Written questions by MacDonald.

Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Scottish Government on support for farmers in Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire constituency.

Defra and the other UK nations work closely together through the consensus-based and well-established governance arrangements we have set up and operate under the Agricultural Support Framework. The regular meetings established under this Framework provide an opportunity for Defra and Scottish Government officials to meet regularly and discuss emerging issues, share good practice, and proactively discuss and coordinate policy innovation. No specific points regarding support for farmers in Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire constituency have been raised in these forums. It is for the devolved governments to allocate their funding in devolved areas as they see fit and they are accountable to their respective legislatures for their decisions. This is a key principle of devolution, and we are respecting that.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking ahead of COP30 to strengthen legislation aimed at preventing UK companies from contributing to deforestation.

We recognise the urgency of taking action to ensure that UK consumption of forest risk commodities is not driving deforestation. The Government will set out its approach to addressing UK consumption of forest risk commodities in due course. We are committed to ensuring that any regulatory framework is robust, proportionate and effective in addressing deforestation in UK supply chains.

Media and Sport, whether her Department has had discussions with the Camanachd Association on support for shinty.

Whilst the Department for Culture, Media and Sport has not had discussions with the Camanachd Association, the Government is supportive of shinty as an important grassroots sport, particularly in Scotland. The Department regularly works with the Scottish Government, for example as part of the Inter-Ministerial Group for Sport.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure that consumers are not disadvantaged by the RTS switch-off scheduled for 30 June 2025.

DESNZ has stepped in to ensure there will be a managed and more controlled start of the Radio Teleswitch Service (RTS) phase out from 30 June. People with an RTS meter will not face any unexpected disruption to their heating or hot water at the end of the month. We urge any customers yet to arrange a replacement for their RTS meter to get in touch with their supplier as soon as possible.

What steps his Department is taking to increase care home capacity.

Under the Care Act 2014, local authorities are tasked with the duty to shape their care markets to meet the diverse needs of all local people. This includes commissioning a diverse range of care and support services that enable people to access quality care.Care Quality Commission registration data, showing the number of care homes and number of total beds, remains stable and in line with historic trends. The latest data for June 2025 is available via the Care Directory with Filters at the following link:https://www.cqc.org.uk/about-us/transparency/using-cqc-dataTo support local authorities, the Market Sustainability and Improvement Fund (MSIF) will provide over £1 billion to local authorities in England for adult social care over 2025/26. The MSIF can be used flexibly by local authorities, based on their areas’ needs, to target increasing fee rates paid to adult social care providers, increasing adult social care workforce recruitment and retention, and/or reducing waiting times for care.The 2025 Spending Review also allows for an increase of over £4 billion of funding for adult social care in 2028/29 compared to 2025/26. This includes additional grant funding, growth in other sources of income available to support adult social care, and an increase to the National Health Service contribution to adult social care via the Better Care Fund, compared to 2025/26.

Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with relevant stakeholders on levels of sustainability of the capercaillie population.

Capercaillie are native to Scotland. As nature conservation is a devolved issue the sustainability of the capercaillie population is a matter for the Scottish Government.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the RTS switch-off on consumers in Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire constituency.

The Department and Ofgem have been clear that they expect energy suppliers to promptly arrange suitable replacement metering solutions for their remaining RTS customers. Suppliers should sufficiently resource themselves to ensure they have installer workforce capacity to replace RTS meters in rural and remote areas including Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire. This could involve measures such as deploying roaming teams of installers in areas with low installer capacity. Ofgem has consulted on plans to ensure that suppliers must take all reasonable steps to provide an energy tariff that leaves all their customers ‘no worse off’ than before once their RTS meter is replaced.

What steps his Department is taking to increase physical activity in the population.

The Government and National Health Service recognise that reducing physical inactivity in people of all ages is important in helping people live longer, healthier lives. Building movement back into people’s everyday lives is a key part of the Health Mission and requires action across the Government and the NHS, to deliver the shift from treatment to prevention.The Department of Health and Social Care, the Department for Education, and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport currently provide funding to schools and the school games network to support children to have fun and move more through Physical Education classes, sport, play, and other forms of physical activity. Building healthy habits early on, in and out of school, is essential to helping children thrive, develop, and stay fit and healthy.The Department of Health and Social Care is also working with the Department for Transport to promote active travel and embed health, and inequality impacts, into transport policies and programmes.The NHS Better Health Campaign promotes ways for people of all ages to move more, and signposts to digital support like the NHS Couch to 5k and the NHS Active 10 walking app, providing free and accessible ways of building movement into everyday life.

What recent estimate his Department has made of the proportion of deaths linked to physical inactivity in the UK.

There are no official published statistics on deaths linked to physical inactivity in the United Kingdom.Statistics on deaths from specific causes are based on the medical causes of death recorded on a death certificate, which are coded using the International Classification of Diseases (ICD). Although physical inactivity is included within the ICD, classified under lack of physical exercise, it is rarely coded as a cause of death.Estimates of the number of deaths due to some factors that influence mortality but which are not always stated as a cause of death, such as smoking, can be made. However, there is no agreed definition of a physical inactivity-related death for use within the Government, and no official statistics on potential numbers.

Whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of sending (a) vehicles seized by the police and (b) decommissioned police vehicles to Ukraine.

The Ministry of Defence remains in regular contact with the Government of Ukraine regarding the most effective means of supporting them.

Innovation and Technology, if he will publish a full list of approved masts included in the Shared Rural Network programme.

The locations of proposed government-funded Total Not Spot masts can be found at https://srn.org.uk/about/srn-tns-site-locations/,however this is due to be updated soon, as we now expect the objectives for this part of the programme to be met with far fewer masts. We are currently in the final stages of following the necessary processes with the mobile network operators to approve the details before they can be shared publicly. Details of the Home Office masts that will be upgraded for the Shared Rural Network are not publicly available as not all Home Office masts will be viable for the programme, but my officials will write to you with details of the sites that will be upgraded in your constituency.

Whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of requiring Scottish driving instructors to undergo (a) PVG and (b) DBS checks.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) takes the safety of learner drivers extremely seriously.DVSA requires every prospective approved driving instructor (ADI) in Great Britain to apply for an enhanced disclosure and barring (DBS) check before beginning the ADI qualification process. They are also required to repeat the disclosure process every four years when they renew their ADI registration.The ADI Registrar also has the power to remove an ADI who falls below the standard of fit and proper person.The process to become an ADI in Northern Ireland is the responsibility of The Driver & Vehicle Agency (DVA).The Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) scheme, which became mandatory 1 April 2025, is administered by Disclosure Scotland on behalf of the Scottish government and will impact the majority of ADIs in Scotland. Anyone providing driving instruction to under 18’s or protected adults (those with a disability) in Scotland must be registered with the scheme.DVSA are not responsible for this scheme or its introduction, but did have recent discussions with the relevant bodies to clarify that ADIs would need to register with the scheme in addition to the DBS check which they would have already undertaken as part of the current ADI process.

What comparative assessment her Department has made of the differences between the PVG requirement for driving instructors in (a) Scotland, (b) Wales, (c) England and (d) Northern Ireland.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) takes the safety of learner drivers extremely seriously.DVSA requires every prospective approved driving instructor (ADI) in Great Britain to apply for an enhanced disclosure and barring (DBS) check before beginning the ADI qualification process. They are also required to repeat the disclosure process every four years when they renew their ADI registration.The ADI Registrar also has the power to remove an ADI who falls below the standard of fit and proper person.The process to become an ADI in Northern Ireland is the responsibility of The Driver & Vehicle Agency (DVA).The Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) scheme, which became mandatory 1 April 2025, is administered by Disclosure Scotland on behalf of the Scottish government and will impact the majority of ADIs in Scotland. Anyone providing driving instruction to under 18’s or protected adults (those with a disability) in Scotland must be registered with the scheme.DVSA are not responsible for this scheme or its introduction, but did have recent discussions with the relevant bodies to clarify that ADIs would need to register with the scheme in addition to the DBS check which they would have already undertaken as part of the current ADI process.

Whether her Department has made an assessment of the adequacy of the (a) notice provided and (b) the prior consultation for the new requirement for Scottish driving instructors to join the PVG scheme.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) takes the safety of learner drivers extremely seriously.DVSA requires every prospective approved driving instructor (ADI) in Great Britain to apply for an enhanced disclosure and barring (DBS) check before beginning the ADI qualification process. They are also required to repeat the disclosure process every four years when they renew their ADI registration.The ADI Registrar also has the power to remove an ADI who falls below the standard of fit and proper person.The process to become an ADI in Northern Ireland is the responsibility of The Driver & Vehicle Agency (DVA).The Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) scheme, which became mandatory 1 April 2025, is administered by Disclosure Scotland on behalf of the Scottish government and will impact the majority of ADIs in Scotland. Anyone providing driving instruction to under 18’s or protected adults (those with a disability) in Scotland must be registered with the scheme.DVSA are not responsible for this scheme or its introduction, but did have recent discussions with the relevant bodies to clarify that ADIs would need to register with the scheme in addition to the DBS check which they would have already undertaken as part of the current ADI process.

If she will make an assessment of the effectiveness of Personal Independence Payments assessments for people with (i) moderate and (ii) fluctuating health conditions.

The Personal Independence Payment (PIP) assessment looks at how a long-term health condition or disability impacts on daily life across 12 activities, taking into account fluctuations over a 12-month period. The activities are grouped into two components, daily living and mobility, and within each activity a descriptor must be chosen to score an individual depending on whether an individual can complete the activity, the manner in which they do it, and whether they can complete each activity safely, to an acceptable standard, repeatedly and in a reasonable time period. The assessment is designed to reflect the impact of variations in an individual's needs for all health conditions, not only those which more typically fluctuate. Health conditions may be physical, sensory, mental, intellectual or cognitive, or any combination of these, and the assessment is designed to take a comprehensive approach to disability, reflecting the needs arising from the full range of impairments.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of cuts to (a) Personal Independence Payments and (b) the health top-up in Universal Credit on people with (i) moderate and (ii) fluctuating conditions.

No assessment has been made on the impacts of the reforms on claimants with particular health conditions.Information on the impacts of the Pathways to Work Green Paper has been published here ‘Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper’(opens in a new tab).The Pathways to Work Green Paper sets out a number of planned improvements to the assessment process for Personal Independence Payment. Our aim is to improve the quality of decision making, including for those whose conditions are fluctuating.

If her Department will make promoters of disguised remuneration schemes jointly liable for Loan Charge tax liabilities.

The Government has commissioned an independent review of the Loan Charge. The review has a focused remit, allowing it to report by this summer and the Government will respond by Autumn Budget 2025. Alongside the review, on 30 October 2024, the Government announced further measures to tackle promoters of marketed tax avoidance. On 26 March 2025 a consultation document was published setting out proposals to tackle these promoters. The Government has also already announced measures to tackle the significant tax avoidance and fraud in the umbrella company market.

What recent assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the UK-Colombia Investment treaty on the safety of human rights defenders in Colombia.

The UK continues to support the protection of human rights in Colombia, including by improving access to justice, protecting human rights defenders and promoting media freedom. The UK-Colombia Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT) includes binding investment protection provisions which protect both UK and Colombian investors against unfair and discriminatory treatment, and expropriation without adequate compensation. These commitments do not remove a government’s right to regulate in the public interest, nor its obligations to comply with other commitments, including with respect to human rights.

What assessment his Department has made of the benefits of restoring stronger ties with the European Union.

We have reset our relations with European partners. The Government is now focused on using our strengthened relations to deliver a new strategic partnership with the EU to grow the economy, boost living standards, protect our borders and keep the UK safe. The UK-EU Summit on 19 May 2025 will provide an opportunity to make further progress on areas which will deliver tangible benefits for the people of the UK and the EU.

What discussions his Department has had with the Scottish Government on the difference in the (a) process and (b) cost of completing a Power of Attorney in Scotland compared to England and Wales.

The process and costs associated with Power of Attorney vary between legal jurisdictions within the UK due to the distinct legal frameworks in place. The processes and costs are a matter for the Scottish Government.