Written questions by Obese-Jecty.

What progress has she made in maturing the eVisa programme.

eVisas were introduced in 2018 and are replacing physical evidence of immigration status such as Biometric Residence Permits (BRPs), Biometric Residence Cards (BRCs) and vignettes.The Minister for Migration and Citizenship provided an update on the transition to a digital immigration system, which included progress made in the latest transition phase of the rollout of eVisas, in his statement made on 25 February 2026: Written statements - Written questions, answers and statements - UK Parliament.There are now over 10 million eVisa holders, including approximately 6 million EUSS status holders. Over 5 million online (UKVI) accounts were created between March 2024 and January 2026, enabling people to access their eVisa.The transition to eVisas is being carefully delivered in phases, with the latest significant milestone reached on 25 February 2026, from when successful applicants for visit visas will receive an eVisa instead of a vignette, as set out in the Minister’s statement. Vignettes for most other routes have already been phased out.By the end of 2026, the Government intends to stop issuing all physical visa vignette stickers in passports, with all successful visa applicants receiving an eVisa.

How much is projected a) overall and b) core spending on defence in i) 2025/26, ii) 2026/27 and iii) 2027/28.

The Department does not routinely publish forecast figures. The Government is committed to defence spending reaching 2.6% of GDP in 2027 and is on track to do so.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the use of RAF Fairford by the United States Air Force to launch offensive military action on UK security.

The United States requested permission to use British bases for the limited, defensive purpose of preventing Iranian missiles from killing civilians, British nationals, or our allies in countries that played no part in the initial strike. Permissions to utilise UK military bases are considered on a case-by-case basis and the decision to grant permission is dependant on the nature and purpose of their activity.

If he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of China's no first use nuclear strike policy.

The UK’s nuclear policy, most recently outlined in the 2025 Strategic Defence Review, remains unchanged. The UK does not believe China’s No First Use policy is credible. It is extremely unlikely that in extreme circumstances a state in possession of nuclear weapons would not be willing to use them. China continues to expand and diversify its nuclear arsenal and fails to explain the rationale and intent behind its modernisation and how this aligns with its doctrine.

Which units form the UK's contribution to the NATO Allied Reaction Force Special Operations Component.

The United Kingdom will assume leadership of NATO’s Allied Reaction Force (ARF) Special Operations Component from July 2026 to June 2027. As part of this commitment, the UK is providing the Special Operations Component Command headquarters, responsible for commanding multinational Special Operations task groups held at high readiness for NATO collective defence and crisis response tasks. UK contributions to the ARF Special Operations Forces element principally comprise personnel drawn from the Royal Marines Commando Force, the Ranger Regiment and supporting Royal Air Force elements, forming maritime, land and air Special Operations Task Groups under NATO command. These forces will operate alongside contributions from Allied nations as part of the multinational ARF framework.

With reference to page 44 of the Police reform white paper “From Local to National: A New Model for Policing” (CP1489), what is the earliest date by which she plans to stand up a delivery programme equipped to deliver the full suite of mergers by the end of the next Parliament.

We will imminently launch an Independent Review of Police Structures, which will make recommendations on the optimum number and configuration of police forces across England and Wales and the best approach to implementation.The Government will subsequently set out its response to the recommendations and identify a pathway for implementing the new force structures, including any opportunities to deliver mergers this Parliament.

What the scope is of the UK's participation in Project Convergence.

Project Convergence is a series of multinational experiments led by the United States Army Futures Command to test, integrate, and evaluate emerging technologies that enable faster, data driven decision making across domains. The United Kingdom participates in Project Convergence as part of its long-standing cooperation with the United States Army on future force development, experimentation, and interoperability. The British Army’s participation ensures that it remains interoperable, digitally connected and prepared for the future demands of conflict.

What the terms of reference are for the Ministerial-led review of the Ajax Programme.

As you will be aware, I released a written Ministerial Statement in the House on 22 January 2026 in which I provided an update to Parliament on the British Army’s Armoured Cavalry Programme (commonly known as Ajax) and the findings of the Ministerial review which has now concluded. It would not be appropriate to release any further specific details than those contained in my previous statement.

What progress has he made in developing an airborne electromagnetic attack capability running proven counter-C5ISRT software, including third-party software applications.

I welcome innovation across the Defence industrial sector. The Ministry of Defence is aware of the importance of the Electromagnetic battlespace and is pursuing a number of options, both in the near-term and in the research and development programme, to address military needs.

What progress she has made in implementing nationwide E-HGV charging infrastructure.

Through the Zero Emission HGV and Infrastructure Demonstrator (ZEHID) programme, Government has already provided £120 million of funding to kickstart the deployment of zero emission HGV infrastructure. This is funding 73 planned infrastructure locations, representing over 360 chargers. The Government is further supporting the installation of charging equipment at depots through the £30 million Depot Charging Scheme. We will set out further detail in a zero emission HGV and Coach Infrastructure Strategy in due course.

What assessment has he made of the efficiency of the current grid access prioritisation process.

Government has worked closely with the National Energy System Operator and network companies on their programme of connections reforms which have already reduced the queue for generation and storage connections by over half. NESO and the network companies have recently set out a revised timeline for issuing updated connections agreements.

How much was a) overall and b) core spending on defence in each of the last ten years.

The UK's defence spending is reported to and published by NATO. The figures requested can be found online: https://www.nato.int/content/dam/nato/webready/documents/finance/def-exp-2025-en.pdf

Whether he has had recent discussions with (a) the Prime Minister, (b) Cabinet colleagues, (c) senior civil servants and (d) the Attorney General on the legality of authorising the United States to launch offensive military operations from RAF Fairford.

UK bases were not involved in the initial strikes on Iran. Permissions to utilise UK military bases are considered on a case-by-case basis and the decision to grant permission is dependent on the nature and purpose of their activity.

Innovation and Technology, what progress she has made in developing photonic computing.

DSIT are funding an Innovation and Knowledge Centre led by the University of Southampton’s world leading silicon photonics research foundry, Cornerstone. This centre is focused on translating silicon photonics technologies from research to industry, including photonic integrated circuits that are essential for optical computing. In parallel, the UK’s National Quantum Computing Mission aims to build scalable quantum computers. We have already announced over £1bn of funding for the quantum technologies sector – which includes over £500m specifically around the development of quantum computing of which photonic approaches are an integral part. Details of key milestones and funding programmes under this investment will be published soon.

On how many occasions the Attorney General held discussions with Dapo Akande on the Chagos Islands.

The Attorney General has never engaged in discussion with Dapo Akande on the UK-Mauritius Agreement concerning the Chagos Archipelago.

When the National Security Advisor was (a) appointed and (b) commenced his role.

The National Security Adviser was appointed on the 8th November 2024 (as announced on gov.uk) and commenced his role on the 2nd December 2024.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when the National Security Advisor first received any (a) email and (b) other digital communications from her Department on the British Indian Ocean Territory prior to his commencement of the role as Special Envoy.

I refer the Hon Member to the answer given to Question 115118 on 3 March.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the death of Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes on the importation of illegal drugs into the UK.

We assess the recent death of Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes to have limited potential impact on the importation of illegal drugs into the UK.However, we continue to monitor for potential changes in drug supply, including the potential impact of the related civil unrest in Mexico.

With reference to page 65 of the Police reform white paper entitled From Local to National: A New Model for Policing, CP1489, when she plans to introduce a local intervention model to policing.

The Home Secretary announced her plans to introduce a local intervention model and new powers for His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) to intervene in failing forces in the police reform White Paper entitled “From Local to National: A New Model for Policing”, which was published on 26 January.Under this local intervention model, intervention leads may be appointed to take responsibility for turning around failing forces, providing focused leadership and oversight where local arrangements have failed. This approach has been used successfully in sectors such as local government, health and education to drive rapid improvement and restore public confidence.In addition, new powers will be introduced to strengthen HMICFRS’ ability to intervene in failing forces and ensure that other policing bodies respond to its recommendations.We intend to bring forward legislation to introduce both the local intervention model and the new HMICFRS powers when Parliamentary time allows.

With reference to page 64 of the Police reform white paper entitled From Local to National: A New Model for Policing, CP1489, when she plans to give HMICFRS new powers to intervene in failing forces.

The Home Secretary announced her plans to introduce a local intervention model and new powers for His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) to intervene in failing forces in the police reform White Paper entitled “From Local to National: A New Model for Policing”, which was published on 26 January.Under this local intervention model, intervention leads may be appointed to take responsibility for turning around failing forces, providing focused leadership and oversight where local arrangements have failed. This approach has been used successfully in sectors such as local government, health and education to drive rapid improvement and restore public confidence.In addition, new powers will be introduced to strengthen HMICFRS’ ability to intervene in failing forces and ensure that other policing bodies respond to its recommendations.We intend to bring forward legislation to introduce both the local intervention model and the new HMICFRS powers when Parliamentary time allows.