safety of new medicines.Validation Accelerators will be coordinated by the UK Centre for the Validation of Alternative Methods (UKCVAM), once it is established. £30 million has been allocated to support its establishment and delivery.

Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the answer of 15 April 2026 to question 125651 on Animal Experiments, which Ministers sit on the Ministerial Board overseeing delivery of the Replacing Animals in Science Strategy.

The Ministerial Board overseeing delivery of the Replacing Animals in Science Strategy is chaired by Lord Vallance. Its membership includes Baroness Hayman, Parliamentary Under‑Secretary of State at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, and Lord Hanson, Minister of State at the Home Office.

Pursuant to the answer of 16 April 2026, to question 124297 on Norway: Navy, what naval interoperability has been enhanced.

Royal Navy units continue to work closely with their Norwegian counterparts to ensure both nations operate seamlessly together in protecting shared security interests. For more information, I refer the hon. Member to the following Royal Navy and Government press releases:https://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/news/2026/march/25/20260325-joint-commando-craft-rfiUK and Norway to operate together to counter Russian undersea threat through major new defence agreement - GOV.UKUK steps up defence of Arctic and High North from rising Russian threats - GOV.UKBoost for UK Growth and Security as Norway Selects UK Warships in £10 billion partnership - GOV.UK

With reference to the “Defence Diplomacy Strategy, Keeping Britain Safe: secure at home and strong abroad”, page 30, by when does he plan to have produced a new Defence Diplomacy Doctrine.

In line with the commitments set out in the Defence Diplomacy Strategy, the Ministry of Defence is already progressing the development of a new Defence Diplomacy Doctrine, which will be published and in use across Defence in late 2026.

How many officers in each prison are a) currently trained in Operation Tornado control and restraint procedures and b) what percentage of operational staff in each prison does this represent.

The number of officers trained in Operation Tornado control and restraint procedures, as of 31 March 2026, and the percentage of operational staff that these staff represent, are set out in the attached table.

Innovation and Technology, with reference to the policy paper entitled Replacing animals in science: A strategy to support the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods, published on 11 November 2025, what progress she has made on creating a publicly available dashboard of progress against key deliverables.

The Government will publish a delivery update on progress across all elements of the strategy including the key performance indicators dashboard later in 2026.

Innovation and Technology, with reference to the policy paper entitled Replacing animals in science: A strategy to support the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods, published on 11 November 2025, what progress she has made on commissioning the Animals in Science Committee to recommend corporate responsibility reporting expectations by establishments using animals on their use of alternatives.

We are engaging with the Home Office to agree the most effective way to work with the ASC to deliver this commitment, aligned with existing ASC programmes of work. The Government will publish a delivery update, alongside key performance indicators on progress across all elements of the strategy, later in 2026.

Whether activity related to Ukraine via the Coalition of the Willing will be funded by the Ministry of Defence or from the contingency reserve.

The Government is investing in the UK Armed Forces to prepare for deployment as part of the Multinational Force for Ukraine (MNFU). This capital spending is being funded from the core defence budget and sends a clear signal to allies and adversaries of the UK's intent to lead the MNFU, fulfil our promises to secure the peace in Ukraine and deliver a new deal for European security to make Britain safer.

How many countries within NATO spent a larger proportion of GDP on defence than the UK in 2026/27.

NATO publishes defence expenditure figures for its members. As he will know figures for NATO members' defence spending for 2026-27 have not yet been published.

Innovation and Technology, with reference to the policy paper entitled Replacing animals in science: A strategy to support the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods, published on 11 November 2025, what progress she has made on developing mechanisms to enable regulators to increase uptake of the MHRA’s scientific advice service.

The strategy sets out seven commitments to increase confidence in the validation and regulatory uptake of alternative methods.On 24 March, the MHRA announced it will offer early regulatory review of non‑animal data, including data generated using in silico approaches, to provide clarity on how such data will be assessed ahead of clinical trials. MHRA is the first UK regulator to offer this service, setting a precedent which the Government expects other regulators to follow.The Government will publish a delivery update, including the regulatory elements of the strategy, later in 2026.

With reference to the “Defence Diplomacy Strategy, Keeping Britain Safe: secure at home and strong abroad”, page 30, by when does he plan to have reviewed our defence language provision.

As part of the implementation of the Defence Diplomacy Strategy, the Ministry of Defence is reviewing options to strengthen language proficiency across Defence and to enhance the language training available to internationally facing personnel. This work includes assessing how the current language provision delivered through the Defence Academy could be better utilised and expanded, exploring opportunities for closer cooperation with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, and making use of new enablers, such as the Pan‑Defence Skills Framework, to identify, track and develop language proficiency across Defence. The scoping phase for this review is currently underway, which will determine the formal completion date. Defence is progressing this work alongside wider efforts to invest in our people, processes and technology to implement the direction of the Defence Diplomacy Strategy.

Innovation and Technology, with reference to the Policy paper: “Replacing animals in science: A strategy to support the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods”, published on 11 November 2025, what progress has she made in increasing sustained investment focused on animal replacement.

The commitments to increase investment and expand challenge led innovation for alternative methods are being led by UKRI.The Strategy was supported by £75m of funding and commits to increasing investment in alternative methods. UKRI has been in discussion to consider the most effective delivery approach and £20 million of increased funding is already available through the Pre‑clinical Translational Models Hub funding call, launched in March 2026. In addition, Innovate UK launched a £2 million Contracts for Innovation competition in February 2026.

How much his Department has been asked to make in in-year budget savings in 2026/27.

As part of routine financial management, the Ministry of Defence continues to allocate resources effectively to meet departmental and operational priorities. The total Ministry of Defence budget this financial year stands at £65.5 billion.

What is the methodology and the formula used in the current rateable value calculation.

The Valuation Office calculates a rateable value for each business property in England and Wales. A rateable value is an estimate of what it would cost to rent a property for a year, on a set date known as the Valuation Date.The methodology and approach used to assess rateable values varies depending on the type of property. The Valuation Office publishes a Rating Manual describing how each property class is valued. The manual for the 2023 rating list can be found here, and will be updated for the 2026 list in due course.

Pursuant to the Answer of 13 April 2026 to Question 123462 on Sky Sabre, what defence capability Land Ceptor is configured for.

The Common Anti-air Modular Missiles (CAMM) in use with the British Army are deployed from Land Ceptor launchers as part of the Sky Sabre air defence missile system. This provides short-medium range air defence against a spectrum of conventional threats including cruise missiles, fixed wing, rotary wing and uncrewed aerial systems.

How much was saved by his Department in-year savings in 2025/26.

As part of routine financial management, the Ministry of Defence continues to allocate resources effectively to meet departmental and operational priorities.The Department's final position for 2025-26 will be set out in the Annual Report and Accounts.

Innovation and Technology, what discussions her Department has had with HM Treasury on the UK fiscal framework for pre-clinical Contract Research Organisations.

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology engages routinely with HM Treasury on a range of issues affecting the UK life sciences sector, including the fiscal framework. Officials have discussed options for supporting pre‑clinical Contract Research Organisations with HM Treasury and work continues.

Whether she plans to review the operation of the merged R&D tax relief scheme in relation to companies providing pre-clinical research services.

The Government recognises the important role that life sciences research and development (R&D) plays in driving innovation and economic growth as well as the benefits it can bring for society. The Government committed to maintaining the generosity of the rates in both the merged R&D Expenditure Credit (RDEC) scheme and the Enhanced R&D Intensive Support (ERIS). This, combined with the commitment to cap the headline rate of Corporation Tax, means that companies doing qualifying R&D – including pre-clinical R&D – will continue to receive between £15 to £27 for every £100 spent on R&D.Under the merged R&D scheme, relief is generally available to the company that decides to undertake R&D and bears the financial risk, rather than the company contracted to carry it out, subject to limited exceptions. This approach is intended to ensure support is targeted at the company that invests in the R&D. These rules apply to pre-clinical research services in the same way as they do for all other companies.