Written questions by MacDonald.

What recent assessment she has made of the potential merits of requiring the Bank of England to pay interest on its reserves to commercial banks.

The Bank of England has operational independence from the government to carry out its statutory responsibilities for monetary policy and financial stability. Monetary policy, including quantitative easing, is the responsibility of the independent Monetary Policy Committee at the Bank of England. There are no plans to change the way reserves are remunerated at the Bank of England. The government continues to support the Bank to bring inflation in line with its target, including by managing the public finances responsibly.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to encourage the uptake of (a) outdoor farrowing and (b) other higher welfare rearing systems for pigs.

We are firmly committed to maintaining and improving the lives of farm animals and want to work closely with the farming sector to deliver high standards. The Animal Health and Welfare Pathway supports farmers to improve the health and welfare of their livestock through funded vet visits as well as targeted grants such as the Animal Health & Welfare Farming Equipment and Technology Fund (FETF25). The FETF provides grants to farmers, including pig keepers, of between £1,000 and £25,000 towards the cost of a list of equipment items that deliver improvements in the health and welfare of their animals. The item list includes kit specifically intended to improve and upgrade pig housing such as outdoor farrowing arks, automatic curtain systems and LED lighting. This follows the FETF24 offer in which funding for over 800 farrowing arks was claimed by pig keepers. We continue to work with industry as part of the Pathway to encourage improvements in pig welfare.

Pursuant to the Answer of 22 July 2025 to Question 67746 on Military Aircraft, whether any aircraft leasing contracts include the provision of ground crew services.

Yes.

With reference to p.16 of the document entitled Fit for the future: 10 Year Health Plan for England, published on 3 July 2025, what progress his Department has made on the development of the business case for the proposed use of Public-Private Partnerships in Neighbourhood Health Centres.

As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, the Department and the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority are working on a business case for a public-private partnerships model around Neighbourhood Health Centres that sets out the potential and an assessment of the value for money so that a final decision on the approach can be taken by the time of the 2025 Budget.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of mandatory animal welfare labelling for products from pasture-fed livestock on (a) farmers and (b) consumers.

On 12 June 2025, we published the summary of responses and the Government response to the fairer food labelling consultation, which was undertaken last year by the previous government. The response is available here on GOV.UK. We will consider the potential role of method of production labelling reform as part of the ongoing development of the Government’s animal welfare strategy.

What recent discussions she has had with Ofgem on the adequacy of seven-port smart meters as replacements for RTS meters serving households on the Total Heating Total Control tariff.

The Department and Ofgem agree that seven-port meters can be an adequate replacement option for households with more complex metering arrangements, such as Total Heating Total Control.

If she will make an assessment of the potential fiscal impact of exempting the state pension from income tax.

The Government is committed to making sure older people can live with the dignity and respect they deserve in retirement. The State Pension is the foundation of the support available to them. Over the course of this Parliament, the yearly amount of the full new State Pension is currently projected to go up by around £1,900 based on the Office for Budget Responsibility's latest forecast. The Government is also committed to keeping people’s taxes as low as possible while ensuring fiscal responsibility, and so, at our first Budget, we decided not to extend the freeze on personal tax thresholds.

What guidance his Department has provided to energy suppliers on maintaining tariff equivalence when replacing Radio Teleswitch Service meters for customers previously on Total Heating with Total Control tariffs.

Energy suppliers are best placed to advise on suitable tariffs for their customers, and to ensure that they inform affected customers of any changes to the cost of their energy. The Department and Ofgem have been clear with suppliers that we expect consumers to be switched to a similar or equivalent tariff and should not face detriment due to switching from an RTS meter. Ofgem has consulted on plans to ensure that suppliers must take all reasonable steps to provide a similar energy tariff to their customers once their RTS meter is replaced. Ofgem will make further announcements on this in due course.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of migrating from total heating total control meters to standard tariffs following the replacement of radio teleswitch service meters on consumer energy costs.

Energy suppliers are best placed to advise on suitable tariffs for their customers, and to ensure that they inform affected customers of any changes to the cost of their energy. The Department and Ofgem have been clear with suppliers that we expect consumers to be switched to a similar or equivalent tariff and should not face detriment due to switching from an RTS meter. Ofgem has consulted on plans to ensure that suppliers must take all reasonable steps to provide a similar energy tariff to their customers once their RTS meter is replaced. Ofgem will make further announcements on this in due course.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the personal allowance remaining below the value of the new state pension from April 2026 on pensioners.

The Government is committed to making sure older people can live with the dignity and respect they deserve in retirement. The State Pension is the foundation of the support available to them. Over the course of this Parliament, the yearly amount of the full new State Pension is currently projected to go up by around £1,900 based on the Office for Budget Responsibility's latest forecast. The Government is also committed to keeping people’s taxes as low as possible while ensuring fiscal responsibility, and so, at our first Budget, we decided not to extend the freeze on personal tax thresholds.

What recent estimate he has made of the number of households in the UK still using the total heating total control tariff.

The Government does not hold this information centrally. As tariffs are a commercial matter for suppliers, the Government is unable to comment on individual tariffs offered by energy suppliers.

What recent discussions she has had with the DCC on the expansion of the smart meter network.

The DCC is obligated under the conditions of its licence to provide Wide Area Network (WAN) coverage to at least 99.25% of premises across Great Britain, and to assess opportunities to increase the overall level of coverage. The Government is working closely with the DCC on its network communications strategy, and solutions for properties currently without WAN are becoming available. Energy suppliers are now able to install smart meters in the ‘North’ region which communicate using the 4G cellular mobile network. Additionally, a new solution that would involve harnessing, with the consumer’s consent, their broadband connections to carry smart metering communications will be piloted early next year, with a wider rollout expected later in 2026.

If she will make an estimate of the number of households that are not on the smart meter network in each constituency in Scotland.

The Department does not collect data on Wide Area Network (WAN) availability at constituency level. The DCC is obligated under the conditions of its licence to provide Wide Area Network (WAN) coverage to at least 99.5% of premises in the ‘North’ region, which includes Scotland, and to assess opportunities to increase the overall level of coverage.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has taken recent steps to cooperate with the Syria Civil Defence.

The UK has long supported the Syrian Civil Defence (also known as the White Helmets) in their vital work to facilitate humanitarian access, conduct search and rescue operations, and enable the safe removal of unexploded weapons. We are proud of this partnership and remain committed to supporting the White Helmets during its transition into the Syrian Government's Ministry for Emergency and Disaster Relief. In the financial year 2025/26, the UK has committed £2.25 million of support for them to provide emergency civil protection services and community resilience activities.

What recent estimate her Department has made of the number of people who will pay income tax on the state pension from April 2026.

The headline rates of the basic and new State Pensions are currently below the level of the Income Tax Personal Allowance, so pensioners for whom that is their sole income pay no income tax. It is pensioners with larger than average State Pension entitlements, because of, for example, entitlement to additional earnings-related State Pension, inherited awards or Protected Payments under the new State Pension who will be liable for income tax on their State Pension income. Utilising DWP’s pensioner benefit forecasting model and the State Pension caseload forecast published at Spring Statement 2025 (Benefit expenditure and caseload tables 2025 - GOV.UK), it is estimated that around 30% (approximately 4m) of State Pension recipients will be liable for tax on their State Pension award administered by DWP in 2026/27. This figure is a modelled estimate from DWP’s pensioner benefit forecasting model and therefore should not be treated as an official statistic. This is consistent with current personal tax allowance policy and the OBR’s Spring Statement 2025 State Pension forecasts. Tax liabilities considered are from DWP administered State Pension awards only.

What recent assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of biomass generation at Drax Power Station on the environment.

The Government published an impact assessment in early 2024 as part of the consultation on proposed support options for large scale biomass generators, including Drax. This assessment was consistent with the views of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which recognise that bioenergy can play a significant role in decarbonising economies, provided that policies are in place to mitigate the use of unsustainable biomass. The Government only provides support for biomass sourced from sustainably managed forests, and biomass generators must comply with local air quality requirements as part of their environmental permits.

What steps her Department is taking to make reasonable adjustments for people with complex learning difficulties to complete Universal Credit applications.

The Department is committed to ensuring that Universal Credit is accessible to all, including individuals with complex learning difficulties. We recognise that some claimants may require additional support to make and maintain their claim. A range of reasonable adjustments and tailored support is available, including:Help to Claim: Delivered by Citizens Advice and Citizens Advice Scotland, this service provides practical, tailored support to help individuals make a new claim to Universal Credit or move from legacy benefits. Support is available via telephone, webchat, and face-to-face appointments.Jobcentre Support: Work Coaches and Disability Employment Advisers are trained to identify and support individuals with complex needs. They can offer face-to-face assistance and refer claimants to additional services where appropriate.Alternative Channels: For those unable to use the online service, claims can be made by telephone. The Department also offers Video Relay Services for British Sign Language users.Tailored Adjustments: DWP identifies individuals with complex user needs and ensures appropriate support is made available throughout their UC journey. This includes adapting communication methods and providing additional time or assistance where needed.Continuous Improvement: The Department regularly reviews and improves the UC service based on user feedback to ensure it remains accessible and responsive to all claimants’ needs.Third party Support: The claimant can give explicit consent for Universal Credit to speak with a third party to help with the management of a claim. Where a person is unable to manage their own claim, the Department can arrange for a third party to be set up as an appointee to formally manage making and managing the benefit claim.These measures are part of our broader commitment to equality and inclusion, ensuring that no one is disadvantaged in accessing the support they are entitled to. Where individuals cannot manage their own affairs sufficiently, DWP allows an appointee to undertake actions on the claimant’s behalf.A range of reasonable adjustments are embedded across the UC service, supported by recent enhancements to improve visibility, responsiveness, and operational delivery.Accessibility Needs Tab: Claimants can record their accessibility needs directly in their UC account. These are surfaced to agents via a blue banner and are visible during appointment booking, calls, and correspondenceSupport Needs Tab: Agents can record broader support needs (e.g. cognitive impairments, homelessness, safeguarding). These are visible to Work Coaches, Case Managers, Complex Case Coaches (CCCs), and Visiting Officers

Whether her Department plans to use artificial intelligence to bypass end-to-end encryption to reduce access to the livestreaming of child abuse.

The Home Office is actively developing options to support more systematic and effective deployment of such technology to fully mitigate harms to children from producing and sharing such imagery. This includes actively considering requirements on device operating systems to implement controls to better protect child users of smartphones; with the option of device-level age assurance for adult users.

What steps her Department is taking to make reasonable adjustments for people with dyslexia to complete Universal Credit applications.

The Department is committed to ensuring that Universal Credit is accessible to all claimants, including those with dyslexia.We recognise that some individuals may require reasonable adjustments to complete their Universal Credit application. A range of support is available to help claimants with additional needs:Help to Claim, delivered by Citizens Advice and Citizens Advice Scotland, provides tailored, practical support to help individuals make a new claim to Universal Credit.Face-to-face support is available in local Jobcentres, where trained staff can assist claimants with completing their application.Easy read guides and other accessible formats are available on GOV.UK to support claimants with learning difficulties.For those unable to access digital or telephone services, home visits may be arranged where appropriate.Third party Support: The claimant can give explicit consent for Universal Credit to speak with a third party to help with the management of a claim. The Department continues to review and improve the Universal Credit service to ensure it is inclusive and responsive to the needs of all users. We are committed to making reasonable adjustments where required, in line with our duties under the Equality Act 2010.

Whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of utilising artificial intelligence to reduce the livestream of child abuse online.

The Home Office is actively developing options to support more systematic and effective deployment of such technology to fully mitigate harms to children from producing and sharing such imagery. This includes actively considering requirements on device operating systems to implement controls to better protect child users of smartphones; with the option of device-level age assurance for adult users.