Written questions by MacDonald.

Whether she has had recent discussions with the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on the potential lessons that could be learned from HMRC’s treatment of professional footballers affected by investment fraud for wider cases mis-selling of tax avoidance schemes.

HMRC works closely with partners across the football sector to deliver educational messages to support players and their agents in getting things right first time. HMRC recognises the damage caused to the tax system by those that promote tax avoidance schemes. It takes action to prevent that damage, for example by publishing details of schemes and promoters to help customers to steer clear of or otherwise exit such schemes. The Government is determined to do more to close in on promoters of marketed tax avoidance and recently consulted on a package of measures to strengthen HMRC’s powers to tackle them. HMRC also recognises that dealing with an enquiry and a tax liability can be stressful. HMRC is committed to supporting taxpayers who need extra support and offer ‘Time to Pay’ instalment arrangements where appropriate.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of issuing guidance to local authorities on non-lethal deterrents for managing urban gull populations that comply with the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.

Natural England has previously issued this guidance on managing wild birds using non-lethal measures. Neither Defra nor Natural England has assessed the merits of developing further targeted guidance for local authorities on this matter but we understand that NatureScot has recently updated its guidance and published data on the impacts of licensed activity on gull populations in Scotland. Natural England has also, this year, commenced a project on large gull management at the regional and national scale regarding both urban and rural gull populations.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to support local authorities to prevent gulls nesting in urban areas; and whether she has had discussions with her counterparts in the devolved Administrations on this matter.

There are a range of legal methods that can be used to deter gulls to prevent or at least minimise problems in urban areas. Natural England has issued this guidance on managing wild birds using non-lethal measures. It has also piloted two organisational licences with Bath and Northeast Somerset Council; and Worcester Council for the purposes of urban gull management. It has invited and encouraged other councils to apply if they are experiencing gull issues and offered advice. Furthermore, Natural England colleagues have spoken directly to local authorities and presented to council environmental health officers through webinars hosted by the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health. While current Defra Ministers have not held discussions with counterparts in the devolved Governments on this matter, a Natural England representative attended the recent Scottish ‘Gull Summit’ to share learning on how Natural England is working with local authorities on managing gulls and providing licensing support.

What steps his Department is taking to help support service personnel who are unable to attend the non-commissioned officer course due to a medical condition sustained during their military duties.

Whilst Defence sets medical employment standards, it is left to the discretion of the single Services how these should be applied to specific professions. Personnel who are medically unable to attend career related courses can receive support specific to individual circumstances and their branch of Service. In general they will have access to welfare officers, career management advisors, chaplaincy services, and dedicated welfare organisations, and they may be granted extensions to promotion timelines. The Armed Forces are committed to supporting personnel who face such challenges, and we continue to review policies to ensure fairness and inclusivity wherever possible.

What steps her Department is taking to ensure that UK banks provide accessible banking services for community groups that are not registered charities.

Community groups make a valuable contribution across the country, and it is important that they can access suitable banking services.However, decisions about what products are offered, and to whom, remain commercial decisions for banks and building societies, due to differences in legal status, risk, and regulation. This also necessitates that decisions concerning the provision of products, including account charges, are largely commercial decisions for these institutions.At the Government’s encouragement, UK Finance, working with banks and charity representative groups, have produced the Voluntary Organisation Banking Guide, which supports charities and other community groups in accessing banking services. This includes an easy-to-use account finder tool for charities and community groups, and includes information on fees.It is important that community groups consider a range of providers for their banking needs, as this encourages competition, improves choice, and helps keep prices competitive.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the adequacy of UN mechanisms for monitoring humanitarian needs in Ukraine; and what steps her Department is taking to help improve those mechanisms.

The UK has committed up to £5.3 billion in non-military support to Ukraine since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022, including over £477 million in humanitarian assistance to date. The UK's humanitarian strategy for Ukraine aims to protect vulnerable groups, prioritise those most in need, and mitigate the worst impacts of the conflict on people. On 12 September 2025, during her first visit to Kyiv, the Foreign Secretary announced a £100 million humanitarian support package for the 2025/26 financial year. This funding will help civilians in frontline communities, protect the most vulnerable, and provide emergency assistance to those impacted by Russia's continued attacks.We are delivering our humanitarian aid through all parts of the international humanitarian system, including the UN, Red Cross, and NGOs. We work closely with these partners to ensure that humanitarian needs are accurately assessed and that aid reaches the most vulnerable.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure that electricity pricing structures support private sector investment in zero-emission transport infrastructure.

Our announcement on Reformed National Pricing in the summer set out a package of reforms that will deliver a more strategic and coordinated approach to the energy system, provide stronger signals for efficient siting of new assets and improve overall operation efficiency. This will support increased investment by industry in the coming years by encouraging market stability, reducing transitional burdens on industry and transport, and providing certainty for investors.We will continue to work with stakeholders across industry through the development and delivery of these reforms, ensuring that any associated costs with changes to processes are kept to a minimum.

What the (a) dates and (b) locations are of each of the radio teleswitch service switch-off phases.

The Radio Teleswitch (RTS) signal has been switched off in some carefully targeted localised areas, where suppliers have the capacity to respond quickly in case of any issues. Industry’s phase out plan is flexible and subject to change, as suppliers must demonstrate to Ofgem and Government that they are sufficiently prepared before they can proceed further. Suppliers are continuing to contact households with RTS meters to arrange appointments to have them replaced in advance of any switch offs, but are also encouraging consumers to not wait, with over a quarter of a million meters having already been replaced across GB this year. Ofgem has also been contacting local authorities and members of parliament to inform them of planned activity in their area ahead of any switch offs.

Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of existing contingency arrangements to ensure access to emergency services during prolonged power outages in areas affected by the Public Switched Telephone Network migration.

The Government is committed to ensuring any risks arising from the industry-led migration of the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) to Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) are mitigated for all customers. No household should be left without means to contact emergency services in the event of a power cut following the PSTN migration.In December 2023 and November 2024, major communication providers signed and agreed the safeguards in the PSTN Charter and Non-Voluntary Migrations Checklist, including providing vulnerable customers with free battery back-up devices for power cuts. Ofcom General Conditions state that these devices should last for a minimum of one hour, but in practice many providers issue units that provide 4-7 hours of battery life.In December 2023, Ofcom launched a public Call for Input on the power back-up at mobile access sites. Ofcom published an update on this work in February 2025, confirming they are completing further analysis to determine the appropriate and proportionate measures that mobile operators should put in place.

Innovation and Technology, what steps she is taking with telecommunications providers to ensure that battery back-up solutions provided to households during the Public Switched Telephone Network migration are sufficient to cover the average duration of power cuts in rural areas.

The Government is committed to ensuring any risks arising from the industry-led migration of the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) to Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) are mitigated for all customers. No household should be left without means to contact emergency services in the event of a power cut following the PSTN migration.In December 2023 and November 2024, major communication providers signed and agreed the safeguards in the PSTN Charter and Non-Voluntary Migrations Checklist, including providing vulnerable customers with free battery back-up devices for power cuts. Ofcom General Conditions state that these devices should last for a minimum of one hour, but in practice many providers issue units that provide 4-7 hours of battery life.In December 2023, Ofcom launched a public Call for Input on the power back-up at mobile access sites. Ofcom published an update on this work in February 2025, confirming they are completing further analysis to determine the appropriate and proportionate measures that mobile operators should put in place.

Innovation and Technology, what estimate she has made of the number of households that will lose the ability to make emergency calls during a power cut following the switch to digital landlines.

The Government is committed to ensuring any risks arising from the industry-led migration of the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) to Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) are mitigated for all customers. No household should be left without means to contact emergency services in the event of a power cut following the PSTN migration.In December 2023 and November 2024, major communication providers signed and agreed the safeguards in the PSTN Charter and Non-Voluntary Migrations Checklist, including providing vulnerable customers with free battery back-up devices for power cuts. Ofcom General Conditions state that these devices should last for a minimum of one hour, but in practice many providers issue units that provide 4-7 hours of battery life.In December 2023, Ofcom launched a public Call for Input on the power back-up at mobile access sites. Ofcom published an update on this work in February 2025, confirming they are completing further analysis to determine the appropriate and proportionate measures that mobile operators should put in place.

How many doctors who completed foundation training (a) successfully secured a specialty training post immediately after completion, (b) remained without a specialty training post one year after completing foundation training and (c) have taken up medical employment abroad in each of the last five years.

Data published by the General Medical Council shows it is becoming more common for doctors to not progress from completion of the second year of the foundation programme directly into specialty training. The following table shows the proportion of foundation year two (F2) doctors who had progressed into speciality training within 12 months of completion of foundation training and the proportion who had not progressed into speciality training within 12 and 24 months of completing F2 for each of the last five years where data is available. Doctors not progressing are not necessarily leaving employment but more likely to enter periods of employment under locally employed doctor contracts or to undertake planned periods working in other settings or countries. Foundation Two YearIn speciality training within a yearNot in speciality training after a yearNot in speciality training after two years201837.5%62.5%33.1%201933.6%66.4%36.5%202030.7%69.3%40.5%202129.6%70.4%43.7%202224.9%75.1%47.7%202322.4%77.6% Source: General Medical Council, Education Data Tool Progression Reportshttps://edt.gmc-uk.org/progression-reports/recruitment-from-f2 The United Kingdom Foundation Programme Office, the body which operates and develops the UK medical foundation training programme has in some years run a Career Destination Survey for those completing F2.In 2024, 13.4% of respondents to the F2 Career Destinations Survey went abroad after completing their foundation programme (into training, service posts, or still seeking a post outside of UK), which is a higher proportion compared to 2019 (9.3%).It is important to note though when comparing these results that the F2 Career Destinations Survey was mandatory to the completion of the foundation year programme in the year 2019 leading a response-rate of 93.1%. In 2024, the F2 Career Destinations survey was not mandatory leading to a response rate of 18%.The Department is unable to provide information on the number of doctors who completed their training taking up medical employment abroad in the years 2020-2023 as the UK Foundation Programme’s F2 Career Destinations Survey was not run during this period.The 2024 F2 Career Destinations Survey report is available at the following link:https://foundationprogramme.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/06/UKFP-2024-F2-Career-Destination-Survey-Report.pdfThe 2019 F2 Career Destinations Survey report is available at the following link:https://foundationprogramme.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/04/F2%20CDS_2019.pdfAs set out in our 10-Year Health Plan, we will work across Government to prioritise UK medical graduates for foundation training, and to prioritise UK medical graduates and other doctors who have worked in the NHS for a significant period for specialty training. We will set out further details in due course.

What discussions her Department has had with (a) bus operators and (b) electricity providers on the potential impact of electricity standing charges on the operating costs of zero-emission bus fleets.

We are committed to expanding the electricity network to support the electrification of transport and are working closely with bus operators and DESNZ about electricity provision for depots. Due to lower operating costs of battery electric buses compared to diesel buses, this makes them an attractive option for bus operators.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of electricity network charging costs on the (a) financial viability of electric bus operations and (b) transition away from diesel vehicles.

We are committed to expanding the electricity network to support the electrification of transport and are working closely with bus operators and DESNZ about electricity provision for depots. Due to lower operating costs of battery electric buses compared to diesel buses, this makes them an attractive option for bus operators.

What steps he is taking to improve (a) military and (b) other defence cooperation with Malta.

The UK enjoys a strong and historic defence relationship with Malta. In March 2025, representatives from the UK MOD and Armed Forces of Malta signed the UK-Malta Bilateral Cooperation Plan for Defence. Under this Framework, both nations intend to continue to develop effective working relationships, utilise planned ship visits to share expertise and establish contacts, and facilitate opportunities for training courses in the UK.

Innovation and Technology, what discussions she has had with Ofcom on the resilience of mobile masts serving rural communities to prolonged power outages.

Whilst telecommunications services are generally resilient, they can be disrupted, and we recognise the impact that prolonged power cuts can have, especially on rural communities. In December 2023, Ofcom launched a public Call for Input on the power back-up at mobile access sites across the UK. They published an update on their work in February this year, confirming they are completing further analysis to determine the appropriate and proportionate measures that mobile operators should put in place. The Department has supported this work and looks forward to its conclusions.

Innovation and Technology, what steps he is taking to ensure that the vulnerability registers maintained by energy providers are shared with telecommunications providers to prioritise additional support for vulnerable customers during the Public Switched Telephone Network migration.

The Government is committed to ensuring that vulnerable people are identified and appropriately supported during the Public Switched Telephone Network migration. For legal and data protection reasons, data on vulnerable people from energy providers cannot be shared with communication providers. Instead, communication providers committed in the Non-Voluntary Migrations Checklist to sign data sharing agreements with local authorities to identify vulnerable people.In addition, BT and Virgin Media funded, with government support, a national communications campaign to encourage vulnerable people to self-identify. Communication providers have also used data from alarm receiving centres, alongside their individual/standard approaches to identifying vulnerable customers via outreach.

Innovation and Technology, what steps he is taking to ensure that rural households are offered appropriate mitigation measures before being switched from analogue to digital telephone services.

The Government is committed to ensuring that any risks arising from the industry-led migration of the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) to Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) are mitigated for all customers across the UK.The Government has published guidance for communication providers on providing vulnerable customers with supported journeys where necessary. This includes customers who are landline dependent, perhaps due to living in rural locations with less mobile connectivity. Communication providers have committed in the Non-Voluntary Migrations Checklist that these customers will be provided with a battery back-up unit for use in case of a power cut.

Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the Answer of 23 September 2025 to Question 76223 on Project Gigabit: Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire, whether his Department has made a comparative assessment of the number of premises without access to gigabit-capable broadband in (a) Inverness, Skye, and West Ross-shire constituency with (b) the national average.

According to the independent website ThinkBroadband.com, 68% of premises in Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire constituency and 89% of UK premises can access gigabit-capable broadband.As per the answer to question 76223, the Open Market Review process in Scotland is carried out by the Scottish Government. It will have the most up to date information on the hon. Member’s constituency.

What recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of the affordability of visa application and renewal fees under the family route.

Fees for immigration and nationality applications are kept under review; however, the Home Office provides for exceptions to the need to pay application fees in a number of specific circumstances. These include affordability-based waivers for entry clearance and leave to remain on family and human rights grounds.Considerations regarding fees charged on the family route have also been addressed in published Equalities Impact Assessment, which can be found at the following link: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2025/363/pdfs/uksiod_20250363_en_001.pdf.