Written questions by MacDonald.

What steps his Department is taking to increase the number of households in the Highlands with improved wall and loft insulation.

As issues of energy efficiency are devolved, Scotland has specific Net Zero strategies. We work closely with our counterparts in the Devolved Governments to ensure our strategies align. Consumers can visit Home Energy Scotland for advice on home upgrades and information about the Scottish Government funded Warmer Homes Scotland programme which provides grants and support. A phoneline service is available on 0808 808 2282. Rural off-gas-grid properties in Scotland receive a 35% uplift incentivising delivery in harder to reach areas and reflecting additional energy costs.Between Jan 2013 and June 2025, the Highlands (Local Authority) received 15,874 measures under the ECO scheme, and 9,242 via ECO Flex between April 2017 and June 2025.

Whether his Department has made an assessment of the effectiveness of Employment Tribunal penalties in deterring repeated breaches of employment law by large employers.

The Government has not undertaken such an assessment, however; through the Plan for Change we will ensure employment rights are fit for a modern economy, contributing to economic growth. As part of this we will look at ways of strengthening enforcement options, including the Employment Tribunal Penalty scheme which will move to the Fair Work Agency (FWA) once established.

Whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing turnover-based penalties for (a) systemic and (b) repeated equality breaches.

Where a claim under the Equality Act 2010 is upheld, courts and tribunals are able to award an appropriate remedy, including compensation. The Ministry of Justice has no plans to introduce turnover-based penalties for equality breaches.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of improved household insulation on levels of fuel poverty in the Scottish Highlands.

Energy efficiency policy is devolved in Scotland. The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero has reporting responsibilities for England only.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of lower standing charge tariffs on households in the Scottish Highlands.

The Government knows that, for many consumers, too much of the burden of the energy bill is placed on standing charges. We are committed to lowering the cost of standing charges and are working constructively with Ofgem on this issue.Ofgem have been working to ensure that domestic consumers, in the Scottish Highlands and across Great Britain, can choose tariffs with lower standing charges. You can read about this here: Requirement to offer lower standing charge tariffs | Ofgem Ofgem have also been reviewing how ‘fixed’ costs, which tend to be funded through standing charges, should be recovered in the future energy system. Through the Cost Allocation and Recovery Review (CARR), Ofgem will consider how options for allocating and recovering costs in a fairer and more efficient way. This includes considering whether ‘fixed’ costs should vary across regions or whether they should be standard across Great Britain.

What recent discussions his Department has had with Ofgem on the introduction of lower standing charge tariffs for electricity consumers.

The Government knows that, for many consumers, too much of the burden of the energy bill is placed on standing charges. We are committed to lowering the cost of standing charges and are working constructively with Ofgem on this issue.Ofgem have been working to ensure that domestic consumers can choose tariffs with low or no standing charges. You can read about this here:https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/policy/standing-charges-energy-price-cap-variant-next-steps.Ofgem have also been reviewing how ‘fixed’ costs, which tend to be funded through standing charges, should be recovered in the future energy system through their Cost Allocation and Recovery Review. This includes whether those fixed costs could be recovered in more progressive ways, and we are working closely with the regulator on this. You can read about this here: Energy system cost allocation and recovery review | Ofgem

Innovation and Technology, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of recent reports that social media platform algorithms may promote harmful or extremist content to users.

Social media companies must keep people safe on their platforms and holding them accountable is a departmental priority. Under the Online Safety Act, services must tackle illegal content, including terrorist content and that which stirs up hatred based on religion or race, or incites violence. They must also protect children from additional forms of legal content, including that which is hateful or abusive.The Act is clear that services should take steps to ensure their algorithms do not promote these kinds of content. Ofcom also has robust information gathering and enforcement powers to ensure that services operate their algorithms safely.

If she will make it her policy to review whether current levels of compensation in (a) regulated sectors and (b) other sectors adequately reflect lifetime career loss.

The Office for Equality and Opportunity is not responsible for setting policy regarding compensation for lifetime career loss.

Whether she has made an assessment of the adequacy of the transparency of letting arrangements for residential properties managed by the Crown Estate.

The Crown Estate operates under the requirements set out in the Crown Estate Act 1961, including the requirement to lay in the Houses of Parliament an annual report and accounts audited by the Comptroller and Auditor General. The Comptroller and Auditor General may also carry out value for money studies of The Crown Estate under the National Audit Act 1983, and has access to Crown Estate information in the same way as they do for government departments.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to help prevent offences against protected species.

The Government takes crimes against wildlife seriously and there is a range of legislation in place to protect it. Most notably, the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 protects all wild birds and some wild animals in England and Wales. Under this Act, as well as the Wild Mammals (Protection) Act 1996 and the Animal Welfare Act 2006, and species-specific legislation such as the Protection of Badgers Act 1992, there are a range of offences around deliberate attempts to kill, injure or inflict harm on protected species of wildlife. Additionally, Defra supports the National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU), which helps prevent and detect wildlife crime by obtaining and disseminating intelligence, undertaking analysis which highlights local or national threats and directly assisting law enforcers in their investigations. Defra is providing £424,000 for NWCU in the financial year 2025-26. Furthermore, the UK Wildlife Trade Regulations (WTRs) implement the UK’s obligations under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) to ensure trade in protected species is legal and sustainable. Breaches can lead to prosecution with penalties of up to seven years’ imprisonment or unlimited fines, providing a strong deterrent against wildlife crime.

What recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of the amount of resources available to police forces to investigate wildlife crime.

Wildlife crime can have devastating consequences for our natural environments and countryside communities. This Government is committed to reducing crime, including in rural areas, and anyone exploiting or deliberately harming British wildlife should face the full force of the law.This financial year, we are continuing to fund the National Wildlife Crime Unit who provide intelligence, analysis and investigative assistance to forces and other law enforcement agencies across the UK to support them in investigating wildlife crime.Additionally, the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee will ensure that every community in England and Wales will have named and contactable officers dealing with local issues, and that neighbourhood teams spend the majority of their time in their communities providing visible patrols and engaging with local communities and businesses.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to (a) improve water efficiency and (b) reduce leaks in the public water supply network.

The Government is delivering on improvements in water efficiency and leakage reductions via a series of water demand targets, which will reduce water usage by 20% per person by 2038 and cut leakage in halve by 2050. To meet these targets, the Government is rolling out a Mandatory Water Efficiency Label for products and consulting to revise the minimum Water Efficiency Standard for new houses in the 2010 Building Regulations. We are working with regulators to assure the roll out of 10.4 million smart meters over the next five years. This will be delivered alongside a £100 million Water Efficiency Fund (WEF) over the next 5 years.

What steps his Department is taking to help tackle unsafe gas works in homes.

The Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 (GSIUR) forms the basis of the Health and Safety Executive’s (HSE) approach to ensuring safe gas work in homes within Great Britain. This includes taking enforcement action against those who do not comply with their legal obligations, including carrying out gas work whilst not competent to do so. GSIUR also allowed for the establishment of the Gas Safe Register (GSR) which aims to protect the public from unsafe gas work through:Ensuring all gas engineers have the appropriate qualifications;Operating a national investigations team tracking down un-registered gas workers;Carrying out regular inspections of registered engineers, to ensure they are applying gas competence and complying with GSIUR;Investigating reports of unsafe gas work; andEducating consumers and raising awareness of gas safety.GSR will apply appropriate sanctions on those businesses found carrying out unsafe gas work as per their Sanctions Policy.GSR can pass concerns to HSE who will consider the concern in line with the HSE Enforcement Policy statement available to view here HSE - Enforcement action.The best way to maintain gas safety is by ensuring that only competent, registered engineers undertake gas work. HSE encourages consumers to ask to see Gas Safe Registration ID before permitting engineers to enter their homes. This can also be checked on the Gas Safe Register website: Find or check a Gas Safe registered business.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of unqualified operatives performing gas works on levels of public safety.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) accepts that unqualified operatives performing gas work pose significant risks to gas safety and believes focusing on the prevention of unsafe gas work through installation, regular servicing and maintenance by qualified, Gas Safe Registered engineers is key to achieving safer homes. The Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 (GSIUR) enabled the establishment of the Gas Safe Register (GSR) and places a legal requirement on all those conducting gas work in homes to be competent to do so and Gas Safe Registered. HSE will consider enforcement action against those who do not comply with this legal obligation.

If she will make an assessment of the potential impact of increasing public access to free, impartial financial guidance on (a) financial wellbeing and (b) household financial resilience.

The government recognises the importance of supporting people of all ages to develop the financial skills needed to manage their money effectively, and has taken steps to improve the provision of accessible financial guidance. The Money and Pensions Service (MaPS) is an arm’s length body of Government which supports consumers with free, impartial financial guidance for every stage of their financial lives. Its MoneyHelper services – available online, via webchat and over the phone - offers information on a wide range of financial topics, along with easy-to-use tools and calculators to support people in managing their finances. MaPS also runs the Money Guiders programme, which is designed to equip frontline staff – such as nurses, social workers, job coaches and community volunteers – with the skills and confidence to have effective conversations about money with the people they support. As set out in the Financial Inclusion Strategy, published on 5th November 2025, MaPS will expand and enhance Money Guiders to deliver quality financial guidance across the UK. To date, Money Guiders has engaged over 18,000 practitioners and partnered with nearly 300 organisations. Evidence suggests that the programme has a positive impact on practitioner knowledge and understanding relating to money guidance, and their confidence delivering it, making it easier for people to access financial guidance when they need it. MaPS continues to evaluate the reach and impact of its guidance services.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help reduce the risk of fish escaping from aquaculture sites due to (a) infrastructure failures, (b) human error and (c) severe weather events.

In line with our membership of the North Atlantic Salmon Conservation (NASCO), the UK is committed to minimising adverse interactions between farmed and wild salmon. From 2027 each of the UK’s Governments will report annually to NASCO on the number of escapes from salmon farms and their impact on wild salmon populations. This reporting will include information about the monitoring of genetic introgression from farmed salmon. NASCO also provides best practice guidance on salmon aquaculture practices. This guidance is due to be reviewed during 2026/2027, and the UK government intends to put forward a representative to contribute to this review work. Aquaculture policy and regulation is a devolved matter and there is no marine salmon farming in England. The Fish Health Inspectorate (FHI) authorises all aquaculture production businesses in England, under the Aquatic Animal Health (England & Wales) Regulations 2009. This includes setting conditions to ensure fish do not escape. The FHI assesses each farm for compliance annually and investigates farmed fish escapes.

What recent discussions he has had with the Scottish Government on the adequacy of utility infrastructure in rural Highland communities.

I regularly engage with the Scottish Government on a variety of shared priorities, including critical infrastructure development in Scotland's rural areas.My discussions also encompass clean energy transition and infrastructure investment, with a particular focus on projects in the Highlands. For example, we are working together to ensure that Project Gigabit, the UK Government’s programme to enable remote and rural communities to access lightning-fast gigabit-capable broadband, benefits the Highlands and Islands of Scotland.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of interbreeding between escaped farmed fish and wild fish on the genetic integrity of wild populations.

In line with our membership of the North Atlantic Salmon Conservation (NASCO), the UK is committed to minimising adverse interactions between farmed and wild salmon. From 2027 each of the UK’s Governments will report annually to NASCO on the number of escapes from salmon farms and their impact on wild salmon populations. This reporting will include information about the monitoring of genetic introgression from farmed salmon. NASCO also provides best practice guidance on salmon aquaculture practices. This guidance is due to be reviewed during 2026/2027, and the UK government intends to put forward a representative to contribute to this review work. Aquaculture policy and regulation is a devolved matter and there is no marine salmon farming in England. The Fish Health Inspectorate (FHI) authorises all aquaculture production businesses in England, under the Aquatic Animal Health (England & Wales) Regulations 2009. This includes setting conditions to ensure fish do not escape. The FHI assesses each farm for compliance annually and investigates farmed fish escapes.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department is supporting research into potential methods for reducing the environmental impact of fish farm escapes on wild fish populations.

In line with our membership of the North Atlantic Salmon Conservation (NASCO), the UK is committed to minimising adverse interactions between farmed and wild salmon. From 2027 each of the UK’s Governments will report annually to NASCO on the number of escapes from salmon farms and their impact on wild salmon populations. This reporting will include information about the monitoring of genetic introgression from farmed salmon. NASCO also provides best practice guidance on salmon aquaculture practices. This guidance is due to be reviewed during 2026/2027, and the UK government intends to put forward a representative to contribute to this review work. Aquaculture policy and regulation is a devolved matter and there is no marine salmon farming in England. The Fish Health Inspectorate (FHI) authorises all aquaculture production businesses in England, under the Aquatic Animal Health (England & Wales) Regulations 2009. This includes setting conditions to ensure fish do not escape. The FHI assesses each farm for compliance annually and investigates farmed fish escapes.

Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the (a) prevalence of fish farm escapes and (b) potential impact of fish farm escapes on wild fish populations.

In line with our membership of the North Atlantic Salmon Conservation (NASCO), the UK is committed to minimising adverse interactions between farmed and wild salmon. From 2027 each of the UK’s Governments will report annually to NASCO on the number of escapes from salmon farms and their impact on wild salmon populations. This reporting will include information about the monitoring of genetic introgression from farmed salmon. NASCO also provides best practice guidance on salmon aquaculture practices. This guidance is due to be reviewed during 2026/2027, and the UK government intends to put forward a representative to contribute to this review work. Aquaculture policy and regulation is a devolved matter and there is no marine salmon farming in England. The Fish Health Inspectorate (FHI) authorises all aquaculture production businesses in England, under the Aquatic Animal Health (England & Wales) Regulations 2009. This includes setting conditions to ensure fish do not escape. The FHI assesses each farm for compliance annually and investigates farmed fish escapes.