Written questions by MacDonald.

Whether her 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.

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.

Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of maintaining long wave radio transmission infrastructure on (a) national resilience and (b) strategic defence.

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.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps he is taking to help ensure enforcement of international humanitarian law protections for journalists in Gaza.

The UK strongly condemns all violence directed against journalists and media workers. Civilian reporters covering conflicts are afforded protection under international humanitarian law. We are therefore appalled by the extremely high number of fatalities, arrests and detentions of media workers in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. In a recent joint statement with 28 other countries, we called on the Israeli authorities and all other parties to make every effort to ensure that media workers in Gaza, Israel, the West Bank and East Jerusalem can conduct their work freely and safely. The statement also called for all attacks against media workers to be investigated and for those responsible to be prosecuted in compliance with national and international law.The UK has contributed £3 million to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization's (UNESCO) Global Media Defence Fund, benefitting over 9,000 journalists, including time-sensitive emergency support to journalists and media experiencing sudden major crises in Ukraine, Sudan and Haiti. Earlier this year the UK provided funds to UNESCO's Special Fund for Gaza, supporting locally based journalists with vital equipment.

Whether she plans to publish a list of community-owned helipads currently closed to Coastguard Search and Rescue helicopters due to CAP1264 Version 3 compliance requirements.

HMCG SAR helicopter provider, Bristow Helicopters Limited (BHL) conducted a review of all Hospital Helicopter Landing Sites (HHLS) against the revised safety guidance in CAP1264. BHL wrote to all impacted hospitals advising them that SAR helicopters will be unable to land on their HHLS until further safety assessments and assurances have been made. Bristows and HMCG have continued to work with the NHS and other stakeholders to reopen sites where there is an operational need.

What discussions her Department has had with (a) NHS Scotland, (b) the Scottish Government and (c) helicopter operators on (i) establishing responsibility for the use of community-owned helipads for hospital patient transfers and (ii) to help restore their use.

The Department for Transport, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and the Coastguard have regular engagement with NHS Scotland, the Scottish government and operators to promote safety at helipads. The Civil Aviation Authority CAA publication “Standards for Helicopter Landing Areas at Hospitals (CAP 1264, 3rd edition)” provides best practice for hospital helipads, and the CAA offers training courses for hospital staff on CAP1264 guidance. While there is currently no specific guidance for third-party helipads, The Maritime Coastguard Agency, The Department for Transport and the CAA engage regularly with hospitals and other stakeholders to help them comply with CAP1264 guidance. Ultimately the decision whether to land at third party helipads is determined by the safety procedures of the helicopter operator as well as the dynamic risk assessment of the duty captain.

What guidance her Department provides on the (a) accountability and (b) operational documentation required for third-party helipads to be used for hospital patient transfers by Coastguard Search and Rescue helicopters.

The Civil Aviation Authority publication “Standards for Helicopter Landing Areas at Hospitals (CAP 1264, 3rd edition)” provides guidance on standards for hospital helipads. When operating a Search and Rescue mission, the duty captain of the helicopter can land wherever they deem safe; the Coastguard deploys Coastguard Rescue Teams where needed to support the safe landing and take off its aircraft. Ultimately the decision whether to land at any helipad is determined by the safety procedures of the helicopter operator, as well as the dynamic risk assessment of the duty captain, who will consider factors including any CAA guidance on safe landing sites that their operator deems relevant.

What steps her Department is taking with the (a) Civil Aviation Authority and (b) Maritime and Coastguard Agency to help enable community-owned helipads used for hospital patient transfers to (a) meet CAP1264 Version 3 guidance requirements and (b) be safely reopened for Coastguard Search and Rescue helicopter use.

The Department for Transport, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and the Coastguard have regular engagement with NHS Scotland, the Scottish government and operators to promote safety at helipads. The Civil Aviation Authority CAA publication “Standards for Helicopter Landing Areas at Hospitals (CAP 1264, 3rd edition)” provides best practice for hospital helipads, and the CAA offers training courses for hospital staff on CAP1264 guidance. While there is currently no specific guidance for third-party helipads, The Maritime Coastguard Agency, The Department for Transport and the CAA engage regularly with hospitals and other stakeholders to help them comply with CAP1264 guidance. Ultimately the decision whether to land at third party helipads is determined by the safety procedures of the helicopter operator as well as the dynamic risk assessment of the duty captain.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of Coastguard Search and Rescue helicopters having to land at alternative, un-surveyed sites instead of community-owned helipads on the safety of (a) patients, (b) aircrew and (c) the public.

The Civil Aviation Authority publication “Standards for Helicopter Landing Areas at Hospitals (CAP 1264, 3rd edition)” provides guidance on standards for hospital helipads. When operating a Search and Rescue mission, the duty captain of the helicopter can land wherever they deem safe; the Coastguard deploys Coastguard Rescue Teams where needed to support the safe landing and take off its aircraft. Ultimately the decision whether to land at any helipad is determined by the safety procedures of the helicopter operator, as well as the dynamic risk assessment of the duty captain, who will consider factors including any CAA guidance on safe landing sites that their operator deems relevant.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the closure of the Sustainable Farming Incentive Scheme on farmers in Inverness, Skye, and West Ross-shire constituency.

Agriculture is a devolved policy area, and the Sustainable Farming Incentive is an England-only scheme. There is therefore no impact on farmers in the Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire constituency.

What discussions she has had with (a) Apple, (b) Microsoft and (c) Google on the safeguarding of data under the Investigatory Powers Act.

Home Office Ministers and senior officials regularly meet with key stakeholders, including technology companies, on a range of policies and issues.It would not be appropriate to comment on the specifics of any discussions about the Investigatory Powers Act with individual companies for reasons of national security and commercial sensitivity.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the closure of the Sustainable Farming Incentive Scheme on the natural environment in Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire constituency.

Agriculture is a devolved policy area, and the Sustainable Farming Incentive is an England-only scheme. There is therefore no impact on farmers in the Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire constituency.

Food and Rural Affairs, what information his Department holds on whether ash from biomass burned at the Drax power station is (a) spread on agricultural land, (b) used in cement production or (c) sent to landfill.

Of the 300,000 tonnes of biomass ash produced in 2024, ca 65,000 tonnes (22%) was used in the cement industry with the remainder being landfilled.

Whether he has had recent discussions with the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service on improving guidance on safeguarding complainants during internal grievance processes.

The Department has been engaging with Acas on developing their guidance in the context of both Make Work Pay and wider public policy developments. This has included recent discussions around developing Acas’ guidance on internal disciplinary and grievance (D&G) procedures.

What discussions his Department has had with the Scottish Health Minister on the importance of early detection of testicular cancer in young people.

Policy for cancer care is a devolved matter in Scotland, and is therefore the responsibility of the Scottish administration.The Department is committed to getting the National Health Service diagnosing cancer earlier in England so that more patients survive, including young people. To achieve this, the NHS in England has delivered an extra 40,000 operations, scans, and appointments each week as the first step to ensuring early diagnosis and faster treatment.To support timely and effective referrals, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has set out detailed guidance for general practitioners in England on the symptoms of cancer in children and young people aged zero to 24 years old, which recommends referral within 48 hours for those presenting with a range of potential cancer symptoms. Since its relaunch on 4 February 2025, the Children and Young People Cancer Taskforce for England has worked to identify tangible ways to improve outcomes and experiences for children and young people aged zero to 24 years old with cancer in England. The taskforce is exploring opportunities for improvement across genomic testing and treatment, research and innovation, patient experience, and early detection and diagnosis. Although the taskforce is England-only, and no formal discussions have taken place with Scotland or other countries, once the taskforce finalises its work, any recommendations for cross-border collaboration will be considered where appropriate.The forthcoming National Cancer Plan for England will include further details on improving outcomes for cancer patients, including young people with cancer, and will highlight how the Department will support the NHS to improve diagnosis rates for people in all parts of England.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that ash produced from the burning of wood pellets is disposed of in a manner that is safe for (a) the environment and (b) public health.

Drax power station is regulated by the Environment Agency (EA) under the conditions of its environmental permit and is required to operate in such a way as to minimise the risk of pollution. Ash generated at Drax Power Station is sent to the adjacent Barlow Mound landfill for disposal. Barlow Mound landfill is for ash and other specified wastes from Drax and is regulated under a separate environmental permit and includes controls to monitor and minimise the impact on the environment. This includes monitoring to assess potential impacts to both surface and groundwater around the site. For public health the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is a consultee for Environmental Permitting decisions made by the EA in relation to sites such as power stations.

What discussions his Department has had with the Scottish Health Minister on the importance of early detection of breast cancer in young people.

Policy for cancer care is a devolved matter in Scotland, and is therefore the responsibility of the Scottish administration.The Department is committed to getting the National Health Service diagnosing cancer earlier in England so that more patients survive, including young people. To achieve this, the NHS in England has delivered an extra 40,000 operations, scans, and appointments each week as the first step to ensuring early diagnosis and faster treatment.To support timely and effective referrals, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has set out detailed guidance for general practitioners in England on the symptoms of cancer in children and young people aged zero to 24 years old, which recommends referral within 48 hours for those presenting with a range of potential cancer symptoms. Since its relaunch on 4 February 2025, the Children and Young People Cancer Taskforce for England has worked to identify tangible ways to improve outcomes and experiences for children and young people aged zero to 24 years old with cancer in England. The taskforce is exploring opportunities for improvement across genomic testing and treatment, research and innovation, patient experience, and early detection and diagnosis. Although the taskforce is England-only, and no formal discussions have taken place with Scotland or other countries, once the taskforce finalises its work, any recommendations for cross-border collaboration will be considered where appropriate.The forthcoming National Cancer Plan for England will include further details on improving outcomes for cancer patients, including young people with cancer, and will highlight how the Department will support the NHS to improve diagnosis rates for people in all parts of England.

Food and Rural Affairs, what information his Department holds on the total quantity of ash produced annually from the burning of biomass at the Drax power station.

The quantities of various waste streams produced at Drax are required to be reported to the Environment Agency using the national Pollution Inventory system. For 2024 the figure for ash from biomass was just over 300,000 tonnes.

Whether she has had discussions with the Solicitors Regulation Authority on steps to monitor internal employment practices within regulated firms.

The Ministry of Justice has not held discussions with the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) on monitoring internal employment practices within regulated firms. Regulation of the legal profession in England and Wales operates independently of government. Responsibility for regulating the sector sits with the approved regulators, overseen by the Legal Services Board (LSB), as designated under the Legal Services Act 2007. The SRA is responsible for regulating the professional conduct of solicitors and law firms in England and Wales. Given the sector’s independence, it would not be appropriate for the Ministry of Justice to interfere with the operational matters of regulated firms. However, the Department maintains regular engagement with the SRA on strategic and policy matters affecting the legal services sector.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department requires operators of biomass power stations to publish annual data on the quantity and composition of ash produced.

All installations permitted under the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2016 are required to supply pollution inventory data annually. For biomass power stations, this includes the amount of ash produced, but not it’s composition. Pollution Inventory data is published after it has been verified by the Environment Agency. Pollution Inventory data can be found here: Pollution Inventory - data.gov.uk.