Written questions by MacDonald.

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 assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of a just transition for climate policies on (a) rural areas and (b) Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire constituency.

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 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 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.

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 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 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.

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.

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.

What steps his Department is taking to support families posted abroad with pets following the new Consumer Charter that makes it easier for armed forces families to own pets.

The Department is currently trialling a new ‘Global Mobility Allowance’ for Service personnel who are posted overseas. This allowance provides a fixed sum of money at the start and end of an overseas posting. This provides our Service personnel with greater choice and flexibility, allowing them to prioritise expenditure according to their specific needs, which could include transporting a pet overseas. Allowances for Service personnel and their accompanying families are subject to periodic review. In addition, each Service may propose that a particular allowance be reviewed, or a new allowance introduced, in response to feedback from Service personnel, Continuous Attitude Surveys, Family Federations and other Service-related organisations. The cost associated with relocating pets abroad has not yet been raised via any of those forums and therefore there is no immediate plan to review the topic.

Whether he plans to review financial assistance available for armed forces personnel for the costs associated with relocating pets to an assigned duty station abroad.

The Department is currently trialling a new ‘Global Mobility Allowance’ for Service personnel who are posted overseas. This allowance provides a fixed sum of money at the start and end of an overseas posting. This provides our Service personnel with greater choice and flexibility, allowing them to prioritise expenditure according to their specific needs, which could include transporting a pet overseas. Allowances for Service personnel and their accompanying families are subject to periodic review. In addition, each Service may propose that a particular allowance be reviewed, or a new allowance introduced, in response to feedback from Service personnel, Continuous Attitude Surveys, Family Federations and other Service-related organisations. The cost associated with relocating pets abroad has not yet been raised via any of those forums and therefore there is no immediate plan to review the topic.

What steps his Department is taking with devolved Administrations to help reduce waiting times from GP referral to first routine dermatology appointments.

It is unacceptable that patients across the United Kingdom continue to wait lengthy periods for treatment. Although health is a devolved matter, bringing down the elective waiting lists, including for dermatology, is a top priority across the four nations of the UK. We are working collaboratively with the devolved administrations to drive forward our objective of supporting people to lead more independent, healthier lives for longer.This includes special cross-border arrangements for patients who live on the English and Welsh border to make sure they receive healthcare without confusion or delay, and that patient data can be accessed by relevant professionals. We will continue to ensure these arrangements support high-quality care for patients in both England and Wales.We continue to work with colleagues across all the devolved administrations to share knowledge and insights into National Health Service data and performance across all specialities, including dermatology.

What steps her Department is taking to improve mobile and internet connectivity on long-distance rail services between Scotland and London.

There have been no recent discussions with Starlink on satellite services for trains.The Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of satellite technology on (a) mobile and (b) internet connectivity on long-distance rail services between Scotland and London and 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. Network Rail's Project Reach will address mobile connectivity in 57 key mainline tunnels which will include tunnels along the East Coast Mainline and West Coast Mainline.

Media and Sport, whether she plans to provide financial support to maintain long wave radio services.

The BBC is operationally and editorially independent from the Government, and the Government cannot intervene in the BBC’s day-to-day operations. The decision on transmissions and distribution of BBC radio services, including for how much longer the BBC maintains Radio 4 long wave, is wholly a matter for the BBC.The Government understands how important it is that citizens can access information in times of national emergency. Radio plays an important role in providing such access in a range of different emergency scenarios, including scenarios where other communications may be disrupted. The BBC has specific requirements under its Framework Agreement in relation to broadcast security and resilience, and works closely with DCMS in ensuring its networks are able to support emergency communications.