Written questions by Taylor.

What steps her Department is taking to improve public transport links in towns where bus services have been reduced.

Transport in Scotland is devolved to the Scottish Government. With respect to bus services in England, the government introduced the Bus Services (No.2) Bill on 17 December as part of its ambitious plan for bus reform. The Bill puts the power over local bus services back in the hands of local leaders and is intended to ensure bus services reflect the needs of the communities that rely on them right across England. The government has committed to increasing accountability by including a measure on socially necessary services so that local authorities and bus operators have to have regard for alternatives to changing or cancelling services. In addition, the government has confirmed £955 million for the 2025 to 2026 financial year to support and improve bus services in England outside London. This includes £243 million for bus operators and £712 million allocated to local authorities. Local authorities can use this funding to introduce new bus routes, make services more frequent and protect crucial bus routes for local communities.

What steps her Department is taking to ensure that there is adequate access to free-to-use cash machines in towns.

The Government recognises that cash continues to be used by millions of people across the UK, including those in vulnerable groups, and is committed to protecting access to cash for individuals and businesses.The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) introduced regulatory rules for access to cash in September 2024. Its rules require the reasonable provision of free withdrawal and deposit facilities for personal current accounts. The FCA also require the UK’s largest banks and building societies to assess the impact of a closure or material alteration of a relevant cash withdrawal or deposit facility, and put in place a new service if necessary.Where a resident, community organisation or other interested party feels access to cash in their community is insufficient, they can submit a request for a cash access assessment. Further information about submitting a cash access request can be found at the following link:  https://www.link.co.uk/helping-you-access-cash/request-access-to-cash

What steps the Government is taking to prevent the loss of in-person banking services in towns.

The Government understands the importance of face-to-face banking to communities, high streets and towns across the UK, and is committed to championing sufficient access for all as a priority. This is why the Government is working closely with banks to roll out 350 banking hubs, which will provide local residents and businesses up and down the country with critical cash and banking services. Over 200 banking hubs have been announced so far and over 100 are already open. Alternative options to access everyday banking services can be via telephone banking, through digital means such as mobile or online banking and via the Post Office. The Post Office Banking Framework allows personal and business customers to withdraw and deposit cash, check their balance, pay bills and cash cheques at 11,500 Post Office branches across the UK.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps he is taking to help ensure the protection of (a) medical equipment in hospitals in Gaza and (b) medical facilities in conflict zones.

We remain gravely concerned by the lack of adequate medical care in Gaza. Nearly all of Gaza's hospitals are damaged or partly destroyed, according to the World Health Organization. I have raised our concern about the ability of civilians safely to access medical treatment with the Government of Israel, and we highlighted our concerns at the recent UN Security Council meeting on healthcare in Gaza. International Humanitarian Law (IHL) gives special protection to medical missions, health facilities, their staff and equipment and to humanitarian personnel exclusively engaged in medical duties. We will continue to use our permanent seat on the UN Security Council to promote compliance with IHL, seek accountability for violations, and implement existing UN Security Council Resolutions (UNSCR) - including UNSCR 2286 on Healthcare in Armed Conflict, which the UK co-sponsored.

Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help support the regeneration of town centres affected by increased vacancy rates.

This government is fully committed to rejuvenating our high streets and supporting the businesses and communities that make our town centres successful. The government has committed £1.5 billion towards a reformed Long-Term Plan for Towns to regenerate communities across the UK.The law in this area is devolved but to address the blight of vacancy in town centres in England, the government has implemented High Street Rental Auctions, which empowers local authorities to auction the lease of persistently vacant commercial high street properties, and we will also introduce a new ‘right to buy’ to enable communities to protect valued assets.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that private landowners uphold environmental standards on (a) biodiversity protection, (b) water quality and (c) land management responsibilities.

The environment and farming are devolved matters, this response covers England only. There are a wide range of regulations that protect biodiversity, water and other parts of the environment in England from potential harms caused by land management activities. For example, The Reduction and Prevention of Agricultural Diffuse Pollution (England) Regulations 2018 places restrictions on agricultural practices to reduce and prevent diffuse water pollution. The Management of Hedgerows (England) Regulations 2024 puts hedgerow management practices into law. Land management regulations are enforced by a number of authorities, including the Environment Agency, Natural England, the Rural Payments Agency and the Forestry Commission. Defra is taking action to improve regulation that applies to farmers and other land managers, this includes an expanded Farm Advisory Service, better guidance and an increased number of advice-led inspections. However, we know existing regulation can hold back businesses. We also know farmers do not always understand the purpose of regulation and they find it time consuming, with compliance difficult to demonstrate. This is why I have asked my officials to review farm regulation, focussing on how it can be more coherent, less time consuming and easier to understand. I have also asked all Defra regulators how they are supporting growth.

What steps his Department is taking to help (a) encourage investment in startups and (b) support entrepreneurs in Paisley and Renfrewshire North constituency.

We will publish our Small Business Strategy later this year with a clear ambition to promote startups and encourage entrepreneurship, built around the new Business Growth Service.Existing support includes Help to Grow: Management - UK, providing practical ways to enhance small business productivity and growth, and the British Business Bank’s Investment Fund for Scotland. This commits £150 million to deliver loans and debt finance, ranging from £25,000 to £2 million and equity investment up to £5 million, for new and growing businesses across rural, coastal and urban Scottish areas.Start Up Loans are also available in Scotland, helping new and early-stage businesses access affordable finance and mentoring support.

What steps her Department is taking to tackle antisocial behaviour and crime in town centres.

Tackling anti-social behaviour (ASB) is a top priority for this Government and a key part of our Safer Streets Mission.The Government’s Plan for Change, announced by the Prime Minister on 5 December, included our plan to reduce ASB. This will include a dedicated lead officer in every police force in England and Wales working with communities to develop a local ASB action plan. We are also going to bring back neighbourhood policing, ensuring thousands of additional officers are out patrolling in our town centres and communities to make the streets safer.These officers will be equipped with tougher powers, such as the Respect Order, which will be introduced in the forthcoming Crime and Policing Bill, to crack down on ASB and crimes blighting our high streets and town centres.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of removing levy funding for Level 7 apprenticeships on the Government’s commitment to delivering 1.5 million new homes by 2030.

My Department has been actively engaging with the Department for Education to discuss the proposed changes to the apprenticeship levy to understand the impact on housing delivery.

What steps she is taking to help ensure that the transport system supports economic growth.

Growth is the priority Mission of this government. Transport provides the connectivity needed to achieve it. We are improving connectivity through infrastructure programmes such as HS2, East West Rail, and the Transpennine Route Upgrade. We are empowering leaders, improving bus services, and better integrating networks to improve access to opportunities.

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of increasing the personal savings allowance for basic rate taxpayers.

The Personal Savings Allowance (PSA) allows basic rate taxpayers to receive up to £1,000 in savings income tax free. Higher rate taxpayers can receive up to £500 in savings income tax free. Individuals can also save up to £20,000 into an Individual Savings Account (ISA) each year, where savings income is received tax free. In addition, the Starting Rate for Savings allows for tax free savings income of up to £5,000 for those with earned income below £17,570. Taken together, this means that around 85 per cent of people with savings income pay no tax on that income. The Government keeps all aspects of the tax system under review.

What discussions she has had with relevant stakeholders on the potential merits of extending the duration of visas for Ukrainians with three-year visas that are approaching expiry.

To provide future certainty, Ukrainians provided with temporary sanctuary in the UK under the Ukraine visa schemes can apply for a further 18 months' permission to remain in the UK through the Ukraine Permission Extension (UPE) scheme, which opened to applications on 4 February 2025.The Homes for Ukraine scheme remains open, uncapped and free of charge for Ukrainians in need of sanctuary to apply to come to the UK.The Government keeps the Ukraine schemes under review and engages, where appropriate, with relevant stakeholders while closely monitoring developments in Ukraine.

Innovation and Technology, what steps he is taking to encourage investment in artificial intelligence in (a) the Advanced Manufacturing Innovation District in Paisley and Renfrewshire North constituency and (b) other areas.

The AI Action Plan will ensure all parts of the UK benefit from the opportunities AI presents. AI Growth Zones (AIGZs) will be closely aligned with wider government initiatives, including Local Growth Plans, ensuring substantial regional and national benefits.By concentrating government support on planning and energy, AIGZs aim to attract significant private investment, accelerate the build-out of critical AI infrastructure, and drive local economic regeneration.

What assessment her Department has of the potential impact of expanding Heathrow Airport on Scottish exports.

The benefits from Heathrow expansion are not just in London and the South East but the entire UK, with the Frontier Economics analysis estimating that over half (60%) of the benefits would be in the rest of the UK.This could increase trade opportunities for products like Scotch whiskey and Scottish salmon - already two of the biggest British exports out of Heathrow.

Whether she has had discussions with Santander on (a) its banking presence on high streets and (b) the impact of that on (i) consumers and (ii) businesses.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer meets regularly with all major banks to discuss a wide variety of topics. The Government understands the importance of face-to-face banking to communities, high streets and businesses across the UK, and is committed to championing sufficient access for all as a priority. Access to financial services is key to ensuring all citizens and businesses can both contribute to and benefit from growth in the UK. The Government continues to work closely with banks to roll out 350 banking hubs by the end of this parliament, which will provide local residents and businesses up and down the country with critical cash and banking services.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to reduce levels of microplastics in the environment, in the context of the potential impact of microplastics on levels of prevalence of heart attacks and strokes.

Under the 2022/23 UK REACH Work Programme, Defra initiated a research proposal to investigate the risks of intentionally added microplastics. It did not look specifically into any links between microplastics and the prevalence of heart attacks and strokes, but the evidence project has reviewed their emissions, and the risks they pose both to human health and the environment. It also included a socio-economic assessment. It will advise on the most effective measures to address any risks and help identify wider evidence gaps that need to be addressed to support a more strategic approach to managing intentionally added microplastics. This project is expected to report in early 2025. Defra and the Welsh and Scottish Governments will consider its findings once complete.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had recent discussions with his Peruvian counterpart on (a) restrictions on women’s rights in Peru and (b) the potential implications for those policies on (i) gender equality and (ii) human rights.

The UK Government closely monitors human rights in Peru, including assessing policies that impact women's rights and gender equality. UK Officials and Ministers also regularly discuss human rights with the Peruvian government, including the Foreign Minister, the Minister for Women and Vulnerable Populations, and wider stakeholders. We will continue to work with the government and wider civil society groups to support the protection of human and women's rights.

What estimate she has made on the number of family owned businesses who will be impacted by the proposed changes to (a) Business Property Relief and (b) Agricultural Property Relief in Paisley and Renfrewshire North constituency.

The Government published information about the reforms to agricultural property relief (APR) and business property relief (BPR) at www.gov.uk/government/publications/agricultural-property-relief-and-business-property-relief-reforms. The Chancellor also recently wrote to the Chair of the Treasury Select Committee about the reforms to Agricultural Property Relief: https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/45691/documents/226235/default/. It is expected that up to around 2,000 estates across the UK will be affected by the changes to APR and BPR in 2026-27, with around half of those being claims that involve AIM shares. Almost three-quarters of estates claiming agricultural property relief (or those claiming agricultural property relief and business property relief together) are expected to be unaffected by these reforms. In accordance with standard practice, a tax information and impact note will be published alongside the draft legislation before the relevant Finance Bill. The number of affected estates, meaning how many estates making relief claims that would pay more inheritance tax as a result of the change, is affected by who the owners of any businesses are, how many owners there are, any borrowing they have, and how they plan their affairs. Without such information, which the Government does not hold at the UK Parliamentary Constituency level, area level assessments cannot be made.

Media and Sport, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme on Paisley and Renfrewshire North constituency; and if she will make it her policy to review that Scheme beyond March 2025.

Since 2022, the Department has awarded 9 grants, totalling £67,674.80 to Listed Places of Worship in the constituency of Paisley and Renfrewshire.As announced in January, the Scheme has been extended for one year with a budget of £23 million, until 31 March 2026, the end of this Spending Review period. This will enable religious organisations to continue to claim grants in respect of eligible VAT costs paid towards repairs and renovations. The scheme has an overall budget of £23 million with a cap of £25,000 per place of worship.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to support Taiwan's security.

The UK has a clear interest in peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and has repeatedly stated this alongside our G7 partners. Without it, the prosperity and security interests of both the UK, and our global partners, would suffer. We consider the Taiwan issue one to be settled peacefully by the people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait through constructive dialogue, and do not support any unilateral attempts to change the status quo. We continue to engage with Taiwan across a wide range of areas as part of our unofficial relationship.