Written questions by Taylor.

Innovation and Technology, what steps he is taking to train civil servants in the use of AI.

DSIT has published guidance and launched training to upskill civil servants in the use of AI. These resources include the AI Playbook for the UK Government offering public services up-to-date guidance on AI technologies, their capabilities and limitations and 70 AI Civil Service Learning courses. The AI Community of Practice builds on this, offering knowledge sharing from teams who have developed AI solutions in government. GDS has built AI content into their Faststream Graduate and TechTrack Apprenticeship upskilling programmes, which are open to Civil Servants. In addition GDS has launched the AI Accelerator, an upskilling pipeline for existing civil servants within the Government Digital and Data profession to gain Machine Learning Engineering skills to work on AI tools.

If she will (a) reinstate VAT-free shopping for visitors and (b) allow VAT refunds on departure.

The Government has no plans to introduce a new tax-free shopping scheme in Great Britain. According to the OBR, the withdrawal of the VAT Retail Export Scheme will save the Exchequer around £540 million per year by 2025-26. Recent ONS data shows that UK tourism numbers and spending has recovered at a similar rate following the pandemic to other European economies. The Government has considered analysis supporting the introduction of a new tax-free shopping scheme and found that there is insufficient evidence that a new scheme would have greater benefits to the UK than costs.

What assessment his Department has made of the impact of the Windsor Framework on the economy of the west coast of Scotland.

The UK internal market and trade between the UK’s four nations is worth around £129bn. The Windsor Framework ensures Northern Ireland’s businesses have unfettered access to their most important market in Great Britain, including the west coast of Scotland, and the UK internal market system is helping to smooth the flow of trade from Great Britain to Northern Ireland.

What steps his Department is taking to support army reserve units in Paisley and Renfrewshire North constituency.

The Department recognises the invaluable contributions made by the Army Reserves to Defence. Ensuring they have adequate support remains both a priority of mine, and the Ministry of Defence. Paisley is home to the 102 Field Squadron, a subordinate of the 71 Engineer regiment, an Army Reserve regiment of the Royal Engineers. The 102 Squadron is supported in the same way as all elements of the Army Reserve, including in terms of equipment and medical and welfare support. Engagement with local employers helps to secure their support for their reservists, delivered through the Lowland Reserve Forces and Cadets Association and 51 Infantry Brigade. Opportunities for high quality, role-related training is directed and delivered by 71 Engineer Regiment to ensure that 102 Squadron is prepared for its military role, whilst also providing personal development opportunities for those that take part in the training.

What steps he plans to take to help veterans experiencing PTSD find (a) retraining and (b) employment opportunities.

This is a Government of service that will always stand up for those who serve our country. I am leading work across Government and with Civil Society to look at the best ways to ensure veterans and their families get access to the health and employment support they need. Healthcare, including provision for veterans with mental health and wellbeing needs, is devolved in Scotland. I have met and continue to regularly engage with the Minister responsible for veterans in the Scottish Government. I also work closely with the Scottish Veterans’ Commissioner, who continues to work on improving outcomes for veterans in Scotland. I am committed to regular engagement and am focused to providing the best support to veterans throughout the United Kingdom. A range of cross-Government employment support is also available to veterans and their families after their time in service. This includes the Ministry of Defence-hosted Career Transition Partnership which is the initial point of resettlement provisions for veterans leaving military service, with directly provided support usually available for two years before and two years after leaving service. The Government is expanding UK-wide career support for the armed forces community, ensuring support for all veterans, regardless of when they left service. The careers advice service Op ASCEND offer will include a broader range of job support for veterans, helping more into employment and boosting growth under this Government’s Plan for Change. This service will work with industry bodies to make sure businesses are set up to make the most of the talents veterans have to offer, showing how the Government is renewing the contract with those who serve and have served. We are committed to delivering and expansion of NHS Talking Therapies, increasing the number of sessions available, and increasing the number of people completing a course of treatment by 384,000 by 2028-29. NHS mental health services are available to support the mental health of people who have experienced trauma in their past or who might have post traumatic stress disorder. They can access evidence-based mental health treatment via their general practitioner or by self-referring to their local NHS Talking Therapies service - details on how to do so are available at: NHS talking therapies for anxiety and depression - NHS (www.nhs.uk). People with complex PTSD may be offered therapies used to treat it, such as trauma-focused cognitive behavioural therapy or eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing. They will also be offered treatment for other problems they may have, such as depression.

What steps he is taking to improve (a) recruitment and (b) retention within the army reserve.

This Government inherited a recruitment crisis, with targets being missed every year for the past 14 years, and is taking decisive action to get recruitment back on track. This has included the largest pay rise to personnel in decades and scrapping 100 outdated policies that slow recruitment down. Improving recruitment and retention levels is one of the Army’s top priorities, supported by defence. Measures in place to increase recruitment into the Army Reserves include a sustained digital and physical marketing campaign; an increased focus on professional training and upskilling courses; and improved financial incentives. A retention strategy has been launched to address barriers to retention through a holistic set of financial and policy initiatives spanning the entire employee lifecycle. Further announcements will be made in due course, in line with the future Strategic Defence Review.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to improve recycling services in towns.

The Simpler Recycling reforms will ensure that across England, people will be able to recycle the same materials, whether at home, work or school, putting an end to confusion over what can and cannot be recycled in different parts of the country. Every household and workplace (businesses and relevant non-domestic premises like schools and hospitals) across England will be able to recycle the same materials in the following core waste streams: metal; glass; plastic: paper and card; food waste; garden waste (household only). These reforms will make recycling easier and ensure there is a comprehensive, consistent service across England. This will reduce confusion with recycling to improve recycling rates, ensuring there is more recycled material in the products we buy, and enabling growth in the UK recycling industry.

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 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.

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 her Department is taking to ensure young people from disadvantaged backgrounds can access Level 7 apprenticeships.

Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.The government is committed to spreading opportunities and economic growth with the support of a strong skills system.To support young people, including those from disadvantaged backgrounds, to access apprenticeships in England, the department is promoting apprenticeships to students in schools and colleges through the Apprenticeship Support and Knowledge programme and targeting young people through the Skills for Life campaign.The department is also transforming career opportunities and advice to increase awareness of the range of high-quality options available to young people, including apprenticeships. The department has committed to improve careers advice and guarantee two weeks’ worth of work experience for every young person, as well as establish a national jobs and careers service to support people into work and help them get on at work.​This government has an extremely challenging fiscal inheritance. There are tough choices that need to be taken on how funding should be prioritised in order to generate opportunities for young people that enable them to make a start in good, fulfilling careers. In 2023/24, 65% of level 7 starts were by people over 25 years old. The future funding for apprenticeships at level 7 is under review and we will be asking more employers to step forward and fund these themselves. The department is taking advice from Skills England, who engaged with employers over the autumn, and the department expects to make a final decision on affected apprenticeships shortly.To support more young people, who have the most to gain from apprenticeships, to access high-quality training, the department is developing new foundation apprenticeships. These will give more young people a foot in the door at the start of their working lives whilst supporting the pipeline of new talent that employers will need to drive economic growth.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.