Every parliamentary written question tabled by Dave Doogan this session, with the full answer and department. Back to the MP page.
Showing 81–100 of 155 · this parliament
Whether he plans to increase defence spending to 3.5% of GDP.
This will form part of discussions ahead of the NATO Summit at the end of June. As these proposals are subject to agreement of all NATO Allies, including the UK, it would not be appropriate to comment at this time.
What recent assessment he has made of the deliverability of the X-Links project with Morocco.
The Government is considering – without commitment – the viability and merits of the Xlinks Morocco-UK Power Project, a private sector-led proposal for a large-scale renewable energy project between the UK and Morocco. As part of this consideration, we are actively assessing a range of issues including the project’s deliverability and technical viability, value for money, legal issues and the project’s alignment to wider government policy. This work continues at pace, and we will provide an update on our considerations in due course.
How much of the (a) £7bn of funding for military accommodation and (b) the £1.5bn investment for rapid work on forces family housing will be spent in Scotland.
The Ministry of Defence is currently undertaking an extensive review of its entire military accommodation portfolio, including how the Department will make best use of the properties that have been reacquired from Annington, and which homes and locations can most benefit from investment. The Defence Housing Strategy, to be published later this year, will set out wider plans to improve the standard of Service family homes. The sites that will be refurbished are being worked through carefully, with the ambition to fairly make improvements across the devolved nations within the UK. It is too early to say where funding will be spent.
Which military accommodation sites are in most urgent need of repair.
The Ministry of Defence is currently undertaking an extensive review of its entire military accommodation portfolio, including how the Department will make best use of the properties that have been reacquired from Annington, and which homes and locations can most benefit from investment. The Defence Housing Strategy, to be published later this year, will set out wider plans to improve the standard of Service family homes. The sites that will be refurbished are being worked through carefully, with the ambition to fairly make improvements across the devolved nations within the UK. It is too early to say where funding will be spent.
When he plans to inform Parliament of the outcome of the (a) Defence Industrial Strategy, (b) Defence Diplomacy Strategy, (c) Defence Housing Strategy, (d) Defence Estate Optimisation programme and (e) a dedicated Defence Strategy for the financial services sector.
In line with usual protocols, Defence Ministers will inform, engage and communicate with Parliament the outcomes of all Defence Strategies and programmes once they have been internally agreed.
How many and what proportion of child maintenance cases meet the two-year arrears recovery target.
The Child Maintenance Service take proactive actions to influence Paying Parents who are not paying their child maintenance back into compliant behaviours as soon as a missed payment is identified. The service will initially negotiate repayment of arrears that is feasible for the parent to pay, taking into account the individual circumstances of each case. The Debt Steer provides a policy-based framework for arrears negotiation. Its purpose is to ensure arrears are collected as promptly and reliably as possible, taking into account all relevant circumstances i.e. full arrears payment by one lump sum, partial lump sum payment and a schedule of on-going payments to recover any remaining arrears within a maximum of two years, and a schedule of on-going payments to recover the full arrears within two years. Discretion can be applied to extend the timeframe of recovery. The Service first seeks to address the cause for non or partial payment and attempts to find a sustainable solution for the Paying payment which can then provide stability for a Receiving parent and enable the repayment of any arrears in the shortest possible period of time. If this is unsuccessful the service will consider all available enforcement options including deduction from earnings orders or deductions direct from bank accounts. If this is unsuccessful, the CMS will use further measures, including order for sale, where it can apply to the courts for the sale of the paying parent’s assets or property, removal of driving licences, disqualification of passports, and committal to prison. Further we aim to provide fast, accurate and transparent assessments, based on the paying parent’s income, primarily their gross annual income provided by HM Revenue and Customs. If there are no significant changes in circumstances occurring, the maintenance calculation remains in place for a year at which point the Service calculates a new liability as part of the annual review service. However, the Service do continue to deal with unexpected events and major changes in year, in circumstances such as a move into or out of employment, or only where income changes by at least 25% from the latest annual income information provided by HM Revenue and Customs. This helps to keep calculations up to date and reduces the need for changes in income to be reported during the year. Having a scheme with limited income changes during the year means more certainty for both parents. The paying parent knows for the year ahead how much they are expected to pay, and the receiving parent can budget with much more certainty. The full information requested in relation to how many and what proportion of child maintenance cases meet two-year arrears recovery is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.
What steps she is taking to help ensure that the Child Maintenance Service meets its two-year arrears recovery target in cases where a paying parent has a significantly increased income; and what safeguards are in place to help prevent changes in frequency of support payments to receiving parents without (a) notice or (b) mitigation.
The Child Maintenance Service take proactive actions to influence Paying Parents who are not paying their child maintenance back into compliant behaviours as soon as a missed payment is identified. The service will initially negotiate repayment of arrears that is feasible for the parent to pay, taking into account the individual circumstances of each case. The Debt Steer provides a policy-based framework for arrears negotiation. Its purpose is to ensure arrears are collected as promptly and reliably as possible, taking into account all relevant circumstances i.e. full arrears payment by one lump sum, partial lump sum payment and a schedule of on-going payments to recover any remaining arrears within a maximum of two years, and a schedule of on-going payments to recover the full arrears within two years. Discretion can be applied to extend the timeframe of recovery. The Service first seeks to address the cause for non or partial payment and attempts to find a sustainable solution for the Paying payment which can then provide stability for a Receiving parent and enable the repayment of any arrears in the shortest possible period of time. If this is unsuccessful the service will consider all available enforcement options including deduction from earnings orders or deductions direct from bank accounts. If this is unsuccessful, the CMS will use further measures, including order for sale, where it can apply to the courts for the sale of the paying parent’s assets or property, removal of driving licences, disqualification of passports, and committal to prison. Further we aim to provide fast, accurate and transparent assessments, based on the paying parent’s income, primarily their gross annual income provided by HM Revenue and Customs. If there are no significant changes in circumstances occurring, the maintenance calculation remains in place for a year at which point the Service calculates a new liability as part of the annual review service. However, the Service do continue to deal with unexpected events and major changes in year, in circumstances such as a move into or out of employment, or only where income changes by at least 25% from the latest annual income information provided by HM Revenue and Customs. This helps to keep calculations up to date and reduces the need for changes in income to be reported during the year. Having a scheme with limited income changes during the year means more certainty for both parents. The paying parent knows for the year ahead how much they are expected to pay, and the receiving parent can budget with much more certainty. The full information requested in relation to how many and what proportion of child maintenance cases meet two-year arrears recovery is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.
Whether she has made an assessment of the merits of including the time people already living in the UK have accrued on their route to settlement via the Indefinite Leave to Remain routes.
We will be consulting on the earned settlement scheme later this year and further details on the proposed scheme will be provided at that time.
How many full-time equivalent roles are being recruited at Great British Energy.
Great British Energy (GBE) is currently developing its operating model and the capabilities it will need. Ultimately this will be a matter for GBE to determine, within their agreed budget.
If he will make an assessment of the potential merits of releasing documents relating to the 1994 RAF Chinook crash on the Mull of Kintyre early.
The early release of the closed records held at The National Archives would breach those individuals’ data protection rights as they contain personal information relating to third party individuals. However, as part of the Ministry of Defence’s business as usual activity to renew the Retention Instrument associated with these closed records, an assessment of the potential merit of removing the 100-year closure status is due to take place in 2029.
If he will meet with the families involved in the Chinook Justice Campaign.
The Mull of Kintyre crash was a tragic accident and my thoughts and sympathies remain with the families, friends and colleagues of all those who died. We have received a pre-action protocol letter from the Chinook Justice Campaign and are considering our response. It would therefore be inappropriate to comment further.
On what date the Strategic Defence Review will be published.
As the Prime Minister said in his Statement on Defence and Security in the House of Commons, the Strategic Defence Review is advanced and we will bring it to the House as soon as we can.
How many vacant posts there are at Great British Energy.
I can confirm that seventeen vacant posts have been advertised by Great British Energy either on or after 1st April 2025. The Great British Energy Bill received Royal Assent on 15th May 2025 which allows the company to now move forward with the set-up in Aberdeen including workforce planning.
What estimate he has made of when the Aberdeen headquarters of Great British Energy will be operational.
Great British Energy is initially headquartered in DESNZ’s second headquarters in Aberdeen, Crimon Place, to ensure the organisation can get to work as quickly as possible. As a Government Property Agency (GPA) onboarded department, DESNZ is pursuing property options through the GPA. Due to the commercial sensitivity of any lease negotiations, specific details or timescales cannot be provided at this time.
Pursuant to the Answer of 8 May 2025 to Question 49938 on Nuclear Submarines: Safety, what the Category (a) A and (b) B Nuclear Site Event Reports recorded at (i) Coulport and (ii) Faslane were.
Nuclear Site Event Reports are raised to foster a robust safety culture that learns from experience, whether that is equipment failures, human error, procedural failings, documentation shortcoming or near-misses. I cannot provide specific detail for the events as disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of any relevant forces, I can assure the hon. Member that none of the events listed in Question 49938 caused harm to the health of any member of staff or to any member of the public and none have resulted in any radiological impact to the environment.
Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of (a) trends in population levels of West African migratory bird species over the last 10 years and (b) the potential impact of the use of mist nets in West African countries on those populations.
Defra has not made an assessment on trends in population levels of West African migratory bird species in the last ten years, nor has it made an assessment of the potential impact of the use of mist nets in Western African countries on these populations.
What assessment he has made of the potential impact of competition for North Channel ferry crossings on economic growth in Northern Ireland.
The Competition and Markets Authority, the “CMA”, is responsible for competition investigations and enforcement within the UK, including Northern Ireland. It is therefore not appropriate for Government to make assessments on the impacts of conduct on competition. As an independent authority, the CMA has discretion to investigate competition cases which, according to its prioritisation principles, it considers most appropriate. The government has ensured that the CMA has significant powers to investigate and act to ensure markets remain competitive, and consumers are protected from unfair or exploitative market practices.
If he will make (a) an estimate of the number of radio teleswitch service meters in use in Scotland in the latest period for which data is available and (b) it his policy to delay the RTS signal switch off to avoid loss of service for customers who have not yet transitioned from RTS meters.
Data on the number of remaining RTS meters is collected by Ofgem. The latest data as of 18 April indicates that there are c.125,000 RTS meters remaining in Scotland. The industry-led RTS is reaching the end of its operational life and can no longer be adequately maintained. The switch-off will start from the end of June, and the Government and Ofgem have called on suppliers to rapidly increase the pace of RTS replacements, so that there is a smooth transition and consumers are protected. We continue to closely monitor progress.
What recent discussions he has had with Drax Group plc on the postponement of the Cruachan II pumped hydro storage project.
Details of Ministers' and Permanent Secretaries' meetings with external individuals and organisations are published quarterly in arrears on GOV.UK.
What assessment he has made of contract for difference projects that have recently been cancelled due to increasing cost pressures; and whether he plans to reform the contract for difference scheme given increased volatility in global inflation.
We recognise the effect that globally high inflation and supply chain constraints are having on industry and we will work with Orsted to get Hornsea 4 back on track. We have a strong pipeline of projects, and our mission-led approach ensures we can steer our way through global pressures and individual commercial decisions to reach our targets. The Government has consulted on reforms to the CfD scheme, with the aim of moving towards energy independence and protecting against volatile global fossil fuel prices. A full response to the consultation will be published before AR7 opens in the summer.