Sorry, I missed the middle of the noble Lord’s question. Is what properly protected—the fuel?

My Lords, the Royal Navy has a fleet of nine submarines currently in service. It operates four Vanguard class nuclear-powered and nuclear-armed submarines in Operation Relentless, the continuous at-sea deterrent, which has been successfully maintained for over 56 years. The Vanguard class will be sequentially replaced by four Dreadnought class submarines, which will enter service in the 2030s. Additionally, five Astute class nuclear-powered and conventionally armed submarines are in service, with two more under construction.

A key point for all of us in this House, our nation and our alliances is that it is a continuous at-sea deterrent, and I reassure everyone that we maintain that. The noble Lord is right that it has been the foundation of our alliance’s peace and security for decades under all Governments, and long may it continue.

Authorised contractors, have a legal right to access the highway for essential works, which can require temporary obstruction. To minimise disruption and protect road users, they must comply with the Safety at Street Works and Road Works Code of Practice.

To help tackle congestion, the Government has recently approved new lane rental schemes and continues to support their rollout by highway authorities. These schemes which apply charges for works on the busiest roads and incentivise quicker, better-planned delivery have shown success in reducing delays and improving network efficiency. This is why we are devolving powers to mayors, enabling local leaders to introduce lane rental schemes tailored to their areas

Alongside this, the Department for Transport will publish an updated version of the Safety at Street Works and Road Works Code of Practice next year, bringing guidance in line with modern standards and ensuring best practice across the sector. Together, these measures aim to keep traffic moving and improve the experience for all road users.

Deterrence remains at the core of the UK’s defence policy and influences everything we do; from capability procurement choices to operational activity. The Strategic Defence Review (2025) affirms the centrality of deterrence to Defence thinking. It underpins our focus on home defence and resilience, our move towards warfighting readiness, and our NATO First approach.

Let me answer a couple of questions, and I hope it addresses the noble Lord’s point. The Prime Minister is very supportive of the defence industry and the development of this country and has supported that a great deal. He allows the defence industry and the MoD to carry on with their work. The important point is that he is very supportive of that, as noble Lords can see by the increase in the defence budget and the interest he takes in both defence and foreign affairs.

There are eight Type 26 frigates on order for the UK. The recent announcement that Norway has selected the UK as their preferred strategic partner for Frigate procurement signals Norway’s intention to order five Type 26 ships.

I cannot say whether a third runway at Heathrow will materially affect the ability of the airport to accept air taxis. There is clearly a limit to what size of aircraft can be landed, not only at the moment but in the future, but we will bear the noble Lord’s suggestion in mind.

The cables provide the connections that we need for all purposes across telecommunications.

I am afraid I do not have information about the length of the runway. I am sure that the proposition to reopen the airport takes into account its existing configuration, and I am sure that the public bodies concerned with it are confident that the airport, whatever length of runway it has, can support the local economy with the appropriate air services.

The Government is clear - it is only the people of the Falkland Islands who can decide their own future. The UK is steadfast in its support for the Falkland Islanders' right of self-determination, a right which is enshrined in the UN Charter and in article one of the two UN Covenants on human rights. The Falkland Islanders made their wishes clear in the 2013 referendum when 99.8 percent of voters chose to maintain their status as a self-governing UK Overseas Territory.

The noble Lord is right to ask about dismantling. As I said to my noble friend, we are seeking to speed up that process. On the new submarines, if he is referring to the Astute class submarines, seven were ordered, six are already in the water and one is now under construction in Barrow. If he means the successor to the Vanguard class, we expect the first to be in service in the early 2030s. We are making considerable progress, and I hope that answers his question.

I do not have any detail specifically on the defence procurement budget. This is more about the processes. The Procurement Act includes specific rules for defence and security procurement, including flexibility for contracts to be upgraded.

I do not have the precise answer to that question, so I will be delighted to write to the noble Lord to clarify the questions he asked.

Shall I just say yes? My understanding was that there were arrangements in place to facilitate the movement of racehorses around Europe. I will double check the facts on that and write to the noble Lord.

My Lords, Operation Interflex and all training for Ukrainian armed service personnel are key components of our support for their fight. The UK continues to deliver a major training operation for Ukrainian forces, with over 36,000 Ukrainian personnel trained in the UK since June 2022 and more than 60,000 Ukrainians trained since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine in 2014.

My Lords, I declare my interest as a serving Army reservist. The £7.1 billion that we have committed since February 2022 covers a broad range of military support to Ukraine. This includes rapid procurement and gifting of equipment, development of international capability coalitions and training support through Operation Interflex. We have not provided a breakdown of this military support to Ukraine to ensure that we do not jeopardise a live operation by putting into the public domain information that could be used to assist our adversaries.

My Lords, I understand that this is the case. Sometimes I think we forget just how incredibly amenable and spread our forces are. We have 22 ships and submarines on order or under construction. The Army is globally deployed across 67 countries, with 14,000 troops on exercises and operations throughout Europe. We certainly fulfil all our role as part of NATO and in the safety of security of this country. We also involve ourselves in issues such as combating the Houthi rebels and the other issues we are facing around the world.

My Lords, I am afraid that that is information which we do not divulge.