Written questions by Stainbank.

Media and Sport, if she publish a list of all meeting her ministers and officials have held with the Scottish Government since July 2024 in which the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme was discussed.

Heritage funding and policy for Scotland is a devolved matter. DCMS officials engage with the Scottish Government on an ad hoc basis regarding developments and relevant issues including on the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme (LPWGS). The LPWGS was extended for one year only from 1 April 2025. The website was updated in July 2025 to show that the scheme would run until March 31st 2026 or until the budget of £23 million was exhausted. Official-level engagement has included an email exchange in January 2025 noting the scheme's extension for one year only and stating that there would be an upcoming review during the Autumn 2025 Spending Review. There was a subsequent meeting on 6 February 2025 to discuss further detail. Following email correspondence in January 2026, a meeting on 17 February 2026 was held to discuss the intention to close the LPWGS. Details of ministerial meetings can be found in the quarterly ministerial transparency returns.

What discussions he has had with the Aviation Industry Skills Industry Board on the value of ongoing funding during the transition from Apprenticeship Level to the Growth and Skills Levy for Level 3+ Leadership and Management Apprenticeship Standard Apprenticeships.

Skills is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.The Department for Transport regularly attends Aviation Industry Skills Board meetings, where they provide government updates alongside colleagues from the Department for Work and Pensions, the Department for Education and Skills England. Skills England recently discussed the Growth and Skills levy with this group and government will continue to engage as we deliver this reform. From September 2026, we will withdraw funding from 16 existing apprenticeship standards. Three of these are generic leadership and management apprenticeships, which have grown significantly but are predominantly used as continuing professional development for established staff aged 25 and over. The changes to streamline the apprenticeship offer will help to create headroom to invest in opportunities for young people. Over the past 10 years, apprenticeship starts among young people have fallen sharply. Starts for 16–24-year-olds have declined by 40%, and over half of all apprenticeship starts are now by learners aged over 25, many of which are at higher levels. To support our ambition of 50,000 more young people into apprenticeships, we are expanding foundation apprenticeships into hospitality and retail, introducing an incentive of up to £2,000 for SMEs that take on 16–24-year-old apprentices as new employees, and launching a new level 2 administrative assistant apprenticeship for young people.

Whether decisions made by the Special Immigration Appeals Commission are binding on his Department.

Orders and directions issued by the courts—including the Special Immigration Appeals Commission—are binding on the parties involved, and the Home Office gives effect to them, subject to any applications to appeal or review.

What consideration has been made to exercise his contract termination rights on Clause 33.1 and 33.2 as outlined in the Pension Scheme Administration and Related Services Agreement between the Government and Capita Pensions Solutions Ltd.

The issues and delays facing a number of civil servants and pension scheme members in receiving their pension quotes are unacceptable. Although the contract was awarded to Capita in 2023, under the previous Government, I want to reassure you that this Government has taken firm action to help put things right as soon as possible. We have agreed a clear recovery plan with Capita, which includes specific milestones and accountability targets for delivery. For priority cases, we have deployed additional resources and improved communication with affected colleagues, so that staff, both former and serving, receive the quality of service and support they deserve.Existing Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) have been enhanced and strengthened to deliver improved performance and higher penalties for failure, including financial penalties. These have already applied in respect to Capita’s performance with recent issues and delays in administering the Civil Service Pension Scheme. The Cabinet Office will continue to use all available commercial levers to hold Capita to account and ensure they deliver the contractual service levels.Furthermore, any further service failures by Capita will attract financial penalties, which will reduce the overall cost of the contract.While at this time there are no plans to exercise contract termination rights on Clause 33.1 and 33.2 as outlined in the Pension Scheme Administration and Related Services Agreement between the Government and Capita Pensions Solutions Ltd. Our full focus is on stabilising the service and supporting any members experiencing hardship. We will conduct a full review once this has been achieved.

What assessment he has made of the impact of the escalation of conflict in the Middle East on Industrial Gas prices.

As was the case when Russia invaded Ukraine, the UK will be exposed to price competition in international oil and gas markets, which is pushing up wholesale prices as other countries seek to replace lost supplies from the region. That reflects our position, regardless of our domestic production, as a price taker not a price maker in these markets, leaving us exposed to their volatility, no matter where the fossil fuels come from. On business and industry, we are taking action to expand the British industry supercharger from April to reduce costs for the most energy-intensive businesses, and a significant proportion of businesses are on fixed-term contracts that shield them from market volatility for the contract duration. However, we recognise that at the point of contracting, businesses are exposed to international fossil fuel markets, and clearly, for both businesses and consumers, much will depend on the length of this crisis. Just as we are looking across Government at the situation that households face, the Government are absolutely focused on the impact of the crisis on business and industry, and we will not hesitate to act.

What steps his Department is taking to protect households and businesses from potential increases in energy costs arising from disruption to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

The Government recognises that households 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. At the Autumn Budget we committed to taking money off energy bills and we have. The energy price cap will provide protection for households until the start of July, regardless of developments in the Middle East. Ofgem has confirmed that the price cap will fall by 7% or £117 annually for the period covering April to June. The price cap for that period is fixed and will not change.In addition to this, around 6 million families are benefitting from the expansion of the £150 Warm Home Discount, and through the Warm Homes Plan the Government is delivering the biggest investment in home upgrades in British history.We’ll shortly publish details of how we will reduce electricity bills by up to 25% for over 7,000 businesses, while our Supercharger package of support will also cut businesses’ electricity costs by up to £420 million per year.

What assessment his Department has made of the impact of the escalation of conflict in the Middle East on UK oil and liquefied natural gas prices.

The Department is closely monitoring the ongoing conflict in the Middle East and the impacts for global oil and gas markets. We assess that between February 27th and March 10th, global oil prices (Brent crude) have risen over 20% and gas wholesale prices in Great Britain have risen over 50%.

How arrears payments were made by Capita Pensions Solutions Ltd, on behalf of the Civil Service Pension scheme as of the 5 March 2026.

The Cabinet Office awarded the contract to administer the Civil Service Pension Scheme to Capita in November 2023 under the previous government. The delays faced by pension scheme members in accessing their pensions are unacceptable. Arrears payments made by Capita Pension Solutions Ltd to retired members are usually made by BACS. However, these may be made by CHAPS, where a case has been escalated due to vulnerabilities such as financial hardship.

What conversations he has had with OFGEM about the withdrawal of time-of-use tariffs by some energy providers.

The pricing and availability of tariffs is a matter for suppliers and Ofgem as the independent regulator. At times of extreme volatility in global energy markets suppliers may alter their approach to pricing and tariffs as part of their commercial risk management. Default tariffs remain available and are covered by the Price Cap, which has been confirmed and is now fixed for the period between April and end June 2026.

What steps his Department is taking to expedite long-term investment and skilled jobs at the Grangemouth industrial cluster as part of the transition to net zero.

The UK Government is working closely with the Scottish Government and our investment agencies on options for investment in Grangemouth and have received over 140 enquiries. At the 2025 Autumn Budget, we announced £14.5 million funding to support these projects, complementing the National Wealth Fund’s £200 million commitment for co-investment in Grangemouth. On 11 December 2025, the UK Government awarded up to £1.5 million to MiAlgae to build its first commercial facility at Grangemouth, a biotechnology project expected to create 130 jobs over the next five years. As a condition of the grant funding, eligible Grangemouth oil refinery workers will be given a job interview guarantee. Retaining skilled jobs at Grangemouth is important and we are also funding a ‘training guarantee’ for all Grangemouth refinery staff to receive training to help them into new, good jobs with local employers.

What information his Department holds on the size of the backlog of civil service pension cases on (a) 1 December 2025 and (b) 1 March 2026.

The Cabinet Office awarded the contract to administer the Civil Service Pension Scheme (CSPS) to Capita in November 2023 under the previous government. The issues and delays facing civil servants and pension scheme members in accessing their pensions is unacceptable. In response, we have set up a dedicated team to work urgently with Capita, with 650 full time staff across Government and Capita. We have agreed a clear recovery plan with Capita, which includes specific milestones and accountability targets for delivery. It includes specific commitments to restore service levels as soon as possible. For priority cases, we have deployed additional resources and improved communication with affected colleagues, so that staff, both former and serving, receive the quality of service and support they deserve. Capita has prioritised the most urgent cases and by the end of February, all death in service cases were either settled or progressed to the final stage or awaiting a member response. A similar position will be reached for ill health retirement applications by mid-March. Alongside these arrangements, Capita has prioritised payment of tax-free pension lump sums for members who had received quotations but were not in receipt of their benefits, with the vast majority of these having been paid in February. On a) 1 December 2025, Capita inherited 86,000 CSPS cases, which included 15,000 unread emails from the previous provider; they have since opened and assessed all of these emails. We do not yet have the data for the position as of 1 March 2026. The pension scheme continues to make monthly pension payments to approximately 730,000 existing pensioner members on time. The latest position of the Civil Service Pension Recovery Plan Update (2 March 2026) is available at this weblink: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-service-pension-recovery-plan-updates/civil-service-pension-recovery-plan-update-2-march-2026

If he will make an assessment of the potential merits of insourcing the Civil Service Pension Scheme administration.

The Cabinet Office awarded the contract to administer the Civil Service Pension Scheme to Capita in November 2023 under the previous government. The issues and delays facing a number of civil servants and pension scheme members in receiving their pension quotes are unacceptable. I want to reassure you that this Government has taken firm action to help put things right as soon as possible. We have agreed a clear recovery plan with Capita, which includes specific milestones and accountability targets for delivery. For priority cases, we have deployed additional resources and improved communication with affected colleagues, so that staff, both former and serving, receive the quality of service and support they deserve. Existing Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) have been enhanced and strengthened to deliver improved performance and higher penalties for failure, including financial penalties. These have already applied in respect to Capita's performance with recent issues and delays in administering the Civil Service Pension Scheme. Capita prioritised the most urgent cases and by the end of February, all death in service cases were either settled or progressed to the final stage or awaiting a member response. The same position was reached for ill health retirement applications by mid-March. Capita has made lump sum payments to 8,747 members, the majority of whom have retired but are not yet receiving their pension, and are on track to bring these members into regular pension payments by the end of April. To provide immediate financial support to those who may need it, arrangements are in place for interest-free bridging loans typically up to £5,000 or £10,000 in exceptional cases to most recent retirees facing payment delays. This is alongside interim lump sum payments being made to provide immediate funds to retiring members. The pension scheme continues to make monthly pension payments to approximately 730,000 existing pensioner members on timeWhile the current focus remains on stabilising the service through the intensive recovery plan, the Cabinet Office considers all options for future contracts, including in-house administration. Any future procurement exercise will continue to use all commercial levers and be conducted in accordance with the requirements of the Procurement Act 2023.The Cabinet Office will continue to use all available commercial levers to hold Capita to account and ensure they deliver the contractual service levels.The latest position of the Civil Service Pension Recovery Plan Update is available at this weblink: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-service-pension-recovery-plan-updates

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of Capita's compliance with their contract to administer the Civil Service Pension Scheme.

The Cabinet Office awarded the contract to administer the Civil Service Pension Scheme to Capita in November 2023 under the previous government. The issues and delays facing a number of civil servants and pension scheme members in receiving their pension quotes are unacceptable. I want to reassure you that this Government has taken firm action to help put things right as soon as possible. We have agreed a clear recovery plan with Capita, which includes specific milestones and accountability targets for delivery. For priority cases, we have deployed additional resources and improved communication with affected colleagues, so that staff, both former and serving, receive the quality of service and support they deserve. Existing Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) have been enhanced and strengthened to deliver improved performance and higher penalties for failure, including financial penalties. These have already applied in respect to Capita's performance with recent issues and delays in administering the Civil Service Pension Scheme. Capita prioritised the most urgent cases and by the end of February, all death in service cases were either settled or progressed to the final stage or awaiting a member response. The same position was reached for ill health retirement applications by mid-March. Capita has made lump sum payments to 8,747 members, the majority of whom have retired but are not yet receiving their pension, and are on track to bring these members into regular pension payments by the end of April. To provide immediate financial support to those who may need it, arrangements are in place for interest-free bridging loans typically up to £5,000 or £10,000 in exceptional cases to most recent retirees facing payment delays. This is alongside interim lump sum payments being made to provide immediate funds to retiring members. The pension scheme continues to make monthly pension payments to approximately 730,000 existing pensioner members on timeWhile the current focus remains on stabilising the service through the intensive recovery plan, the Cabinet Office considers all options for future contracts, including in-house administration. Any future procurement exercise will continue to use all commercial levers and be conducted in accordance with the requirements of the Procurement Act 2023.The Cabinet Office will continue to use all available commercial levers to hold Capita to account and ensure they deliver the contractual service levels.The latest position of the Civil Service Pension Recovery Plan Update is available at this weblink: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-service-pension-recovery-plan-updates

Whether she plans to extend the exemption to pay income tax to pensioners with private pensions who receive the same income as those who solely receive the maximum state pension.

The Government is committed to making sure older people can live with the dignity and respect they deserve in retirement. The State Pension is the foundation of the support available to them. Over the course of this Parliament, the yearly amount of the full new State Pension is currently projected to go up by around £2,100. This reflects the Government’s commitment to the Triple Lock for the duration of this Parliament. This will increase the basic and new State Pension by 4.8% next April, boosting pensioner incomes by up to £575 a year and strengthening retirement security. When it comes to taxes, social security benefits are treated differently depending on why they are paid. Generally, benefits that replace income, like the State Pension, are taxable. However, I can confirm that those whose sole income is the basic and full new State Pension, without any increments, will not pay any income tax this tax year or next. Furthermore, the Chancellor has said that those whose only income is the basic or new State Pension without any increments will not have to pay income tax over this Parliament. At the Budget, the Government announced that it will achieve this by easing the administrative burden for pensioners so that they do not have to pay small amounts of tax via Simple Assessment from 2027/28. The Government will set out more details in due course.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of raising the state pension recipient maximum threshold on people who receive carer's allowance.

I refer the honourable Member to the answer I gave on 23 June 2025 to Question UIN 59626. Carer’s Allowance is devolved to the Scottish Parliament.

What assessment he has made of the potential merits of lifting the £10,000 limit on interest free loans for pensioners impacted by delays to the Civil Service Pension scheme administration.

The Cabinet Office awarded the contract to administer the Civil Service Pension Scheme to Capita in November 2023 under the previous government. The issues and delays facing a number of civil servants and pension scheme members in accessing their pensions are unacceptable. Interest-free loans of £5,000 (up to £10,000 in exceptional cases) are available for the overwhelming majority of members of the Civil Service Pension Scheme whose pensions are overdue. Alongside these arrangements, Capita has prioritised payment of tax-free pension lump sums for members who had received quotations but were not in receipt of their benefits, with the vast majority of these having been paid in February. The focus is on returning services to normal. Huge efforts and stops have been put in place to ensure this happens as soon as possible.

Media and Sport, what estimate she has made of the increase in the Barnett formula grant to the Scottish Government following the announcement of the Places of Worship Renewal Fund.

At the Spending Review 2025, HM Treasury agreed budgets for Departments for a three-year period for Resource DEL, and a four-year period for Capital DEL. The Department then completed a Business Planning process to allocate this funding to programmes. This included £92 million (£23 million per year) for the Places of Worship Renewal Fund.At Spending Reviews, the Devolved Governments generally receive Barnett consequentials as a proportion of overall departmental settlements, not specific funding lines or programmes. Barnett consequentials were confirmed taking into account the overall DCMS allocation, which includes funding for the Places of Worship Renewal fund. Decisions on the allocation of this funding are then for the Devolved Governments to take.

What assessment he has made of the potential merits of a compensation scheme for Civil Service Pension Scheme members impacted by administrative delays related to receiving first lump sums.

The Cabinet Office awarded the contract to administer the Civil Service Pension Scheme to Capita in November 2023 under the previous government.The issues and delays facing a number of civil servants and pension scheme members in accessing their pensions are unacceptable.No former civil servant should be facing financial hardship as a result of delays to their pension. Arrangements are in place for interest-free bridging loans of up to £5,000 (and up to £10,000 in exceptional cases) to most recent retirees facing payment delays. This is alongside interim lump sum payments being made to provide immediate funds to retiring members.Additionally, interest will be paid on delayed benefits to avoid financial loss by members.There is already a statutory complaints procedure in place that can be used for formal complaints that will determine whether compensation is appropriate on a case by case basis. This is run in accordance with the standards set by the Pensions Ombudsman.

Which country of origin had the lowest asylum applicant initial decision success rate since July 2024.

The Home Office publishes data on asylum in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on initial decisions on asylum claims by nationality is published in table Asy_D02 of the ‘Asylum claims and initial decisions datasets’. The latest data relates to the year ending September 2025.Information on how to use the datasets can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbooks. The latest data relates to the year ending September 2025. Information on future Home Office statistical release dates can be found in the ‘Research and statistics calendar’.

How many and what proportion of asylum applicant initial refusals were reversed in the period between July 2024 and July 2025.

The Home Office publishes data on asylum appeals and latest outcomes in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’.Data on asylum appeals is published in table Asy_D06 and Asy_D07 of the ‘Asylum appeals lodged and determined detailed datasets’. The latest data relates to the year ending March 2023.Data on latest asylum outcomes is published in table Asy_D04 of the ‘Asylum claims and decisions detail datasets’. Table Asy_D04 shows, for main applicants only, the number of asylum claims made each year and the initial and latest outcomes for those claims. Initial outcomes of an asylum claim are subject to change following an appeal or a reconsideration. The latest published data relates to claims made up to the end of 2024, with outcomes as at the point of data extraction in October 2025.Information on how to use these datasets can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbooks. Please note that figures for immigration and asylum appeals at First-Tier Tribunal and subsequent stages are published by the Ministry of Justice as part of their Tribunal Statistics release. The latest data relates to July to September 2025.