Ben Obese-Jecty MP: written questions 2025
3013 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Official Residences: Council TaxCabinet OfficeTabled 27 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 95176More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if the High Value council tax surcharge in England will be paid from the public purse for the official residences at a) 10 Downing Street, b) 11 Downing Street, c) 1 Carlton Gardens, d) Dorneywood, e) Chequers,
Answer: HVCTS will be paid by property owners not residents. Where official residences are owned by the state, any tax will be paid to the Exchequer at no overall cost to the taxpayer.
Answered 17 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordAjax Vehicles: Health and SafetyMinistry of DefenceTabled 26 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 94928More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many instances of noise and vibration symptoms have occurred since the start of the Armoured Cavalry Programme.
Answer: The health and safety of our Service personnel will always remain my top priority. The problems with the Armoured Cavalry programme (commonly known as Ajax) are a matter of public record under the last Government. As reported to the House in my recent Wri...
Answered 29 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordAjax Vehicles: Health and SafetyMinistry of DefenceTabled 26 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 94927More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many compensation claims relating to noise and vibration symptoms incurred during use of Ajax-variants have been made since the start of the Armoured Cavalry Programme.
Answer: It will take time to collate and review the information needed to answer the hon. Member’s question. I will write to him shortly and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.
Answered 2 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordAjax Vehicles: Health and SafetyMinistry of DefenceTabled 26 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 94926More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with references to the Written Statement on the Armoured Cavalry Programme (HCWS1099), published on 26 November 2025, what steps he has taken to help tackle issues relating to noise and vibration prior to declari
Answer: Ajax has been through rigorous trials and an assured safety process, including with the Health and Safety Executive, with the evidence showing it is safe to operate. We will always put the safety of our personnel first and the current pause shows that we ...
Answered 2 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordAjax Vehicles: Health and SafetyMinistry of DefenceTabled 26 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 94925More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with references to the Written Statement on the Armoured Cavalry Programme (HCWS1099), published on 26th November 2025, by when does he intend to complete the safety investigation into Ajax.
Answer: The safety of our personnel is paramount. The Defence Accident Investigation Board are conducting an investigation into the incident at pace with support from the Army Safety Investigation Team and General Dynamics. While the relevant investigations take ...
Answered 5 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordAjax Vehicles: Health and SafetyMinistry of DefenceTabled 26 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 94924More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with references to the Written Statement on the Armoured Cavalry Programme (HCWS1099), published on 26th November 2025, what assurances was the Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry given prior to announcin
Answer: Before declaring Initial Operating Capability, I received written assurances from the Chief of the General Staff and the acting NAD that the vehicle was safe to operate. Within the letter note AJAX the vehicle was described as ‘demonstrably safe to operat...
Answered 2 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordAjax Vehicles: Health and SafetyMinistry of DefenceTabled 26 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 94923More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many instances of vibration sickness have been recorded with a) Ajax, b) Ares, c) Athena and d) other Ajax-variants since 6th November 2025.
Answer: Safety of personnel is a top priority for me. As reported to the House in my recent Written Statement dated 26 November. On 22 November, during a routine training exercise, around 30 soldiers operating in Ajax reported being affected by noise and vibratio...
Answered 4 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordF-35 Aircraft: ProcurementMinistry of DefenceTabled 26 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 94922More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the answer of 18th March 2025 to question 37371 on F-35 Aircraft: Procurement, what progress has he made on securing delivery of the remaining F-35B aircraft from the first tranche.
Answer: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for East Londonderry (Mr Gregory Campbell) on 19 November 2025 to Question 91099. https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2025-11-14/91099
Answered 5 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordNational Gas: SecurityDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 26 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 94921More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what was the budget for a) security and b) cyber security in the National Gas business plan each year for the past five years.
Answer: Funding for National Gas Transmission is set by Ofgem’s RIIO (Revenue = Incentives + Innovation + Outputs) framework for each five-year regulatory period. For security reasons, Ofgem does not publish the specific allowances awarded for physical or cyber s...
Answered 5 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordGovernment Departments: Cost EffectivenessTreasuryTabled 26 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 94920More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Budget 2025: Strong Foundations, Secure Future, page 47, what is the breakdown of the £2.8billion efficiencies and savings target for 2028-29 across each department.
Answer: The £2.8 billion efficiencies and savings represent 0.5% of departmental day-to-day budgets set at Spending Review 2025.Efficiencies and savings achieved within the NHS will be reinvested to improve patient care, and the government will ensure it continue...
Answered 5 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordMigrantsHome OfficeTabled 26 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 94798More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what is the size of the total absconder pool in the most recent period for which reporting is available.
Answer: The information requested is not currently available from published statistics.Official statistics published by the Home Office are kept under review in line with the code of practice for statistics, taking into account a number of factors including user ...
Answered 5 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordMinistry of Defence: Hearing ImpairmentMinistry of DefenceTabled 25 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 94542More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many settlements for noise-induced hearing loss his Department made in 2024/25.
Answer: Between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025, there were 149 initial injury/illness awards under the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS) for noise-induced hearing loss which were awarded under the Senses tariff of injury table. Between 1 April 2024 and 31 M...
Answered 3 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordMinistry of Defence: AsbestosMinistry of DefenceTabled 25 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 94541More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many settlements for asbestos related disease his Department made in 2024/25.
Answer: Settlements of asbestos related compensation claims brought against the Ministry of Defence for asbestos related disease are published annually. These are published the year after the relevant financial year (FY). For example, settled claims and compensat...
Answered 1 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordF-35 Aircraft: ProcurementMinistry of DefenceTabled 25 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 94529More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what are the terms of the UK's operational freedom of action under the global F-35 programme.
Answer: The Ministry of Defence has Operational Sovereignty/Freedom of Action to operate the UK 'F-35 aircraft at the time and place of the UK Defence's choosing' and to 'procure critical capabilities to be located in the UK'.This is combined with an in-depth und...
Answered 3 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordDisability: Public LavatoriesDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 24 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 94026More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of a requirement to ensure all venues have (a) toilets accessible to wheelchair users and (b) clear information that there are no accessible toilets
Answer: Under the Equality Act 2010, businesses that provide goods and services to the public are required not to discriminate against disabled people. The Act also places an anticipatory duty on service providers to make reasonable adjustments to improve access ...
Answered 1 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordPrisoners: CompensationMinistry of JusticeTabled 24 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 93993More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the answer of 18th November 2025 to question 88988 on Prisoners, a) how long for and b) how much compensation did each prisoner unlawfully detained between 5th July 2024 and 31st March 2025 receive.
Answer: Release inaccuracy is yet another symptom of the prison system crisis inherited by this Government. While the overwhelming majority of offenders are released correctly, we are clamping down on those errors that do occur, and this includes unlawful detenti...
Answered 1 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordPrisonersMinistry of JusticeTabled 24 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 93992More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the answer of 18 November 2025 to question 88988 on Prisoners, how many of the prisoners unlawfully detained following completion of their sentence in 2024-25 were detained between 5 July 2024 and 31
Answer: Release inaccuracy is yet another symptom of the prison system crisis inherited by this Government. While the overwhelming majority of offenders are released correctly, we are clamping down on those errors that do occur, and this includes unlawful detenti...
Answered 1 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordHM Prison and Probation Service: Migrant WorkersMinistry of JusticeTabled 24 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 93988More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many staff within the HM Prison & Probation Service are reliant on a visa for their employment.
Answer: The Ministry of Justice does not hold the requested data in an easily accessible format. Information on right to work status does not provide a distinction between employees presently working for the Ministry of Justice and employees who have since left e...
Answered 1 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordHMS Albion and HMS BulwarkMinistry of DefenceTabled 24 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 93876More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the answer of 21 November 2025 to question 91710 on HMS Albion and HMS Bulwark, what financial gain was made from the sale of a) HMS Albion and b) HMS Bulwark to offset against the write down of the r
Answer: Discussions with potential international partners remain commercially sensitive, and it would not be appropriate to provide details of any prospective proceeds while these engagements are ongoing.
Answered 7 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordMinistry of Defence: NegligenceMinistry of DefenceTabled 24 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 93875More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many settlements for clinical negligence his Department made in 2024-25.
Answer: Settlements of common law compensation claims for alleged Ministry of Defence clinical negligence are published annually. These are published the year after the relevant financial year (FY). For example, settled claims and compensation paid in FY 2024-25 ...
Answered 1 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordMinistry of Defence: CompensationMinistry of DefenceTabled 24 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 93874More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many settlements for (a) bullying, (b) harassment, (c) discrimination, (d) physical and sexual abuse and (e) assault did his Department make in 2024-2025.
Answer: This answer covers employment tribunal settlements and common law compensation claim settlements. For employment tribunal settlements, in some cases, it has been necessary to categorise harassment and discrimination together, where the claimant has allege...
Answered 18 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordLocal Government: CambridgeshireMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 24 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 93873More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department has held discussions with Peterborough City Council on the options for local government reorganisation in Cambridgeshire.
Answer: My officials have held discussions with all the councils in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, including Peterborough City Council, as they have developed proposals in response to their invitation. Those proposals are due to be submitted on 28 November.
Answered 27 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordArmoured Fighting VehiclesMinistry of DefenceTabled 24 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 93769More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment has he made of the potential impact of the logistical burden of (a) armoured battlegroups and (b) vehicles from the (i) Ajax, (ii) Boxer and (iii) 433 families on the Army.
Answer: The British Army assesses logistic requirements as part of the process to deliver new vehicles and equipment into service. For reasons of operational security, I am unable to provide the details requested as to do so would reveal the readiness levels of s...
Answered 11 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordUnmanned Air Systems: ProcurementMinistry of DefenceTabled 21 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 93496More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of procuring Anduril's YFQ-44A collaborative combat aircraft.
Answer: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 19 September 2025 to Question 76688.
Answered 1 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordEU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security PolicyMinistry of DefenceTabled 21 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 93495More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the outcomes were of his meeting with the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission on foreign and security policy.
Answer: On 22 October 2025, the Defence Secretary met in London with the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy for the first foreign and security policy dialogue between the United Kingdom and the EU established under the recently agree...
Answered 2 Dec 2025
Original Parliament record
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