Written questions by Kane.

What steps the Government is taking with the Scottish Government to help promote and develop rural resilience in areas of Scotland classified as remote rural and very remote rural.

Awaiting answer.

What discussions he has had with the Scottish Government and local authorities on the use of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund to promote and develop rural resilience in areas classified as remote rural and very remote rural.

Awaiting answer.

What discussions he has had with the Scottish Government on depopulation in rural areas.

Awaiting answer.

What progress has been made on securing an adequate supply of propranolol 80mg and 160mg modified release capsules.

Awaiting answer.

What recent discussions he has had with the Competition and Markets Authority on potential reforms to regulation of the heating oil market.

Awaiting answer.

What recent discussions his Department has had with the devolved Administrations on tackling fuel poverty in the context of recent heating oil price increases.

Awaiting answer.

What discussions he has had with the Fuel Distribution Industry Federation on the supply of heating oil to vulnerable households.

Awaiting answer.

What discussions he has had with the Competition and Markets Authority on alleged breaches of consumer law in the heating oil market.

Awaiting answer.

What assessment his Department has made of trends in the level of fuel poverty in rural and off-gas-grid areas in the last 12 months.

Fuel poverty is a devolved policy area and the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero produces official statistics on fuel poverty in England. The latest statistics for England include trends for households off the gas grid (Table 5). This shows a reduction in fuel poverty rate for these households between 2021 and 2024 (the latest year available). The latest publication also shows that 12.3% of rural households were fuel poor in England in 2024, compared to 11.0% of all households (Detailed Table 5). Results are also published for previous years. The next statistics for England will be published on 26th March 2026. Statistics on fuel poverty in Scotland are published by Scottish Government here.

What support he is providing to households in rural and off-gas-grid areas reliant on heating oil as their primary source of heat.

The Chancellor has announced £53m for low-income families, who heat their homes with oil to help tackle surging prices. This funding will be available to the Northern Ireland Executive, Wales, and Scotland. In England, funding will be distributed by local authorities via the Crisis and Resilience Fund (CRF), which comes into effect from 1 April. In addition, the Government has announced the intention to regulate the heating oil sector to introduce new customer protections along-side securing agreement with industry to quickly improve customer experience. We will work closely with the CMA to understand their findings and develop options to increase consumer protections in this sector.

What discussions his Department has had with the devolved administrations on tackling fuel poverty and providing cost of living support for households in rural and off-gas-grid areas that rely on domestic heating oil as their primary source of heat.

The Government recognises that families and businesses across the country will see the recent global events and once again be concerned about the impact on their energy bills. We continue to monitor the situation closely and we are looking at what further support may be needed across the UK, recognising the role of the devolved administrations as fuel poverty is a devolved matter.The measures taken in the Autumn Budget reduce the cost of electricity and therefore benefit all households with a domestic electricity meter, including those not on the gas grid. In addition, on 30 January, we announced the continuation of the Warm Home Discount scheme until 2030/31, providing around 6 million eligible households with the £150 rebate on their energy bills each winter.The Government understands that many households, particularly in rural and off‑gas‑grid areas, rely on heating oil as their primary source of heat. We continue to monitor heating‑oil supply chains ensuring households can access fuel when needed. We are frequently engaging with industry to ensure supply and pricing remains resilient to demand. Fuel markets are governed by competition and consumer protection law, overseen by the Competition Market Authority. My Rt. Hon. Friend the Chancellor has announced £53m for low income families, who heat their homes with oil to help tackle surging prices. This funding will be available to the Northern Ireland Executive, Wales, and Scotland. . More information can be found here: Over £50 million to help families struggling with soaring heating oil costs - GOV.UK

What steps his Department is taking to reduce fuel poverty among households reliant on domestic heating oil as their primary source of heating.

The Government understands that many households, particularly in rural and off‑gas‑grid areas, rely on heating oil as their primary source of heat. We continue to monitor heating oil supply chains to ensure households can access fuel when needed.My Rt. Hon. Friend the Chancellor has announced £53m for low income families, who heat their homes with oil to help tackle surging prices. This funding will be available to the Northern Ireland Executive, Wales, and Scotland. More information can be found here: Over £50 million to help families struggling with soaring heating oil costs - GOV.UK Tackling fuel poverty is a priority for this Government. The measures taken in the Autumn Budget reduce the cost of electricity and therefore benefit all households with a domestic electricity meter, including those not on the gas grid. In addition, on 30 January, we announced the continuation of the Warm Home Discount scheme until 2030/31, providing around 6 million eligible households with the £150 rebate on their energy bills each winter.

What cost of living support measures are available to households in rural and off-gas-grid areas where domestic heating oil is commonly used as the primary source of heating.

The Government understands that many households, particularly in rural and off‑gas‑grid areas, rely on heating oil as their primary source of heat.My Rt. Hon. Friend the Chancellor has announced £53m for low income families, who heat their homes with oil to help tackle surging prices. This funding will be available to the Northern Ireland Executive, Wales, and Scotland. More information can be found here: Over £50 million to help families struggling with soaring heating oil costs - GOV.UKThe measures taken in the Autumn Budget reduce the cost of electricity and therefore benefit all households with a domestic electricity meter, including those not on the gas grid. In addition, on 30 January, we announced the continuation of the Warm Home Discount scheme until 2030/31, providing around 6 million eligible households with the £150 rebate on their energy bills each winter.We continue to monitor heating‑oil supply chains ensuring households can access fuel when needed. We are frequently engaging with industry to ensure supply and pricing remains resilient to demand. Fuel markets are governed by competition and consumer protection law, overseen by the Competition Market Authority.

Further to the answer to UIN 92453 of 21 November 2025, what further assessment will be made of the Disability Confident scheme, and what action will be taken to assess employees and applicants experiences as part of this process.

On 15 January 2026 I announced more details about the reforms to the Disability Confident Scheme. Proposed changes include: Reducing membership duration at Level 1 from three years to two and removing the option to renew at this level to drive progression through the scheme.Introducing tailored guidance and proportionate evidence requirements so smaller businesses can participate fully and confidently.Expanding peer‑to‑peer support, shared learning, and practical resources to help employers make the most of the scheme.Ensuring disabled people’s voices shape scheme guidance and development. We are planning a proportionate assessment of the different strands of the upcoming reforms: this is likely to include qualitative interviews to get insights from employers and employees, conducting short surveys, and gathering feedback on specific processes and products to iteratively improve and adapt.

What assessment has been made of the contribution made to the social and charitable sectors by volunteers on the Charity Worker Visa route.

The Home Office values the contribution made by volunteers on the Charity Worker visa route to the social and charitable sectors, though no formal assessment has been carried out. All visa routes are kept under regular review to ensure they are operating as intended.

How many Charity Worker Visa applications have been granted in each year of the operation of that visa route.

The Home Office publishes data on entry clearance visas by visa route, including Charity Worker visas, in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on the outcomes of visa applications are published in table ‘Vis_D02’ of the detailed entry clearance visas dataset. Information on how to use the dataset can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbook. The latest data is from January 2005 up to the end of September 2025.Information on future Home Office statistical release dates can be found in the ‘Research and statistics calendar’.

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of the adequacy of the VAT exemption on mobility devices.

The government recognises the importance of ensuring disabled people are supported in meeting the additional costs of disability, which is why VAT is relieved on certain equipment and appliances designed solely for their use, including wheelchairs, certain motorised wheelchairs and mobility scooters, and other mobility aids. VAT Notice 701/7 - Reliefs from VAT for disabled and older people sets out which goods and services for disabled people are zero-rated for VAT, and which mobility aids for people aged 60 or over are reduced-rated (subject to VAT at a rate of 5%). While all taxes are kept under review, there are no current plans to change the VAT treatment of these goods.

How many and what proportion of applications for naturalisation as a British citizen were processed within the UK Visas and Immigration six-month service standard in the latest period for which data is available; and what steps her Department is taking to meet this service standard.

The Home Office publishes regular data on the processing of applications for British citizenship on the Gov.uk website. This includes performance against the service standard for completing applications. The most recent Migration Transparency data published in November 2024 shows that 99.9% of straightforward applications were decided within service standard.The link to the latest Migration Transparency Data can be found here:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/passport-citizenship-and-civil-registrations-data-q3-2024.

Innovation and Technology, what community-led rural gigabit broadband projects are in development with Building Digital UK.

Through the Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme (GBVS), the government provides a subsidy of up to £4,500 for residents and businesses towards the cost of installing gigabit-capable broadband via local community-led broadband projects.Approximately 2,300 premises in Stirling and Strathallan have received a gigabit-capable connection via the GBVS and its previous iterations. The voucher scheme is currently paused in the constituency while Building Digital UK finalises the scope of a wider Project Gigabit contract for Central and Northern Scotland.

Innovation and Technology, what steps he is taking to support rural community organisations undertaking community-led broadband installations.

Through the Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme (GBVS), the government provides a subsidy of up to £4,500 for residents and businesses towards the cost of installing gigabit-capable broadband via local community-led broadband projects.Approximately 2,300 premises in Stirling and Strathallan have received a gigabit-capable connection via the GBVS and its previous iterations. The voucher scheme is currently paused in the constituency while Building Digital UK finalises the scope of a wider Project Gigabit contract for Central and Northern Scotland.