Written questions by Stone.

How much the Scottish Government received in Barnett consequential funding from English funding to support stop smoking services in 2025-26.

At Spending Reviews, devolved governments generally receive Barnett consequentials on changes in overall departmental settlements not on specific policies or programmes. Therefore, the UK Government cannot provide Barnett numbers on specific policy measures funded from within departmental settlements. The Block Grant Transparency publication from October 2025 shows that the Scottish Government received an additional £930m for 2025/26 as a result of the additional funding for the Department for Health and Social Care.

Whether her Department plans to consult with local authorities, road safety bodies and the caravan and motorhome industry to ensure that any guidance or regulatory changes balance road safety with compliance and fair practice for site operators.

There are no plans to publish any guidance or regulatory changes for caravan site operators. As part of our new Road Safety Strategy, we will be updating guidance on “Setting Speed Limits” for local authorities. Towing a trailer safely requires skill and knowledge. Taking some training helps drivers build confidence and competence. DVSA encourages anyone who tows, or intends to tow, to sign up to training with an accredited trainer to remain safe on the road.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the discrepancy between traffic regulations that encourage drivers to use lay-bys for rest breaks to improve road safety and caravan site licensing regulations that require caravans to be sited at prescribed distances apart for fire safety and planning compliance on car and caravan drivers; and whether her Department plans to issue guidance to motorists using caravans or motorhomes on using lay-bys for rest periods.

The Department has no such plans. Provision of lay-bys is a matter for local highway authorities. Advice to drivers on the safe use of roads, including taking appropriate breaks, is given in the Highway Code. There are no traffic regulations that encourage drivers to use lay-bys for rest breaks.

What steps he is taking to contact vulnerable individuals in (a) remote and (b) rural areas with low broadband connectivity.

The Department for Work and Pensions utilise a range of channels to ensure vulnerable customers and those with limited broadband can access support.Local Jobcentres provide face-to-face appointments for those unable to use digital services and have dedicated support in the form of Disability Employment Advisers for customers with health barriers, sites also have access to Vulnerable Customer Leads within their districts to support customers who are more vulnerable.Telephone services are available for those customers unable to manage digital claims to Universal Credit.Telephone and video calls are conducted to support customers who are in remote locations or have vulnerabilities which prevent them from attending offices for face-to-face interactions.We have over 650 Visiting Officers who carry out home visits for customers with complex needs, cannot engage via digital or telephone channels or who cannot attend a Jobcentre.Outreach work is in place with local providers and community organisations to help reach areas where customers, who might otherwise miss out on access to Jobcentre services, due to their rural location or lack of access to digital facilities within their home.Mobile Jobcentre vans are being introduced in some areas to bring services to areas with poor connectivity or limited physical access to services.Advanced Customer Support Senior Leaders are in place to support vulnerable customers at significant risk of harm when all business-as-usual activity has been exhausted.Jobcentres signpost customers to local providers such as libraries, charities and colleges who may be able to offer the relevant support needed as well as access to online or telephone services.

Whether Great British Energy - Nuclear’s assessment of potential Scottish sites for new nuclear development includes (a) previously used nuclear sites and (b) new sites.

The Secretary of State has asked Great British Energy – Nuclear (GBE-N) to assess Scotland’s potential for new nuclear power, including around areas that have previously hosted nuclear stations. New nuclear can play an important role in helping achieve energy security and clean power, while securing thousands of skilled jobs. The UK Government remains open to discussions with the Scottish Government regarding the deployment of new nuclear technologies in Scotland.

When he expects Great British Energy – Nuclear to (a) complete its study into potential Scottish sites for new nuclear development and (b) make the findings of that study publicly available.

Great British Energy – Nuclear will complete its study on the potential for new nuclear development in Scotland in the first half of 2026. We will provide an update once this study has been completed.

Which nuclear technologies are being considered by Great British Energy - Nuclear as part of its investigation into Scottish sites for new nuclear development.

The Secretary of State has asked Great British Energy – Nuclear (GBE-N) to assess Scotland’s capability for new nuclear power. That includes the potential for large-scale and small modular reactor projects.

Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to improve the (a) regulation and (b) oversight of email service providers in relation to the use of (i) email diversion scams and (ii) impersonation fraud.

The government recognises the harm associated with scam emails and is taking action to protect the public and businesses from fraud and cyber crime. We strongly encourage the public and businesses to follow the advice from the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) on how to protect themselves from cyber threats, including scam emails and business email compromise. The NCSC provides tailored advice for the public, sole traders and businesses of all sizes. The government also offers the highly effective Cyber Essentials scheme to help organisations protect themselves against common cyber attacks. Scam emails can be reported to the NCSC's Suspicious Email Reporting Service, which has blocked billions of phishing attempts and removed 232,000 scams across 415,000 malicious web addresses. The NCSC offers guidance on how to spot and report scam emails at https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/collection/phishing-scams. The police also offer advice on scam emails, including Action Fraud advice on payment diversion fraud and business email compromise, and the recent National Crime Agency campaign with the Law Society on payment diversion fraud in property sales. The government has committed to the publication of a new fraud strategy which will set out further details on how it will tackle fraud and protect UK residents and businesses.

What the (a) scope and (b) expected timetable for Great British Energy – Nuclear’s assessment of Scotland’s capability for new nuclear power stations.

Ministers have asked GBE-N to assess Scotland’s potential for new nuclear power, including around areas that have previously hosted nuclear stations. New nuclear projects can deliver millions of pounds of investment and thousands of high-quality jobs to a region. GBE-N will advise UK Ministers on the potential for new nuclear development in Scotland in due course.

Whether he has had discussions with the Scottish Government on the potential impact of its ban on new nuclear projects on future employment opportunities.

There is considerable potential for hosting new nuclear projects in Scotland, building on decades of experience of existing nuclear power across the country. Given the Scottish Government’s presumption against new nuclear, the UK Government cannot actively consider projects within Scotland at this timeAt peak construction, Sizewell C will support 10,000 jobs directly employed in the project, thousands more in the nationwide supply chain, and plans to create 1,500 apprenticeships, whilst the Great British Energy - Nuclear-led small modular reactor project could support up to 3,000 jobs at peak construction.

What discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on improving public engagement with politics.

Public engagement and participation are vital to the health of our democracy, and the Government will continue to support the public to make their voices heard.Engagement with the political process must be built on trust. The Government is committed to returning to a politics of service.

What steps she is taking through the tax system to support the hospitality sector.

The hospitality sector plays a vital role in the UK economy, providing jobs and supporting local high streets and communities. That is why the government announced a range of measures at Autumn Budget to support businesses, including those in the hospitality sector. These include: Extending the retail, hospitality and leisure (RHL) business rate relief for one year at 40% (up to a cash cap of £110,000 per business). This will benefit over 250,000 properties.Freezing the small business multiplier (applied to properties with a rateable value below £51,000) for 2025-26. Taken together with Small Business Rate Relief (SBRR), over a million properties will be protected from inflationary bill increases.Protecting the smallest employers, many of whom are in the hospitality sector, by increasing the Employment Allowance to £10,500.Cutting duty on qualifying draught products – approximately 60% of alcoholic drinks sold in pubs – to cut 1p off the duty on an average strength pint.In addition, the Corporate Tax Roadmap provides the stability needed by businesses to make investments. We keep all taxes under review and continue to explore ways to support the UK’s vital hospitality sector.

If he will make an assessment of the potential merits of recognising the Royal Observation Corps as having served as a (a) regular and (b) reserve for the armed forces.

The Royal Observer Corps (ROC) was formed by a Royal Warrant on 21 May 1947; this Warrant was re-issued by Her Late Majesty The Queen several times, most recently in July 1966. The Warrant laid down that, while the Defence Council would be responsible for the ROC’s organisation, training, financing and conditions of service, amongst other elements, for operational control it came under the Home Office. This was reflected in the ROC’s own Regulations which stated that it was a uniformed civilian organisation, subject to the provision of the Ministry of Defence’s (MOD) civilian pay, staff and travel regulations. In addition, the regulations stated that the Commandant ROC was responsible to the Home Office for its operations, and to the MOD for administrative matters with direct access to the Assistant Under-Secretary Civilian Management (Administrators). From this, it is very clear the ROC was a civilian, and not a military, organisation, which, even when interacting with the MOD, was treated on the same terms as Civil Servants rather than Service Personnel. For that reason, the MOD does not believe there is any rationale which would justify the retrospective recategorisation of past members of the ROC (or any other civilian defence organisation) as having been Regular or Reserve members of the Armed Forces. However, this in no way diminishes the Government’s admiration of those who performed such a vital role during the Cold War.

What discussions he has had with the Northern Ireland Executive on support for the farming industry in rural areas in Northern Ireland.

I very recently met with the Executive Minister for the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, Minister Muir, and discussed support for the farming industry. We also visited a farm near Newry and talked directly with farmers and I have met with the Ulster Farmers Union twice in the last two weeks. We are committing to supporting local farmers and the important rural economy.

What discussions his Department has had with the Scottish government on (a) reforms to Energy Performance Certificates and (b) how Energy Performance Certificates measure the performance of traditionally constructed buildings.

Ministers engage regularly with Scottish Government counterparts across a range of policy areas, including through the Net Zero, Energy and Climate Change Interministerial Group (IMG). Departmental officials meet Scottish Government counterparts regularly, most recently in February 2025, on matters including Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) reforms. HM Government and Scottish Government will make independent decisions on what the EPC will measure but it is intended that both will use a common calculation framework, the Home Energy Model (HEM). It will support options for building types that are especially prevalent in Scotland including for traditional dwellings.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to paragraph 167 of the National Planning Policy Framework published on 12 December 2024, whether she has plans for local planning authorities to take a proactive approach to facilitating domestic decarbonisation.

Paragraph 167 of the revised National Planning Policy Framework published on 12 December 2024 sets out that when determining planning applications, local planning authorities should give significant weight to the need to support energy efficiency and low carbon heating improvements to existing buildings, both domestic and non-domestic. The Framework also makes clear that plans should take a proactive approach to mitigating and adapting to climate change and that the need to mitigate and adapt to climate change should be considered in preparing and assessing planning applications.

What steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help SMEs adopt digital technology.

To support more small businesses’ digitisation efforts, we announced at Budget 2024 that we would extend the work of the SME Digital Adoption Taskforce. The Taskforce is made up of industry experts and focuses on addressing the challenge of how to support SMEs to adopt and implement productivity-enhancing technologies, such as customer relationship management, accountancy, and resource planning software. We intend to publish a summary of the Taskforce’s draft recommendations soon and their full report will be published later this year.We will be announcing further measures shortly.

What assessment she has made of the effectiveness of regulation of motor insurers in the context of increases in premiums.

Insurers make commercial decisions about pricing and the terms of cover they offer based on their assessment on the likelihood of a claim being made and the cost of those claims. Motor insurance premiums have been affected by specific economic factors that increased the costs of claims, such as the rising cost of replacement car partsHowever, the Government is determined that insurers treat customers fairly and firms are required to do so under Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) rules. The FCA requires firms to ensure their products offer fair value (i.e. if the price a consumer pays for a product or service is reasonable compared to the overall benefits they can expect to receive).On 16 October, the FCA announced a package of work in the insurance market amid concerns about rising prices. This includes a market study on premium finance – a form of credit that allows insurance customers to spread the upfront annual cost of their premium. On the same day, the Government launched a cross-Government taskforce on motor insurance. This Taskforce has a strategic remit to set the direction for UK Government policy, identifying short- and long-term actions for departments that may contribute to stabilising or reducing premiums, while maintaining appropriate levels of cover.

Whether she has made an assessment of the recent increase in motor insurance premiums.

Insurers make commercial decisions about pricing and the terms of cover they offer based on their assessment on the likelihood of a claim being made and the cost of those claims. Motor insurance premiums have been affected by specific economic factors that increased the costs of claims, such as the rising cost of replacement car partsHowever, the Government is determined that insurers treat customers fairly and firms are required to do so under Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) rules. The FCA requires firms to ensure their products offer fair value (i.e. if the price a consumer pays for a product or service is reasonable compared to the overall benefits they can expect to receive).On 16 October, the FCA announced a package of work in the insurance market amid concerns about rising prices. This includes a market study on premium finance – a form of credit that allows insurance customers to spread the upfront annual cost of their premium. On the same day, the Government launched a cross-Government taskforce on motor insurance. This Taskforce has a strategic remit to set the direction for UK Government policy, identifying short- and long-term actions for departments that may contribute to stabilising or reducing premiums, while maintaining appropriate levels of cover.

What steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to improve transport links between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Whilst transport is devolved, the Department for Transport is committed to is enhancing links between Northern Ireland and Great Britain. The Department is providing funding for Transport Scotland’s feasibility study to explore options to bypass the villages of Springholm and Crocketford on the A75 and is supporting the Windsor Framework to streamline transport and customs processes. The Government is also supporting key aviation routes, including the Public Service Obligation between City of Derry Airport and London Heathrow Airport.