The Westminster lensArchive · Written questions · 5,090 tabled · 4,819 answered

Written questions by Obese-Jecty.

Every parliamentary written question tabled by Ben Obese-Jecty this session, with the full answer and department. See how every department answers, or back to the MP page.

Department:All (5,090)Ministry of Defence (2619)Home Office (594)Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (258)Department of Health and Social Care (220)Ministry of Justice (208)Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (172)Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (142)Cabinet Office (140)Department for Transport (125)Department for Education (115)Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (109)Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (106)

Showing 1,2411,260 of 5,090 · this parliament

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16 Mar 2026·Ministry of Defence·Answered
Asked

What assessment he has made of the level of deployability of HMS Duncan prior to completion of its Power Improvement Project upgrade.

Reply

The Royal Navy manages the availability and readiness of its ships on a rolling basis, ensuring that vessels are deployed only when they are safe, capable, and endorsed for tasking.

16 Mar 2026·Department for Transport·Answered
Asked

What steps has she taken to remove the tree guards from dead saplings along the A14.

Reply

As part of its planned maintenance activities including replanting new trees, adding nutrients to the soil and grass cutting, National Highways will begin removing both redundant biodegradable and plastic tree guards adjacent to A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon scheme. National Highways has scheduled this work to start this month (March 2026).

16 Mar 2026·Ministry of Defence·Answered
Asked

If he will make an assessment of the potential vulnerability of (a) Taiwan and (b) the first and second island chain following the deployment of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit from Okinawa to the Arabian Gulf.

Reply

The MOD does not comment on assessments conducted on the military capabilities of other states for reasons of operational security.

16 Mar 2026·Department for Education·Answered
Asked

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of local government reorganisation on the Dedicated Schools Grant allocation for Cambridgeshire with regards to SEND reform.

Reply

The department is exploring the implications of all local government reorganisation proposals, including those for Cambridgeshire. When decisions have been made, we will assess the impact of those plans on future dedicated schools grant allocations, and on the allocations of other grants designed to deliver the reforms outlined in our current special educational and disability (SEND) reform consultation.

16 Mar 2026·Ministry of Defence·Answered
Asked

What assessment has he made of the requirement to replace the minehunting capability of HMS Middleton in the Arabian Gulf.

Reply

We inherited a plan from the previous government for a drawdown of crewed minehunting capabilities. The Royal Navy remains committed to sustaining mine countermeasures capability in the Arabian Gulf. The UK is transitioning to modern autonomous minehunting systems under the Mine Hunting Capability (MHC) programme, and operational requirements in the region are kept under constant review.

16 Mar 2026·Ministry of Justice·Answered
Asked

Pursuant to the answer of 19 November 2025 to question 89778 on Prisons: Construction, on what date did ISG Construction Limited cease on-site work at HMP Birmingham.

Reply

ISG Construction Limited ceased work on all Ministry of Justice sites on the date of their administration, 20 September 2024. This included HMP Birmingham, HMP Liverpool and HMP Prescoed.

16 Mar 2026·Ministry of Justice·Answered
Asked

Pursuant to the Answer of 12 March 2026 to Question 117955 on Prisons: Unmanned Air Systems, when will selected industry partners have developed proof-of-concept systems.

Reply

Industry partners are expected to complete their proof-of-concept systems by mid-summer 2026.

16 Mar 2026·Ministry of Defence·Answered
Asked

What assessment has he made of the capabilities of DARPA’s SPeed and Runway INdependent Technologies (SPRINT) program X-76 aircraft for the Royal Air Force.

Reply

The UK Ministry of Defence has an ongoing relationship with DARPA, which ranges from information sharing to active collaboration on specific projects. No specific engagement has been undertaken on the SPRINT Programme, nor assessment of the X-76 demonstrator aircraft for RAF roles.

16 Mar 2026·Ministry of Justice·Answered
Asked

Pursuant to the answer of 19 November 2025 to question 89778 on Prisons: Construction, on what date did ISG Construction Limited cease on-site work at HMP Liverpool.

Reply

ISG Construction Limited ceased work on all Ministry of Justice sites on the date of their administration, 20 September 2024. This included HMP Birmingham, HMP Liverpool and HMP Prescoed.

16 Mar 2026·Ministry of Justice·Answered
Asked

Pursuant to the answer of 19 November 2025 to question 89778 on Prisons: Construction, on what date did ISG Construction Limited cease on-site work at HMP Prescoed.

Reply

ISG Construction Limited ceased work on all Ministry of Justice sites on the date of their administration, 20 September 2024. This included HMP Birmingham, HMP Liverpool and HMP Prescoed.

16 Mar 2026·Home Office·Answered
Asked

What assessment has she made of the potential merits of paying officers planned overtime for extra work at the end of shifts.

Reply

The Police Remuneration Review Body (PRRB) makes recommendations to the Government on the appropriate level of pay and allowances for police officers, including overtime payments.The PRRB gathers and invites parties to submit evidence to inform their decisions. This includes both written and oral evidence from theGovernment, police employers and police staff associations. They weigh the evidence, consider independent research, and formulate detailed.The Government will give very careful consideration to any recommendations the PRRB makes on payments for planned overtime.

16 Mar 2026·Ministry of Justice·Answered
Asked

How many prisoners serving a life sentence have been released on licence since 5 July 2024.

Reply

The number of prisoners serving a life sentence who were released for the first time (i.e. excluding recall re-releases) from 5 July 2024 to 30 Sep 2024 was 68. The number of prisoners serving a life sentence prisoners re-released in the same period, having previously been recalled, was 73.In total, 141 prisoners serving a life sentence were released during this period.Data for periods after 30 September are routinely published in the Department’s Offender Management Statistics. First releases data is included in the ‘Prison releases’ tables and recall re-release data is included in the ‘Prison Recall’ tables. The latest quarterly publication is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/offender-management-statistics-quarterly-july-to-september-2025.

16 Mar 2026·Ministry of Defence·Answered
Asked

For what reason was 12 Squadron deployed to Qatar in February 2026.

Reply

12 Squadron was deployed to Qatar in February 2026 following a formal request from the Qatari Government.

16 Mar 2026·Ministry of Defence·Answered
Asked

With reference to the press conference from the Prime Minister on 16 March 2026, which three squadrons of fighter jets are deployed to the Middle East.

Reply

As of 18 March 2026, 12 Squadron, operating Typhoon aircraft, is deployed to Qatar. 2 Squadron, operating Typhoon aircraft, and 617 Squadron, operating F-35 aircraft, are deployed to RAF Akrotiri.

16 Mar 2026·Home Office·Answered
Asked

What recent discussions she has had with her US counterpart on the Metropolitan Police’s Mutual Legal Assistance Request.

Reply

As a longstanding matter of Government policy, the Home Office can neither confirm nor deny whether a request for Mutual Legal Assistance has been made or received.This is to protect the integrity of criminal investigations and proceedings.

16 Mar 2026·Ministry of Defence·Answered
Asked

What Royal Navy capabilities are planned to be supported by Maritime Remote and Autonomous Systems (MRAAS).

Reply

The Royal Navy is in a significant transition to a hybrid force with a mix of crewed and uncrewed systems operating in the air, surface and sub-surface environments.

16 Mar 2026·Home Office·Answered
Asked

What assessment has she made of the potential security threat posed to police forces in England and Wales by the use of Chinese software connected vehicles.

Reply

The Government prioritises national security and does not routinely provide details on operational matters or specific threats.The Home Office works closely with the National Technical Authorities, Police Digital Service, National Police Chief’s Council (NPCC), alongside other Government Departments, to fully understand and address cyber vulnerabilities, proportional to the perceived threat. This collaborative effort covers all connected vehicles, including those using Chinese softwareThe government will continue to promote good practice in cybersecurity, support transparency on data collection and usage, and coordinate with the transport sector to strengthen the security of vehicles.NPCC have shared guidance to all Chief Constables on understanding and effectively managing risks from Connected Vehicles. We will continue to work with partners to ensure the guidance remains up to date and that forces follow guidance appropriately.

16 Mar 2026·Ministry of Defence·Answered
Asked

Pursuant to the answer of 19 November 2925 to question 89770 on Unmanned Marine Systems: Procurement, what a) roles and b) capabilities are covered by the Royal Navy’s Coastal Forces.

Reply

The Coastal Forces Squadron along with 47 Commando Royal Marines will be the first operators of the Project BEEHIVE Uncrewed Surface Vessels to be delivered by Kraken Technology Group. Primarily designed to operate in littoral waters these craft will have a modular payload system with an open architecture which will allow the very rapid integration of a wide variety of sensors and effectors to support Coastal Forces and Commando Force activity.

16 Mar 2026·Department for Culture, Media and Sport·Answered
Asked

Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to bring Rectory Farm Cottage in Huntingdon constituency back into habitable condition.

Reply

Rectory Farm Cottage in Abbots Ripton, Huntingdonshire is a Grade II listed building (entry number 1309586 on the National Heritage List for England).There is no specific duty on owners to keep their listed buildings in a good state of repair, but local authorities have powers to take action where a designated heritage asset has deteriorated to the extent that its preservation may be at risk.Neither DCMS or our statutory heritage advisor Historic England, have received any information regarding the property or its current state of repair.

12 Mar 2026·Ministry of Defence·Answered
Asked

What assessment has he made of the adequacy of 2 Force Protection Wing’s ORCUS counter-UAS equipment on preventing drone attacks on RAF Akrotiri.

Reply

While ORCUS+ is not optimised to defeat One-Way Attack UAS, it offers an enhanced ability to detect, track and identify, increasing a kinetic system’s ability to defeat but no system can be 100% effective. This is why our defences in the Eastern Mediterranean now include Typhon and F-35 jets, air defence and counter-drone units, Wildcat and Merlin helicopters, and a further 400 air defence personnel are currently deployed to protect British lives and interests.

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