Written questions by MacDonald.

What steps she is taking to help reduce tensions within local communities arising from the use of (a) hotels and (b) military barracks to accommodate asylum seekers.

The Home Office works closely with local authorities, police, and health partners to ensure that military sites operate safely, with secure perimeters, on-site services and regular Multi-Agency Forums to address local concerns. This self-contained approach helps reduce pressures on local services and supports community cohesion.The Home Office works closely with local authorities and statutory partners to ensure that all asylum accommodation sites operate safely with regular engagement to address local concerns, reduce pressure on local services and support community cohesion.

What assessment she has made of the effectiveness of relocating asylum seekers from hotel accommodation to Ministry of Defence sites in mitigating tensions with local communities.

The Home Office works closely with local authorities, police, and health partners to ensure that military sites operate safely, with secure perimeters, on-site services and regular Multi-Agency Forums to address local concerns. This self-contained approach helps reduce pressures on local services and supports community cohesion.The Home Office works closely with local authorities and statutory partners to ensure that all asylum accommodation sites operate safely with regular engagement to address local concerns, reduce pressure on local services and support community cohesion.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to hold discussions with the devolved Administrations on supporting local authorities to transition away from the use of glyphosate-based herbicides in public spaces.

In March 2025, Defra, alongside the Scottish Government, the Welsh Government, and the Northern Ireland Executive, published the UK Pesticides National Action Plan (NAP) 2025. The NAP sets out how we intend to increase the uptake of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) across all sectors, including in the amenity sector. Defra will continue to work with devolved administrations to encourage sustainable practices in public spaces.

Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of pesticide use in (a) urban and (b) public spaces on (i) public health and (ii) biodiversity.

The Government’s first priority with regard to pesticides is to ensure that they will not harm people or animal health or pose unacceptable effects to the environment. Pesticides are subject to strict regulation in Great Britain (GB), and a pesticide is only approved in GB on the basis that it will not cause harm to human or animal health, and that there are no unacceptable effects to the environment. A pesticide may only be placed on the market in GB if the product has been authorised by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), GB’s pesticide regulator. This only happens following a thorough scientific risk assessment that concludes all safety standards are met.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the phasing out of pesticide use in public spaces in other European countries.

The Government’s first priority with regard to pesticides is to ensure that they will not harm people or animal health or pose unacceptable effects to the environment.There is a legal requirement to minimise the use of pesticides along roads and in areas used by the public. It is for each Local Authority to decide the best way of delivering effective and cost-effective weed control in its operations while protecting people and the environment. We do of course continue to monitor action in other countries and learn from their experiences.

What assessment he has made of trends in the level of geographical variation in access to community care equipment in (a) general, (b) rural areas and (c) remote areas.

Local authorities in England have a statutory duty under various pieces of legislation, including the Care Act 2014, to make arrangements for the provision of disability aids and community equipment, to meet the assessed eligible needs of individuals who are resident in their area. Responsibility for managing the market for these services, including commissioning and oversight of delivery, rests with local authorities.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of his policies for preventing plastic pollution on beaches in (a) Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire constituency and (b) other coastal areas.

The UK Government funds the Marine Conservation Society to record litter from sections of our coast which helps us monitor the levels and trends of plastic pollution. The monitoring is undertaken in accordance with regionally-agreed protocols, and annual reports are published online: Annual beach litter reports (2023) - ME4168. Over the past six years, the total median litter count on UK beaches reveals a statistically significant downward trend, decreasing by 18.2 items/100m per year. Significant downward trends continue to be observed in several individual litter items, including those targeted by recent bans and consultations. Single-use plastics are significantly decreasing by 5.8 items/100m per year. The Department has also recently conducted and published a Post Implementation Review (PIR) on The Environmental Protection (Plastic Straws, Cotton Buds and Stirrers) (England) Regulations 2020. The review found these measures have contributed to reducing plastic pollution, with items such as plastic‑stemmed cotton buds moving out of the UK’s top 10 most littered item list in 2021.

Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with her counterpart in the Scottish government on tackling plastic pollution affecting beaches in (a) Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire constituency and (b) other areas.

Plastic pollution is one of the greatest environmental challenges that we face today – it litters our beaches, threatens wildlife and contributes towards climate change. The UK Government works closely with the Scottish Government on plastic pollution and beach litter is monitored across the UK under the UK Marine Strategy. Annual reports on UK beach litter are published online: Annual beach litter reports (2023) - ME4168. Monitoring data is also reported in line with our obligations under the OSPAR Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North East Atlantic and is used in the OSPAR beach litter assessment: Abundance, Composition and Trends of Beach Litter. UK Government and the Devolved Governments have taken action to address some of the most commonly-found beach litter items – for example, legislation to restrict the supply of certain single-use plastic items has been introduced across UK nations.

Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment his Department has made of trends in the level of plastic pollution on beaches in (a) Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire constituency and (b) other areas.

The UK Government funds the Marine Conservation Society to record litter from sections of our coast which helps us monitor the levels and trends of plastic pollution. The monitoring is undertaken in accordance with regionally-agreed protocols, and annual reports are published online: Annual beach litter reports (2023) - ME4168. Over the past six years, the total median litter count on UK beaches reveals a statistically significant downward trend, decreasing by 18.2 items/100m per year. Significant downward trends continue to be observed in several individual litter items, including those targeted by recent bans and consultations. Single-use plastics are significantly decreasing by 5.8 items/100m per year. The Department’s recently published Post Implementation Review (PIR) of the 2020 single use plastic bans and restrictions found evidence of reduced plastic litter on UK beaches, with plastic-stemmed cotton buds and straws showing significant declines. Cotton buds have dropped out of the UK’s top 10 most littered items in 2021 and reached their lowest levels in the Great British Beach Clean’s 28-year history.

Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of radio signal back up power systems in ensuring radio signals continue working during power cuts.

The Government understands the importance of access to information when other communications may be disrupted. Radio plays an essential role in providing such access. In order to fulfil DCMS responsibilities as Lead Government Department for Broadcast Critical National Infrastructure (CNI), DCMS works closely with broadcast CNI operators and technical authorities to maintain security and resilience against a wide range of scenarios including power outages.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to ensure compliance with international agreements on reducing transboundary air pollution contributing to acid rain.

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a Party to the UNECE Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution. We are fully compliant with our international commitments to reduce pollutants causing acid rain. The Government is committed to continuing cooperation with our neighbours to reduce transboundary air pollution and protect the public from the harm of pollution. The UK is playing an active role in ongoing negotiations to revise the 2012 amended Gothenburg Protocol, under the Convention.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of proposed amendments to the ECHR on the protection of individual rights.

This Government is committed to the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). However, commitment does not mean complacency, and we need to make sure the Convention evolves to face modern challenges.We are bringing forward legislation to clarify how Article 8 ECHR (right to a private life) operates domestically in relation to immigration rules to ensure an appropriate balance between the rights of individuals and the national interest. We are also looking at the interpretation of Article 3 ECHR (prohibition against torture and inhuman and degrading treatment) so that varied prison conditions or access to healthcare are not a bar to extradition or deportation.Our proposals are designed to strike a fair and proportionate balance between individual rights and the national interest. These changes will not weaken protections, but rather ensure that our legal framework remains robust, relevant, and trusted.

Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment her Department has made of trends in the level of acid rain.

The most recent assessment of the trends in acid deposition was published in the Air Pollution Trends Report 2024.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to help tackle the causes of acid rain.

Ammonia, NOx and sulphur were the main acidifying pollutants deposited onto UK woodland in 2021. Defra has published guidance and advice through Catchment Sensitive Farming on practical actions farmers can take to reduce emissions. Grant support has also been provided to help farmers invest in equipment, such as low emission slurry spreaders, that will reduce ammonia emissions. The Government has legally binding targets under the National Emission Ceilings Regulations 2018 to reduce emissions of harmful air pollutants such as ammonia and nitrogen oxides that contribute to nitrogen deposition which can negatively impact biodiversity in sensitive habitats.

Food and Rural Affairs, what monitoring networks her Department supports to measure acid deposition.

The Precipitation Network (Precip-Net) measures the chemical composition of rainwater at 48 UK sites. Acid air pollutants measured include ammonium, nitrates and sulphates. More information can be found here. It is part of the umbrella UKEAP (UK Eutrophying and Acidifying Pollutants) Network which also measures airborne concentrations of pollutants that lead to acidification and nitrogen deposition.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to reduce (a) sulphur dioxide and (b) nitrogen oxide emissions from power generation.

Regulation of emissions of pollutants such as sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides is a devolved matter and the information provided relates to England only. A regulatory framework, the Environmental Permitting Regulations (England and Wales) 2016, controls pollution from industry, including power generation. Sites are required to obtain environmental permits and meet limits on emissions of air pollutants, including sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions, as set out in the Regulations. All large industrial facilities, including Large Combustion Plant, are regulated by the Environment Agency (EA) and must use best available techniques (BAT) to reduce emissions and report their emissions. The BAT approach ensures standards are enhanced over time by defining the available techniques which are the best for preventing or minimising emissions and impacts on the environment.

What steps he is taking to strengthen military and defence cooperation with Austria.

The Ministry of Defence is actively seeking closer bilateral relations with Austria to strengthen collective security in the Euro-Atlantic. This includes regular Defence Staff Talks, which have taken place in both London and Vienna, fostering strategic dialogue and alignment between the UK Ministry of Defence and the Austrian MOD.Austria’s military neutrality does not hinder collaboration, which is underpinned by routinely meeting across a number of levels to discuss issues around policy, procurement, and military training. Training cooperation is actively encouraged and covers opportunities both in the UK and Austria. With military teams taking part in Exercise Cambrian Patrol in the Brecon Beacons, UK service personnel conducting adventurous training in Austria, and reciprocal individual training at our Staff Colleges.

What steps he is taking to strengthen military and defence cooperation with the Czech Republic.

The UK continues to share a strong Defence relationship with the Czech Republic through which we cooperate on matters of shared interest. Our bilateral collaboration is underpinned by the British Military Advisory Training Team in the Czech Republic. Now in its 25th year, the organisation continues to play a valuable role in offering military training and assistance to NATO and NATO Partnership for Peace countries.

What steps he is taking to strengthen military and defence cooperation with Belgium.

The United Kingdom maintains a close and constructive defence relationship with Belgium, underpinned by our shared commitment to NATO and European security. We continue to strengthen this cooperation through bilateral engagements, joint training exercises, and collaboration in multinational operations. Recent steps include enhanced interoperability between our armed forces, particularly in areas such as cyber defence, and maritime security. The UK and Belgium also work closely within NATO frameworks, contributing to collective deterrence and defence initiatives.

What steps he is taking to strengthen military and defence cooperation with Finland.

The defence relationship between the UK and Finland is strong and growing. We cooperate closely bilaterally, in NATO and through the Joint Expeditionary Force. The UK is supporting the development of NATO's Forward Land Forces in Finland through the deployment of three Liaison Officers. In September and October, UK and Finnish personnel took part in TARASSIS, the JEF's largest exercise activity to date.