Written questions by MacDonald.

What estimate his Department has made of the total value of community benefit payments from renewable energy infrastructure to communities in (a) the UK, (b) Scotland and (c) the Highland Council area in 2024.

The Department does not hold data on the value of community benefits payments made by onshore and offshore renewables across Great Britain. Community benefit schemes are administered by the projects themselves and provided voluntarily. We have however, recently publishing a Working Paper on mandatory community benefits and responses to this will help inform our evidence base. The Scottish Government maintains a public register of projects that includes detailed information on community benefit schemes operating across Scotland.

Whether he has met with families who have lost relatives following missed diagnoses within the NHS.

NHS England places the utmost importance on optimising the performance of diagnostic services in support of improved patient outcomes. Integrated care boards and trusts are being supported to improve diagnostic performance, including through capital investment, with the aim to significantly shorten long waits for diagnostic tests, reducing the risk of avoidable harm while patients are waiting for them.Where evidence of patient harm emerges, NHS England has taken a proactive approach to addressing the lessons from any incidents and supporting providers to make the necessary changes. An example of this is NHS England’s response in addressing the systemic failings highlighted by the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman’s report Unlocking Solutions in Imaging, published July 2021, and subsequent investigations by the Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch. In this case, NHS England formed a dedicated board to review the recommendations and oversee changes, which included:the publication of the Radiology lifecycle by the Royal College of Radiologists (RCR) in February 2025 outlining the roles and responsibilities of clinicians at each stage of the imaging journey, with further information available at the following link: https://www.rcr.ac.uk/media/4mnpxmhw/rcr-publications-radiology-lifecycle-guidance.pdf;the establishment of national standards for reporting turnaround times, published August 2023, with further information available at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/diagnostic-imaging-reporting-turnaround-times/;the development of a culture of continuous learning through network and regional Radiology Events and Learning Meetings, or REALMS. The RCR launched an online learning hub, REAL online, in 2023, which is an interactive learning resource for radiologists. Further information is available at the following link: https://www.rcr.ac.uk/cpd-and-events/radiology-events-and-learning-real/; andinvestment in improvements in digital interoperability and connectivity through national capital to support faster, more reliable access to imaging data across the system.My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care often meets with families who have faced failings in their care whilst using the National Health Service. It is important to learn from the experiences of patients and families to improve care in the NHS and learn from any failings.

What discussions her Department has had with the Scottish Cabinet Secretary for Education on the allocated number of domestic places at the University of Aberdeen.

Education and training is a devolved matter. This means that the Scottish Government set education and training policy in Scotland, including the policy to limit the number of publicly funded undergraduate places available to Scottish-domiciled students. Students from the rest of the UK are not subject to the same recruitment caps as Scottish students.Higher education providers are independent from government and are responsible for their own admissions decisions. The number of places available for students from the rest of the UK is managed separately by institutions who will set recruitment targets in line with their own institutional strategy.

What discussions her Department has had with the Scottish Cabinet Secretary for Education on the allocated number of domestic places at the University of Glasgow.

Education and training is a devolved matter. This means that the Scottish Government set education and training policy in Scotland, including the policy to limit the number of publicly funded undergraduate places available to Scottish-domiciled students. Students from the rest of the UK are not subject to the same recruitment caps as Scottish students.Higher education providers are independent from government and are responsible for their own admissions decisions. The number of places available for students from the rest of the UK is managed separately by institutions who will set recruitment targets in line with their own institutional strategy.

What discussions her Department has had with the Scottish Cabinet Secretary for Education on the allocated number of domestic places at the University of Edinburgh.

Education and training is a devolved matter. This means that the Scottish Government set education and training policy in Scotland, including the policy to limit the number of publicly funded undergraduate places available to Scottish-domiciled students. Students from the rest of the UK are not subject to the same recruitment caps as Scottish students.Higher education providers are independent from government and are responsible for their own admissions decisions. The number of places available for students from the rest of the UK is managed separately by institutions who will set recruitment targets in line with their own institutional strategy.

What discussions her Department has had with the Scottish Cabinet Secretary for Education on the allocated number of domestic places at the University of St. Andrews.

Education and training is a devolved matter. This means that the Scottish Government set education and training policy in Scotland, including the policy to limit the number of publicly funded undergraduate places available to Scottish-domiciled students. Students from the rest of the UK are not subject to the same recruitment caps as Scottish students.Higher education providers are independent from government and are responsible for their own admissions decisions. The number of places available for students from the rest of the UK is managed separately by institutions who will set recruitment targets in line with their own institutional strategy.

What steps her Department is taking to help support employees with invisible disabilities to access adjustments under the Equality Act 2010.

Employers are crucial in enhancing employment opportunities and supporting disabled people and those with health conditions to thrive in the workforce. All employers have a duty under the Equality Act 2010(opens in a new tab) to make ‘reasonable adjustments’ in the workplace where a disabled person would otherwise be put at a substantial disadvantage compared with their colleagues. The Equality and Human Rights Commission is responsible for enforcing the Equality Act and providing guidance on reasonable adjustments. In our Get Britain Working White Paper, published November 2024, we committed support for employers to recruit, retain and develop staff. As part of that, the Secretaries of State for Work and Pensions and Business and Trade have asked Sir Charlie Mayfield to lead ‘Keep Britain Working’, an independent review to consider how best to support and enable employers to recruit and retain more people with health conditions and disabilities, promote healthy workplaces, and support more people to stay in or return to work from periods of sickness absence. Sir Charlie Mayfield will deliver a final report with recommendations in the autumn. In January this year, we launched an expert academic panel to advise us on boosting neurodiversity awareness and inclusion at work. The panel will consider the reasons why neurodivergent people have poor experiences in the workplace, and a low overall employment rate, making their recommendations later this autumn. There are a range of existing initiatives that already provide support. The Disability Confident Scheme encourages employers to create disability inclusive workplaces and to support disabled people to get work and get on in work. The scheme covers all disabilities, including hidden disabilities. It provides employers with the knowledge, skills, and confidence they need to attract, recruit, retain and develop disabled people in the workplace and to take positive action to address the issues disabled employees face.

What discussions her Department has had with the Scottish Cabinet Secretary for Education on the allocated number of domestic places at the University of the Highlands and Islands.

Education and training is a devolved matter. This means that the Scottish Government set education and training policy in Scotland, including the policy to limit the number of publicly funded undergraduate places available to Scottish-domiciled students. Students from the rest of the UK are not subject to the same recruitment caps as Scottish students.Higher education providers are independent from government and are responsible for their own admissions decisions. The number of places available for students from the rest of the UK is managed separately by institutions who will set recruitment targets in line with their own institutional strategy.

What steps he is taking to improve the enforcement of legal protections for women returning to work after maternity leave.

Women returning from maternity, adoption, or six continuous weeks of shared parental or neonatal leave are entitled to enhanced redundancy protection. However, the government is strengthening legal protections, as we know this group continues to face a particular risk to their job security.We'll make it unlawful to dismiss pregnant women, mothers on maternity leave, and mothers returning to work for a six-month period - except in specific circumstances. This starts with the Employment Rights Bill, with protections in force from 2027. From April 2026, the Fair Work Agency will strengthen the enforcement of rights, with women expected to particularly benefit.

What plans he has to improve healthcare provision for people with Friedreich’s Ataxia.

The Government is committed to improving the lives of those living with rare diseases, such as Friedreich’s ataxia. The UK Rare Diseases Framework sets out four priorities collaboratively developed with the rare disease community. These are: getting a final diagnosis faster; increasing awareness of rare diseases among healthcare professionals; better coordination of care; and improving access to specialist care, treatments, and drugs. We published the annual England Rare Diseases Action Plan in February 2025, where we reported on the steps we have taken to advance these priorities.NHS England has revised the national service specification for specialised neurology following extensive consultation. The service specification was published on 13 August 2025 and includes guidance on both specialised and core neurology services. The specification includes an Annex which provides greater clarity for neurology sub-specialties, including the categories of both movement disorders and neurogenetics into which Friedreich’s Ataxia would fall.Additionally, the national specialised commissioning neurology transformation programme has developed guidance as part of an integrated care system toolkit, specifically to support the implementation of the service specification. Every specialised neurology centre could and should see patients with Friedreich’s Ataxia.

What discussions her Department has had with the Scottish Cabinet Secretary for Education on the allocated number of domestic places at the University of Stirling.

Education and training is a devolved matter. This means that the Scottish Government set education and training policy in Scotland, including the policy to limit the number of publicly funded undergraduate places available to Scottish-domiciled students. Students from the rest of the UK are not subject to the same recruitment caps as Scottish students.Higher education providers are independent from government and are responsible for their own admissions decisions. The number of places available for students from the rest of the UK is managed separately by institutions who will set recruitment targets in line with their own institutional strategy.

Communities and Local Government, what estimate she has made of the value of political donations received by UK political parties from UK-registered companies with beneficial owners based outside the UK since 2019.

Stakeholders have raised concerns for more than a decade that our legal framework regulating political donations makes it too easy for determined actors to facilitate illegal donations, allowing foreign states to influence politics and decision-making in the UK. That is why, as pledged in our manifesto, we are strengthening the rules around donations to political parties. In July, we published our Strategy for Modern Elections which set out a number of reforms to political donations rules. These changes will mean greater transparency in political funding, stronger protections against foreign or illicit influence, and increased public confidence in the integrity of our democratic institutions. This includes a measure which will ensure that in future, ‘shell companies’ will not be permitted to make political donations to UK political parties. In the development of these reforms we have worked and continue to work closely with the Electoral Commission, and considered relevant analysis. We will legislate to bring forward these reforms as soon as parliamentary time allows.

Communities and Local Government, whether she has had discussions with the Electoral Commission on donations made through UK-registered companies (a) owned and (b) controlled by foreign nationals.

Stakeholders have raised concerns for more than a decade that our legal framework regulating political donations makes it too easy for determined actors to facilitate illegal donations, allowing foreign states to influence politics and decision-making in the UK. That is why, as pledged in our manifesto, we are strengthening the rules around donations to political parties. In July, we published our Strategy for Modern Elections which set out a number of reforms to political donations rules. These changes will mean greater transparency in political funding, stronger protections against foreign or illicit influence, and increased public confidence in the integrity of our democratic institutions. This includes a measure which will ensure that in future, ‘shell companies’ will not be permitted to make political donations to UK political parties. In the development of these reforms we have worked and continue to work closely with the Electoral Commission, and considered relevant analysis. We will legislate to bring forward these reforms as soon as parliamentary time allows.

Communities and Local Government, what recent steps her Department has taken to help strengthen safeguards against foreign interference in UK political funding.

Stakeholders have raised concerns for more than a decade that our legal framework regulating political donations makes it too easy for determined actors to facilitate illegal donations, allowing foreign states to influence politics and decision-making in the UK. That is why, as pledged in our manifesto, we are strengthening the rules around donations to political parties. In July, we published our Strategy for Modern Elections which set out a number of reforms to political donations rules. These changes will mean greater transparency in political funding, stronger protections against foreign or illicit influence, and increased public confidence in the integrity of our democratic institutions. This includes a measure which will ensure that in future, ‘shell companies’ will not be permitted to make political donations to UK political parties. In the development of these reforms we have worked and continue to work closely with the Electoral Commission, and considered relevant analysis. We will legislate to bring forward these reforms as soon as parliamentary time allows.

Communities and Local Government, what recent assessment her Department has made of the potential risk of political donations being made via UK-registered companies controlled by individuals who are not registered electors in the UK.

Stakeholders have raised concerns for more than a decade that our legal framework regulating political donations makes it too easy for determined actors to facilitate illegal donations, allowing foreign states to influence politics and decision-making in the UK. That is why, as pledged in our manifesto, we are strengthening the rules around donations to political parties. In July, we published our Strategy for Modern Elections which set out a number of reforms to political donations rules. These changes will mean greater transparency in political funding, stronger protections against foreign or illicit influence, and increased public confidence in the integrity of our democratic institutions. This includes a measure which will ensure that in future, ‘shell companies’ will not be permitted to make political donations to UK political parties. In the development of these reforms we have worked and continue to work closely with the Electoral Commission, and considered relevant analysis. We will legislate to bring forward these reforms as soon as parliamentary time allows.

Whether she has made an assessment of the adequacy of reasonable adjustment processes for employees with (a) neurodivergent and (b) mental health conditions.

Employers are crucial in enhancing employment opportunities and supporting disabled people and those with health conditions to thrive in the workforce. All employers have a duty under the Equality Act 2010(opens in a new tab) to make ‘reasonable adjustments’ in the workplace where a disabled person would otherwise be put at a substantial disadvantage compared with their colleagues. The Equality and Human Rights Commission is responsible for enforcing the Equality Act and providing guidance on reasonable adjustments. In our Get Britain Working White Paper, published November 2024, we committed support for employers to recruit, retain and develop staff. As part of that, the Secretaries of State for Work and Pensions and Business and Trade have asked Sir Charlie Mayfield to lead ‘Keep Britain Working’, an independent review to consider how best to support and enable employers to recruit and retain more people with health conditions and disabilities, promote healthy workplaces, and support more people to stay in or return to work from periods of sickness absence. Sir Charlie Mayfield will deliver a final report with recommendations in the autumn. In January this year, we launched an expert academic panel to advise us on boosting neurodiversity awareness and inclusion at work. The panel will consider the reasons why neurodivergent people have poor experiences in the workplace, and a low overall employment rate, making their recommendations later this autumn. There are a range of existing initiatives that already provide support. The Disability Confident Scheme encourages employers to create disability inclusive workplaces and to support disabled people to get work and get on in work. The scheme covers all disabilities, including hidden disabilities. It provides employers with the knowledge, skills, and confidence they need to attract, recruit, retain and develop disabled people in the workplace and to take positive action to address the issues disabled employees face.

What steps she is taking to help protect people from identity fraud through impersonation.

Cifas, a not-for-profit fraud prevention organisation, holds records of first and third-party fraud risk, including identity fraud. In the first six months of 2025, Cifas reported that over 118,000 identity fraud cases were reported to their NFD in their Fraudscape 2025 six-month update (Fraudscape 2025 - Cifas).Identity theft is not a standalone criminal offence and not included in official crime statistics The Independent Review of Fraud Offences will consider whether a specific offence for identity theft is needed.We also recognise that one of the most effective ways of preventing identity theft enabled fraud is to improve the safety and security of the identity systems we use. The Government is developing proposals for a digital identity system, to enable people to prove their identity securely, without physical documents, with the aim of reducing identity-enabled fraud and crime. Information on digital identity and the Trust Framework can be found here: UK digital identity and attributes trust framework - GOV.UK.It is also important to empower the public to protect themselves and keep their identities safe. That is why we have introduced a checklist, providing advice and steps on how to prevent the misuse of identities: Identity fraud victims' checklist.

Media and Sport, whether she has had discussions with Ofcom on improving DAB radio signal reach in north west Scotland.

The government is highly supportive of the value of radio in local communities, and wants to support areas that are struggling to gain access to local services on digital. Commercial radio and the BBC are responsible for the operation of their respective radio networks, including the DAB radio networks. This includes delivering coverage to areas and the provision of radio services to listeners as more listening migrates to digital radio and to online services. DAB household coverage was assessed by the Digital Radio and Audio Review report published in October 2021. The Review concluded that the financial challenges involved meant that further DAB coverage by the BBC and commercial radio over the next 5 years was likely to be modest. While there are no current plans by the BBC to further expand the coverage of its national DAB network or by commercial radio operators to add more sites to the local DAB network, the government will continue to work with the BBC and commercial radio on developing future options. As well as supporting the improvements to national and local DAB coverage, DCMS has backed the development of small-scale DAB with Ofcom and the radio industry. Small-scale DAB is a new way of transmitting digital radio that uses advances in software and low-cost computer technology to provide a flexible and inexpensive approach to the terrestrial broadcast of digital radio services to a relatively small geographic area. This initiative will provide local commercial and community radio stations with a viable opportunity to broadcast on digital, and reach under-served areas.

What estimate her Department has made of the number of people who have faced identity fraud through impersonation.

Cifas, a not-for-profit fraud prevention organisation, holds records of first and third-party fraud risk, including identity fraud. In the first six months of 2025, Cifas reported that over 118,000 identity fraud cases were reported to their NFD in their Fraudscape 2025 six-month update (Fraudscape 2025 - Cifas).Identity theft is not a standalone criminal offence and not included in official crime statistics The Independent Review of Fraud Offences will consider whether a specific offence for identity theft is needed.We also recognise that one of the most effective ways of preventing identity theft enabled fraud is to improve the safety and security of the identity systems we use. The Government is developing proposals for a digital identity system, to enable people to prove their identity securely, without physical documents, with the aim of reducing identity-enabled fraud and crime. Information on digital identity and the Trust Framework can be found here: UK digital identity and attributes trust framework - GOV.UK.It is also important to empower the public to protect themselves and keep their identities safe. That is why we have introduced a checklist, providing advice and steps on how to prevent the misuse of identities: Identity fraud victims' checklist.

Media and Sport, what recent discussions she has had with Ofcom on improving DAB radio coverage in (a) rural and (b) remote areas.

The government is highly supportive of the value of radio in local communities, and wants to support areas that are struggling to gain access to local services on digital. Commercial radio and the BBC are responsible for the operation of their respective radio networks, including the DAB radio networks. This includes delivering coverage to areas and the provision of radio services to listeners as more listening migrates to digital radio and to online services. DAB household coverage was assessed by the Digital Radio and Audio Review report published in October 2021. The Review concluded that the financial challenges involved meant that further DAB coverage by the BBC and commercial radio over the next 5 years was likely to be modest. While there are no current plans by the BBC to further expand the coverage of its national DAB network or by commercial radio operators to add more sites to the local DAB network, the government will continue to work with the BBC and commercial radio on developing future options. As well as supporting the improvements to national and local DAB coverage, DCMS has backed the development of small-scale DAB with Ofcom and the radio industry. Small-scale DAB is a new way of transmitting digital radio that uses advances in software and low-cost computer technology to provide a flexible and inexpensive approach to the terrestrial broadcast of digital radio services to a relatively small geographic area. This initiative will provide local commercial and community radio stations with a viable opportunity to broadcast on digital, and reach under-served areas.