Every parliamentary written question tabled by Angus MacDonald this session, with the full answer and department. See how every department answers, or back to the MP page.
Showing 301–320 of 688 · this parliament
What assessment her Department has made of the cost to the public purse of prosecutions arising from protest activity by Palestine Action.
Prosecutions relating to Palestine Action arrests are currently ongoing and at different stages of progression.As such, no Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) costs assessments have been made at this stage, but the CPS continues to keep resourcing under review.
What recent discussions he has had with his international counterparts in preparation for COP30.
My Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero engages regularly with his international counterparts on a range of departmental priorities and interests, including on COP30. During London Climate Action Week, for example, he met with counterparts from a range of countries, and he will meet others in the coming weeks.
What assessment his Department has made of the potential implications for its policies of the Climate Change Committee’s report entitled "Progress in reducing emissions – 2025 report to Parliament”, published on 25 June 2025.
We thank the Climate Change Committee for their report which highlights the significant progress this Government has made to reduce emissions over the past year. We are now considering their recommendations and will respond by October.
What recent assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of AI-driven detection technologies in preventing online child sexual abuse.
The Home Office, in collaboration with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, the Alan Turing Institute, and the Accelerated Capability Environment has led the Deepfake Detection Challenge. This initiative brought together experts to develop and evaluate detection tools, which are essential in addressing serious harms including online child sexual abuse. As offenders increasingly exploit AI, we must harness its potential for good.A key outcome has been the creation of a tool which enables scientific evaluation of detection technologies, offering actionable metrics to support informed procurement decisions and helping end users select the most effective solutions. This capability is now being considered as a potential global standard.The next phase of the Challenge will continue to identify and benchmark AI-driven solutions. The Government remains committed to investing in innovation to combat this appalling crime.The Home Office has also introduced world leading measures by becoming the first country in the world to criminalise the possession, creation and distribution of AI tools to generate child sexual abuse material, and criminalised the possession of paedophile manuals that teach others how to create tools for this purpose.
If she will make an assessment of the adequacy of internet connectivity on long-distance rail services between Scotland and London.
An assessment was carried out as part of the spending review business case. This determined the Low Earth Orbit approach on all mainlines.As a result of the spending review, we secured funding to deliver low earth orbit satellite technology on all mainline trains to improve on train passenger wifi. This will include services between London and Scotland such as LNER and Avanti West Coast.However, we know satellite connectivity will not work in tunnels. The Department has also been working with Network Rail to deliver improved connectivity on the rail network. Project Reach, which will renew fibre optic cables and address 4G / 5G mobile signals in 57 key mainline tunnels and stations was signed 26 June 2025 between Network Rail, and telecoms companies, Neos Networks and Freshwave. Once the mobile operators are signed up, passengers will see a boost in their mobile connection in these tunnels.
What steps her Department is taking to tackl livestreamed child sexual abuse being accessed in the UK.
The Government is unequivocal in its commitment to protecting children from all forms of child sexual exploitation and abuse. This includes ensuring that we are working to combat livestreamed abuse and ensuring that offenders cannot use technology to harm children with impunity.The Home Office continues to invest in a network of Undercover Online Officers (UCOLs) in Regional Organised Crime Units. UCOLs deploy online to identify and pursue offenders seeking to sexually exploit children, including those who consume and facilitate livestreaming of child sexual abuse. Home Office funding supports the National Crime Agency to use its unique capabilities to disrupt high harm offenders, including those based overseas who seek to livestream abuse.The UK is leading the way in supporting the building and developing thematic knowledge and operational capabilities of other international law enforcement agencies to work together to pursue offenders and safeguard children. In addition, the NCA is leading a number of initiatives with industry and engagement with the financial sector, to specifically prevent and detect livestreaming offending. This includes work to build on the UK-supported report by the Financial Action Taskforce (FATF) ‘Detecting, Disrupting and Investigating Online Child Sexual Exploitation’.The Online Safety Act introduces world-leading protections for children. It places robust duties on tech companies to prevent and swiftly remove illegal content, including child sexual abuse material, and to take proactive steps to protect children from harm. Ofcom, as the regulator, will have strong enforcement powers to ensure compliance.We also recognise the importance of device-level protections in preventing livestreaming abuse and we support the development and deployment of safety technologies that can help prevent abuse before it happens. This includes exploring the role of on-device tools that can detect and disrupt livestreamed abuse and other image-based harms, while respecting users’ privacy and maintaining end-to-end encryption.The Government continues to work closely with law enforcement, industry, and child protection experts to ensure that the UK remains at the forefront of efforts to tackle online child sexual abuse.
What steps his Department is taking to ensure that climate policies support a just transition for (a) workers and (b) communities.
The transition to net zero is the economic and industrial opportunity of the century. The government's approach is built on fairness and it is committed to ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to access the benefits. The upcoming publication of the Carbon Budget and Growth Delivery Plan and the Clean Energy Workforce Strategy will outline this approach further. This includes ongoing work supporting both rural and urban communities and working with Devolved Governments to ensure a prosperous and fair transition for all. In particular, the Clean Energy Workforce Strategy which will set out our approach to upskilling and reskilling the workforce into clean energy roles through initiatives including the Energy Skills Passport, in collaboration with industry. The skills system is delivering training for existing workers looking to retrain or upskill into clean energy.
What discussions she has had with police forces on the potential impact of policing Palestine Action protests on their capacity to deliver core policing services.
Decisions on how to police individual protests, including those by Palestine Action, are for Chief Constables, who are operationally independent and best placed to assess local threat and risk. Where the activity of protestors breaks the law, the police have the powers they need to respond.It would not be appropriate for Ministers to intervene in those operational decisions, but we continue to work closely with policing to ensure they have the right capabilities and support in place to keep the public safe and uphold the law.
What his timetable is for the review of the Personal Independence Payment.
I am aiming to complete the review by Autumn 2026. The review will ultimately report to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions for final decisions. We are committed to reporting the outcomes of the review to Parliament.
What steps her Department is taking to ensure that (a) disabled people and (b) carers are directly involved in the review of the Personal Independence Payment.
The Timms review will be co-produced with disabled people, the organisations that represent them, clinicians, experts, MPs and other stakeholders, so a wide range of views and voices are heard. This will include carers' organisations so that the voices of unpaid carers are heard.
What guidance his Department issues to employers on managing risks associated with lone working in retail.
I refer the Honourable Member to the previous answer 71094.
What information her Department holds on the number of officer hours spent policing protests by Palestine Action since 1 January 2025.
The Home Office does not hold this information.
What information her Department holds on the cost to police forces of responding to protest activity by Palestine Action since 1 January 2025.
The Home Office does not routinely collect information on the costs of police operations.It is a local decision for elected Police and Crime Commissioners and their equivalents, working with their chief officers, to determine how best to allocate resources.
If his Department will take steps to ensure that retail workers required to work alone are adequately protected from (a) violence, (b) abuse and (c) theft.
I refer the Honourable Member to the previous answer 71094.
What discussions she has had with police forces on the potential impact of policing protest activity by Palestine Action on the allocation of police resources.
Decisions on how to police individual protests, including those by Palestine Action, are for Chief Constables, who are operationally independent and best placed to assess local threat and risk.Where the activity of protestors breaks the law, the police have the powers they need to respond.It would not be appropriate for Ministers to intervene in those operational decisions, but we continue to work closely with policing to ensure they have the right capabilities and support in place to keep the public safe and uphold the law.
Innovation and Technology, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of introducing digital identity systems on people living in (a) Inverness, (b) Skye and West Ross-shire constituency and (c) other rural areas with limited digital connectivity.
The Government is committed to making the state more efficient and easier to interact with through harnessing technology. We want to learn from countries who have digitised government services for the benefit of their citizens.We are looking at whether a new digital ID could help tackle illegal immigration, transform public services, and bring benefits to people’s everyday lives. This includes ensuring that services are always accessible to all those entitled to them, via digital and non-digital routes.
Innovation and Technology, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of digital identity systems on data security.
The Government is committed to making the state more efficient and easier to interact with through harnessing technology. We want to learn from countries who have digitised government services for the benefit of their citizens.We are looking at whether a new digital ID could help tackle illegal immigration, transform public services, and bring benefits to people’s everyday lives. This includes ensuring that services are always accessible to all those entitled to them, via digital and non-digital routes.
Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that access to public services does not depend exclusively on the use of digital identity systems.
GOV.UK One Login is being developed by Government Digital Service (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology), as the ‘front door’ for accessing government services online. Our aim is to make it as simple and inclusive as possible for individuals, while protecting them and the government from the risks of fraud.Inclusion is at the heart of GOV.UK One Login - we provide several ways for individuals to verify their identity, including in person at the Post Office. While we expect it to become the primary method for accessing online government services, departments will continue to provide offline alternatives for those who prefer or are unable to use digital channels.
Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the introduction of digital identity systems on people who are digitally excluded.
The Government is committed to making the state more efficient and easier to interact with through harnessing technology. We want to learn from countries who have digitised government services for the benefit of their citizens.We are looking at whether a new digital ID could help tackle illegal immigration, transform public services, and bring benefits to people’s everyday lives. This includes ensuring that services are always accessible to all those entitled to them, via digital and non-digital routes.
Innovation and Technology, what recent discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for the Home Department on digital identity systems.
The Government is committed to making the state more efficient and easier to interact with through harnessing technology. We want to learn from countries who have digitised government services for the benefit of their citizens.We are looking at whether a new digital ID could help tackle illegal immigration, transform public services, and bring benefits to people’s everyday lives. This includes ensuring that services are always accessible to all those entitled to them, via digital and non-digital routes.