Written questions by Doogan.

What assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of consumer redress mechanisms for when installers do not engage with households following defective insulation installations.

The consumer can escalate issues to the installer’s certification body, and TrustMark provide access to a Dispute Resolution Ombudsman. All measures installed under our current schemes have a guarantee against which a claim can be made. The Government recognises that the system of quality assurance and consumer redress that we inherited needs reform. We will change the current, failed protections system to one that can command public confidence and consult this year on options for bringing the oversight of energy efficiency and microgeneration installations for government schemes under closer government control and on the role of the Warm Homes Agency.

What procurement priority has been awarded to the replacement of the Royal Air Forces Hawk T1 and T2 aircraft.

Flying training will continue to be a sovereign priority. All future platform procurements will be made as part of the forthcoming Defence Investment Plan.

What regulatory mechanisms exist to require installers to carry out corrective works where insulation products installed under publicly funded energy efficiency schemes are found to be (a) defective and (b) improperly installed.

Insulation installations under energy efficiency schemes must be carried out by TrustMark registered and PAS 2030 certified businesses, in accordance with PAS 2035. A guarantee must be purchased for each installation. Solid wall insulation installations attract a 25 year guarantee up to a value of £20k. In the event that installers do not remediate work, TrustMark and PAS 2030 certification bodies have the ability to suspend a business until works are rectified. TrustMark’s complaint handling process offers access to a Dispute Resolution Ombudsman which offers registered businesses and customers an impartial and flexible way of reaching a resolution. Where an installer business ceases to trade, a claim can be made on the guarantee.

What the youth unemployment rate was in the most recent period for which data is available in (a) Scotland, (b) England and (c) Wales.

The information requested is published and available at:https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/default.asp Guidance for users can be found at:https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/home/newuser.aspThe estimated youth unemployment rates can be found by selecting “Query data” on the NOMIS home page and selecting “Annual Population Survey/Labour Force Survey” and then “annual population survey (Dec 2004 to Jun 2025)” in the lists of data sources. The Geography will need to be set for the relevant countries/regions. The Variable will need to be set to “Unemployment rate - aged 16-24”. The latest date is automatically selected.

How many Royal Navy surface warships are (a) available for deployment and (b) deployed.

To avoid compromising operational security, the Ministry of Defence does not routinely disclose elements of the Fleet's long-term schedule and readiness profiles.The Royal Navy continues to meet its operational objectives and to work closely with the Government to ensure our maritime environment remains safe amid a changing threat environment.

What the minimum number of available warships is that the Royal Navy requires to meet basic operational requirements.

To avoid compromising operational security, the Ministry of Defence does not routinely disclose elements of the Fleet's long-term schedule and readiness profiles.The Royal Navy continues to meet its operational objectives and to work closely with the Government to ensure our maritime environment remains safe amid a changing threat environment.

What estimate his Department has made of the cost of constraint payments and balancing actions in each year since 2020; and what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of this on domestic energy bills.

The breakdown of curtailment and balancing action costs borne by domestic consumers and other data relating to constraints is provided in the National Energy System Operator (NESO) Annual Balancing Report. The most recent of these reports was published in June 2025 which can be found via this link: neso.energy/document/362561/download. We recognise that actions are needed to reduce system constraints. The current extent of grid constraints reflects years of underinvestment, with new network infrastructure development having lagged the expansion of new generation. We are already taking action to reduce constraints with the biggest upgrade to Great Britain’s electricity network in decades.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of implementing measures similar to those adopted in other European countries to help reduce electricity prices for (a) consumers and (b) industry.

Tackling the affordability crisis is Government’s number one priority. At the last Budget, we took an average of £150 of costs off household energy bills from this coming April. The main driver of high energy bills is gas, and we are taking action to reduce electricity prices for consumers and industry by taking back control with homegrown clean power. In designing and implementing energy policy, we take account of approaches adopted successfully in other countries.

What assessment he has made of the potential benefits of the development of a Regional Defence and Security Cluster in Scotland; and what progress has been made following early-stage discussions with potential partners in Scotland.

The Strategic Defence Review 2025 emphasised a cross-government initiative to develop regional clusters across the devolved nations. Regional Defence and Security Clusters, supported by the Ministry of Defence, are already bringing benefit across England, and lessons learned from the development of these clusters could also be applied to the development of defence and security clusters in Scotland. Initial and outline discussions have taken place with several stakeholders within Scotland in relation to a Defence and Security Cluster. These are progressing but remain early-stage at this moment in time. Expectations are that these will continue over the coming months. Until such times, there are currently a number of clusters and cluster-like organisations in Scotland that overlap defence such as the Scottish Government’s Innovation Centres, Space Scotland, West of Scotland Space Cluster, and Scottish Maritime Cluster.

What progress he has made on the Scottish allocation of the New Defence Growth Deals announced in September 2025.

The Defence Industrial Strategy committed £250 million to fund all five Defence Growth Deals across the UK. Work is ongoing to understand how the £250 million Defence Growth Deal fund will be allocated across the five locations. We continue to work with key stakeholders, including government, industry and academia, to identify opportunities for Scotland Defence Growth Deal investment.

What discussions his Department has had with the Scottish Government on establishing a Defence Technical Excellence College in Scotland.

As part of the Defence Industrial Strategy, £20 million was allocated to skills initiatives in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Through the Scottish Defence Growth Deal framework, we are currently engaging with a wide range of stakeholders including government, industry and academia to understand the key skills gaps for Scotland’s defence sector and how this funding should best be used to address them. This includes exploring the concept of a Scottish Defence Technical Excellence College.

How many projects have been (a) funded by the UKDI Defence and security accelerator and (b) of these how many were based in Scotland.

As of the end of January 2026, a total of 1,715 Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA) projects had been funded, with 146 of these awarded to businesses or projects in Scotland, amounting to a total value of £30.6 million.Please note that, as of 2 February 2026, the DASA brand has been retired. All responsibilities and activities previously undertaken by DASA now fall under the remit of UK Defence Innovation (UKDI).

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many UK nationals died in Thailand in each of the last three years; and what the causes were of those deaths.

Consular staff have provided support in the following cases where a British national has died in Thailand in each of the last three years.Deaths - Thailand202320242025Assisted death / euthanasia0<50Cause still to be confirmed161180203Infection / disease31172167Injury252526Murder / manslaughter<5<5<5Natural causes154244296Other2297473Suicide / self-harm10127The data is based on the cases that are reported to us by the local authorities, families or others. We record the cause of death based on what we are told, and Consular staff are unable to independently investigate the cause of deaths. There will also be cases where we may not be informed of a death.Where the figures are 5 or fewer (but more than one), we do not publish a breakdown of the numbers, as this risks identifying the individuals involved. To release this data would contravene one of the data protection principles, and sections 40(2) and 40(3) of the Freedom of Information Act apply.

With reference to her oral contribution of 26 November 2025 on Financial Statement and Budget, Official Report, column 388, if she will confirm whether her £820m allocation to Scotland's Block Grant is as a function of Barnett Consequentials following her finalisation of UK Government Expenditure in England.

The £820 million additional funding for the Scottish Government referenced is a result of the operation of the Barnett formula.

With reference to her oral contribution of 26 November 2025 on Financial Statement and Budget, Official Report, column 388, what (a) meetings, (b) correspondence and (c) other discussions did she have with Mr Sarwar to arrive at the £820 million uplift to Scotland's Block Grant prior to the Autumn Budget 2025.

The government listens to a wide range of representations to help shape the Budget, including from Scottish Labour.

Food and Rural Affairs, if his Department will introduce a ban on cages for laying hens in the UK.

The recently published animal welfare strategy sets out that ending the use of cages and crates is a key priority for this Government. As announced on 12 January 2026, a consultation on a proposal to ban the keeping of laying hens, pullets and breeder layers in cages has been launched and will close on 9 March 2026. https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/cage-reform-proposed-ban-on-keeping-laying-hens-pullets-and-breeder-layers-in-cages.

How many foreign Catholic priests have been denied a visa for the UK since July 2024.

The Home Office does not hold data, in a reportable format, on how many foreign Catholic priests have been refused UK visas since July 2024.

With reference to the Companies House identity verification reforms announced on 16th October, what assessment his Department has made on whether a Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) was undertaken for the rollout of these reforms; and whether the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) was consulted.

Companies House carried out Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIAs) regarding Identity Verification, including the use of GOV.UK One Login and Authorised Corporate Service Providers.In accordance with Article 36(4) of the UK GDPR, a formal consultation was undertaken with the Information Commissioner's Officer during the formulation of the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023.

What progress his Department has made on (a) allocating funding and (b) identifying opportunities for investment by the Defence Growth Deal in Scotland.

The Ministry of Defence has been working with the UK Government, the Scottish Government, industry, academia and other key stakeholders to identify opportunities to invest in interventions that support defence priority sub-sectors that align with Scotland’s sub-sector strengths. Work is ongoing to understand how the £250 million Defence Growth Deal fund will be allocated across the five locations, including Scotland.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will hold discussions with the hon. Member for Angus and Perthshire Glens on the work of her Department's Murder and Manslaughter Team.

I will always be happy to arrange meetings with the Hon. Member to discuss issues of concern, either with myself or with relevant officials. I am also hosting a drop-in session in Parliament on 10 December with my counterpart from the Ministry of Justice for Members who want to raise relevant cases overseas.