Ben Obese-Jecty MP: written questions

Written questions by answering department

4 Jul 2025–3 Jul 2026. One record per UIN and tabled date; the named department is not a measure of answer quality.

What this shows and doesn't show

4 Jul 2025–3 Jul 2026. One record per UIN and tabled date; the named department is not a measure of answer quality. Published records do not measure effort or effectiveness. Methodology.

Department or topic	Published records
Attorney General	12
Cabinet Office	109
Department for Business and Trade	60
Department for Culture, Media and Sport	28
Department for Education	58
Department for Energy Security and Net Zero	45
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs	53
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology	137
Department for Transport	93
Department for Work and Pensions	13
Department of Health and Social Care	87
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office	124
Home Office	313
Ministry of Defence	2023
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government	61
Ministry of Justice	178
Northern Ireland Office	2
Treasury	56

2023 published records · newest first.

Written questions

Armoured Fighting Vehicles: ProcurementMinistry of DefenceTabled 26 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 116387More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what is the delivery timeline for the (a) 61 M270 MLRS launchers and (b) eight Repair and Recovery vehicles.
Answer: The Multiple Launch Rocket Systems launchers and Repair and Recovery Vehicles (RRVs) are on contract to be upgraded to the A2 standard. Two launchers have now been delivered to the UK and a further 13 launchers and two RRVs are currently on the production...
Answered 6 Mar 2026
Original Parliament record
Guided Weapons: ProcurementMinistry of DefenceTabled 26 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 116386More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress he has made in procuring a) GMLRS and b) ER-GMLRS munitions.
Answer: Replenishment of the Guided Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (GMLRS) stockpile is on contract with the first deliveries expected to arrive in the UK in Quarter two 2026. The procurement of Extended Range GMLRS (ER-GMLRS) is on contract with the first delive...
Answered 6 Mar 2026
Original Parliament record
USA: FirearmsMinistry of DefenceTabled 26 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 116385More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the decision of the (a) US Marines to retain the M27 rifle and (b) US Army’s adoption of the M7 on the ability of UK forces to operate with US forces.
Answer: The UK and US share evidence on research and experimentation on the development of small arms. Enhancing interoperability with Allies remains an important consideration in any procurement of capability that the Department undertakes. This includes the Bri...
Answered 6 Mar 2026
Original Parliament record
Australia: LasersMinistry of DefenceTabled 26 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 116384More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress he has made on developing cooperation with Australia on directed-energy weapons.
Answer: As part of the UK's ambition to accelerate the development and deployment of Directed Energy Weapons (DEW) we are engaging with key allies who share our mutual aims in this field. For reasons of national security, it would not be appropriate to comment fu...
Answered 6 Mar 2026
Original Parliament record
Australia: RadarMinistry of DefenceTabled 26 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 116383More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress has he made in exploring the potential of using Australian Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar technologies for the UK.
Answer: As part of the Ministry of Defence’s capability delivery process the UK is exploring possibilities, including better understanding of Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) with our allied partners. A series of targeted risk-reduction activities has b...
Answered 6 Mar 2026
Original Parliament record
Autonomous WeaponsMinistry of DefenceTabled 26 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 116382More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what is the full scope of the Low-Cost Effectors & Autonomous Platforms’ initiative.
Answer: The LEAP initiative is another firm signal of European collective commitments, delivering a united front of deterrence against Russia. LEAP will embrace groundbreaking industry innovation to exploit rapidly evolving technology at pace to deliver capabilit...
Answered 6 Mar 2026
Original Parliament record
India: Military AircraftMinistry of DefenceTabled 26 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 116381More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has had discussions with representatives from India on the development of the engine for their new Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft.
Answer: The Ministry of Defence continues to engage at all levels to support and advance the UK’s bid for the Engine Development Programme for India’s Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft. Deepening the UK-India relationship on defence capability is a Prime Minister p...
Answered 6 Mar 2026
Original Parliament record
Allied Reaction Force: Armed ForcesMinistry of DefenceTabled 25 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 116103More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which units form the UK's contribution to the NATO Allied Reaction Force Special Operations Component.
Answer: 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 fo...
Answered 5 Mar 2026
Original Parliament record
RAF Fairford: Military OperationsMinistry of DefenceTabled 25 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 116054More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, 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 offensi
Answer: 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.
Answered 10 Mar 2026
Original Parliament record
Armed Forces: AllowancesMinistry of DefenceTabled 25 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 116042More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many armed forces personnel have qualified for the operational allowance each year since its introduction.
Answer: It is taking time to collate the required information to answer the hon. Member's Question. I will write to him when the information is available, and a copy of this letter will be placed in the Library of The House.
Answered 3 Mar 2026
Original Parliament record
Defence: FinanceMinistry of DefenceTabled 25 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 116041More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much is projected a) overall and b) core spending on defence in i) 2025/26, ii) 2026/27 and iii) 2027/28.
Answer: 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.
Answered 3 Mar 2026
Original Parliament record
Defence: ExpenditureMinistry of DefenceTabled 25 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 116040More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much was a) overall and b) core spending on defence in each of the last ten years.
Answer: 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
Answered 10 Mar 2026
Original Parliament record
Guided Weapons: Electronic WarfareMinistry of DefenceTabled 25 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 116039More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress has he made in developing an airborne electromagnetic attack capability running proven counter-C5ISRT software, including third-party software applications.
Answer: 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 a...
Answered 6 Mar 2026
Original Parliament record
Ajax Vehicles: SafetyMinistry of DefenceTabled 25 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 115888More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the terms of reference are for the Ministerial-led review of the Ajax Programme.
Answer: 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 revi...
Answered 6 Mar 2026
Original Parliament record
USA: Military ExercisesMinistry of DefenceTabled 25 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 115887More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the scope is of the UK's participation in Project Convergence.
Answer: 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 participat...
Answered 6 Mar 2026
Original Parliament record
RAF Fairford: Military OperationsMinistry of DefenceTabled 25 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 115863More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, 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.
Answer: 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 u...
Answered 4 Mar 2026
Original Parliament record
China: Nuclear WeaponsMinistry of DefenceTabled 25 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 115862More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of China's no first use nuclear strike policy.
Answer: 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 nucle...
Answered 5 Mar 2026
Original Parliament record
Unmanned Air Systems: TestingMinistry of DefenceTabled 24 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 115630More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the flight testing performance of the General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Collaborative Combat Aircraft YFQ-42A Dark Merlin.
Answer: The RAF continues to monitor the development of the global collaborative combat air market and develop advanced capabilities to augment crewed combat air as part of the Future force mix that will deliver control of the air for the UK.
Answered 4 Mar 2026
Original Parliament record
Rifles: ProcurementMinistry of DefenceTabled 24 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 115622More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of levels of (a) workforce skills, (b) industrial capacity and (c) sustainment of specialist manufacturing expertise on the effective delivery of Project GRAYBU
Answer: Project GRAYBURN is in the formal concept phase and therefore the scope, timeline and complexity are yet to be determined. Project GRAYBURN will deliver against the Defence Industrial Strategy and our strategic partnership with industry will generate new ...
Answered 4 Mar 2026
Original Parliament record
AUKUS: Nuclear SubmarinesMinistry of DefenceTabled 24 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 115619More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what is the full scope of the bilateral Nuclear-Powered Submarine Partnership and Collaboration Treaty regarding the a) design, b) build, c) operation, d) sustainment and e) disposal of SSN-AUKUS submarines.
Answer: The Government is fully committed to AUKUS. The Nuclear-Powered Submarine Partnership and Collaboration Treaty is a key part of this partnership and will enable comprehensive cooperation between the UK and Australia on the design, build, operation, sustai...
Answered 4 Mar 2026
Original Parliament record
Unmanned Air SystemsMinistry of DefenceTabled 24 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 115535More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what is the full scope of Project VANAHEIM.
Answer: Project FLYTRAP (formerly Project VANAHEIM) is a joint UK/US/Australian Army initiative focused on countering small uncrewed aerial systems. The project aims to accelerate the British Army’s ability to address this threat through operational experimentati...
Answered 9 Mar 2026
Original Parliament record
Prisons: Unmanned Air SystemsMinistry of DefenceTabled 24 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 115471More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 23 February 2026 to Question 112783 on Prisons: Unmanned Air Systems, what is the full scope of the challenge launched on behalf of the Ministry of Justice by UK Defence Innovation.
Answer: This UK Defence Innovation (UKDI) competition is run on behalf of the Ministry of Justice (MOJ), His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS), the Ministry of Defence (MOD), the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA), the Home Office, the Police, I...
Answered 4 Mar 2026
Original Parliament record
NATO: NavyMinistry of DefenceTabled 24 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 115467More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what is the UK contribution to NATO’s Standing Naval Maritime Group 1.
Answer: The Standing Naval Forces are under the control of NATO Allied Maritime Command which responds to Allied Command Operations. This multinational, integrated force is continuously available for tasking, ranging from NATO missions to exercise participation.
Answered 9 Mar 2026
Original Parliament record
Ministry of Defence: Electric VehiclesMinistry of DefenceTabled 23 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 114942More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what Chinese made electric vehicles are currently leased by his Department through the Phoenix II white fleet contract.
Answer: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my predecessor the Minister for Defence Procurement and Industry (Maria Eagle) on 29 April 2025 to Question 45896 to the hon. Member for Rutland and Stamford (Alicia Kearns).
Answered 27 Feb 2026
Original Parliament record
Rifles: ProcurementMinistry of DefenceTabled 23 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 114941More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what decision framework is being used to assess potential future calibre changes within Project Grayburn.
Answer: As advised in my response to Question 106283, the project is within its concept stage, and we cannot yet assess the adequacy of the UK supply chain regarding this project. However, we have set clear expectations that Project Grayburn will be manufactured ...
Answered 27 Feb 2026
Original Parliament record

Published records only — not a full account of an MP’s work. How we work →