Written questions by Arthur.

What steps his Department is taking to promote the National Year of Reading in Scotland.

The National Year of Reading is a UK-wide campaign to address the steep decline in reading enjoyment amongst children, young people and adults. For example, only this week our delivery partner for this campaign, the National Literacy Trust, revealed that fewer than 1 in 10 teenage boys read daily for pleasure.The National Year of Reading aims to engage new audiences, reshape public attitudes and embed lasting, meaningful change on attitudes to reading. The campaign includes a major physical and online marketing campaign, as well as exciting events, webinars, resources, and activities in communities, libraries, schools and early years settings throughout 2026.We are working in collaboration with the Scottish Government and lead delivery partners - DC Thomson, The Scottish Book Trust and The Scottish Book and Information Council - to deliver this important initiative in Scotland. ​​

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has made an assessment of the effectiveness of the BBC World Service in countering state-backed disinformation from (a) Russia, (b) China and (c) Iran.

I refer the Hon Member to the answers provided on 10 September 2025 in response to Questions 70439 and 70440.

How many Access to Work awards for blind and partially sighted customers had support worker hours reduced at the point of renewal, in each of the last three years.

The Department does not hold this data. Determining this information would require manually reviewing individual applications which would incur disproportionate cost.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of introducing the 2018 Nutrient Profiling Model on business investment in the food and drink sector.

As set out in our 10-Year Health Plan for England: fit for the future, we will take decisive action on the obesity crisis, easing the strain on our National Health Service and creating the healthiest generation of children ever. As part of this, the Government committed to updating the standards behind the restrictions on advertising ‘less healthy’ food or drink products on television before 9:00pm and online at any time, as well as the restrictions on the promotion of ‘less healthy’ food and drink products by location and volume price by applying the new Nutrient Profiling Model (NPM).The advertising and promotions restrictions currently rely on the outdated NPM 2004/05. The new NPM has been updated in line with the latest dietary advice from the United Kingdom’s Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition, particularly in relation to free sugar and fibre. Applying it to the restrictions will strengthen these policies by bringing more products of concern for children’s health into scope.The Government published the new NPM on 27 January. Application of the new NPM to the advertising and promotions restrictions would be subject to a full public consultation and an impact assessment of the costs to businesses and intended health outcomes.

What training Access to Work staff receive on assessing the needs of blind and partially sighted customers.

Access to Work staff are trained to take account of the customer’s own declaration of the support they need within the context of the Access to Work regulations. If more information is required to determine an award, a workplace assessment referral is made to an external partner to provide recommendations for the provision of equipment or support.

Whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of taking steps to provide financial incentives to support the adoption of Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) technology.

Government is committed to supporting the rapid development and adoption of Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) technology as it has the potential to reduce the cost of electric vehicle (EV) ownership whilst supporting the rapid decarbonisation of our energy system and lowering energy bills for all. The 2025 Clean Flexibility Roadmap highlights actions that government, Ofgem and NESO are taking to support the roll out of V2G beyond innovation investments to date. This includes steps to make it more financially rewarding for EV drivers to utilise V2G through introducing legislation when parliamentary time allows to remove levies from being charged on electricity exported back to the grid. We are also considering incentivising vehicles with V2G capability, such as using innovative credit models within the zero emission vehicle (ZEV) mandate.

Whether the Department has considered expanding the remit of the Warm Homes programme to provide impartial and reliable guidance on electric vehicle adoption and associated technologies, similar to the support provided by the Home Energy Scotland service for energy efficiency and heating.

One of the main objectives of the Warm Homes Agency is to provide reliable, impartial advice to support consumers through their home decarbonisation journey and the Government will be taking learnings from other trusted sources to aid its design of the Agency. The full scope of the Agency, including the design and contents of its advisory function, is being finalised and will be confirmed in due course.

What recent discussions her Department has had with industry on the number of flight instructors; and assessment she has made of the capacity of flight schools to train commercial airline pilots.

Ministers and officials engage regularly with industry and trade bodies (including the British Airline Pilots’ Association (BALPA) on all aviation skills issues. As the UK aviation sector operates predominantly in the private sector, it is for individual airlines to recruit and train pilots to meet today’s demand and the demand of the future. A major training organisation has now been approved to deliver the first officer apprenticeship, which would provide training completely cost-free to young people. We are working with the Department for Work and Pensions and Skills England to encourage airlines to deliver this apprenticeship.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking with international counterparts to ensure Doctors Without Borders are able to access Gaza to provide aid to Palestinians.

I refer the Hon Member to the statement to the House I made on 5 January, and to the joint statement issued by the Foreign Secretary and several of her counterparts on 30 December, available on GOV.UK here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/jointstatementon-the-gaza-humanitarian-response. My officials continue to engage closely with Médecins Sans Frontières on this issue.

What progress has been made on the development and publication of guidance on access to single-sex spaces for women; and when she expects this guidance to be published.

I refer the Hon. Member to Lord Collins’s answer to Lord Rooker’s oral question in the House of Lords, dated 2 February 2026, which provides the information you requested:“The Equality and Human Rights Commission’s Code of Practice for Services, Public Functions and Associations provides guidance on all protected characteristics, not solely on sex and gender reassignment. The EHRC has submitted its draft Code to Ministers, and we are reviewing it with the care it deserves. It is crucial that providers have legally robust guidance on how to apply the Equality Act, which is why we are considering the draft Code properly.”

What assessment his department has made of the findings of the Held in Our Hearts Impact Report on hospital-to-home bereavement support for families following the loss of a baby.

We recognise the importance of supporting the transition from the hospital to home for bereaved families, so that support is always available when families need it most.Held in Our Hearts is a Scottish Charity supporting Health Boards in Scotland, and healthcare in Scotland is the responsibility of the Scottish Government. The Department has not made an assessment of the findings of the Held in Our Hearts Impact Report.

What discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on using funds raised by the expansion of the UK Emissions Trading Scheme to support maritime decarbonisation projects in Scotland.

The Maritime Decarbonisation Strategy set out the key policies which will together deliver decarbonisation of the sector, including the role of energy efficiency, port decarbonisation and fuel regulation alongside emission pricing through the UK Emissions Trading Scheme. Receipts from the UK ETS are used to fund the government’s spending priorities, including spending and subsidies supporting the Net Zero transition.In September 2025, the UK Government announced £448m R&D funding for the UK Shipping Office for Reducing Emissions (UK SHORE) between 2026 and 2030: the biggest government investment ever in our commercial maritime industry. The programme has already allocated £240m to the research and development of clean maritime solutions, with approximately 15% allocated in Scotland. Recently, I visited the Port of Aberdeen where new clean energy infrastructure has been installed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from berthed vessels, as part of its ambitious target to become a net zero harbour by 2040.

Whether funding from expansion of the UK Emissions Trading Scheme to maritime will be used to support maritime decarbonisation.

Receipts from the UK Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) support the Government’s priorities, including spending that helps deliver the transition to net zero. The Government recognises that decarbonising the maritime sector requires a suite of policies, and continues to provide funding, guidance and policy support to facilitate the uptake of cleaner technologies across the sector. In September 2025, the Government announced a further £448m funding for the UK Shipping Office for Reducing Emissions (UK SHORE) research and development (R&D) programme between 2026 and 2030, representing the biggest government investment ever in the UK's commercial maritime industry.

What will be the remit of the new Road Safety Investigation Branch in relation to cycling and e-bikes.

Improving road safety is a key priority. Injuries and fatalities from road collisions caused by driving are unacceptable, and this Government is working hard to prevent these tragedies for all road users including cyclists. The detailed remit of the Road Safety Investigation Branch is still to be determined, but it will be built around the core objectives of the Data-led Road Safety Investigation Branch, namely using large cross-sector datasets and connected vehicle data to identify risks and thematic priorities, and providing insights and recommendations to support continuous safety learning and decision-making.

If she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the road safety strategy on deaths and serious injuries from cycling and walking.

The Road Safety Strategy sets an ambitious target to reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured on British roads by 65% by 2035. This target will focus the efforts of road safety partners across Britain, with measures to protect vulnerable road users, update vehicle safety technologies and review motoring offences. One of the Safety Performance Indicators which will be monitored alongside delivery of the Strategy is: the rate of cyclists/pedestrians killed or seriously injured on England’s roads, measured as the number of fatalities and serious injuries per billion miles walked and cycled. Monitoring this should enable government to understand the impact that the Strategy is having on deaths and serious injuries of those cycling or walking. Our roads aren’t just for motorists; it is vitally important that everyone using our roads is kept safe. With that in mind on the 10 December 2025 we announced that we are allocating £626 million for local authorities from 2026-27 to 2029-30 to deliver walking, wheeling and cycling schemes.

What steps he is taking to ensure that UK consumption and supply chains do not indirectly contribute to (a) deprivation and (b) exploitative conditions in lower-income countries.

This Government is committed to rooting out human rights and labour abuses from global supply chains. We support responsible business conduct standards to accelerate the positive contribution of companies to sustainable development and help businesses avoid and address any direct or indirect adverse impacts. In the Trade Strategy, we launched the Responsible Business Conduct review, to evaluate the UK’s current approach, and assess the merits of alternative policy options to support responsible business. Ministers will update Parliament when the review is complete.

Whether he has considered international policy frameworks that distribute responsibility for emissions reductions to account for historic and present inequalities between high-emitting and low-emitting nations.

Under the Paris Agreement, 194 parties have committed to act to limit global warming. It is right that developed countries should take the lead by undertaking economy-wide absolute emission reduction targets. However, every country must accelerate action to tackle climate change this decade, recognising different national circumstances and in the context of sustainable development and efforts to eradicate poverty. Countries on the front lines of the climate crisis face barriers to investment and increasing costs of dealing with the current and future impacts. The UK is committed to supporting them build resilience to current and future climate impacts.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what initiatives her Department supports that mitigate adverse effects of resource extraction on low-income countries.

The UK works with resource-rich developing countries to reduce potential negative impacts of resource extraction. Programming through the Jobs and Inclusive Growth Centre of Excellence supports the sustainable development of critical mineral resources across Asia, Africa, and South America including by co-developing sustainable production roadmaps, alongside research and policy advice. Our Forest Governance, Markets and Climate Programme promotes responsible mining practices that protect forests, conserve biodiversity, and respect the rights and livelihoods of Indigenous Peoples and local communities.The UK's strong multilateral presence enables us to shape global standards, including through the G7 and Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative. The UK's longstanding position is that all UK businesses should respect human rights and the environment throughout their supply chains in line with the OECD Guidelines on Responsible Business Conduct and UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.

What action her department is taking to support the use of digital twin technologies across the UK's transport system.

Since the publication in 2023 of Transport Research and Innovation Board’s Transport Digital Twin Vision and Roadmap to 2035, DfT has established a dedicated team to lead a digital twins programme, aligned with the Transport AI Action Plan (2025). This has already enabled the development of a diverse research programme, including the £46m TransiT research hub to decarbonise transport through digital twins; and a £5m programme to improve crisis response and resilience. These are providing the new tools and skills to ensure UK leadership in this key emerging technology. To enable business case development and improve adoption, in 2024 DfT published its Economic Benefits Analysis for Integrated Transport Digital Twins, quantifying the key benefits this technology can bring to the UK economy, estimated to £1.85bn over the next decade. Finally, DfT has directly supported industry innovation by funding innovative digital twin projects through the Transport Research Innovation Grants and the Freight Innovation Fund, to improve rail maintenance, traffic flow, urban resilience, better EV charging infrastructure and port operations.

What assessment she has made of the progress of the Transport Research and Innovation Board's 2023 Transport Digital Twin Vision and Roadmap to 2035.

The Transport Research and Innovation Board provides regular oversight on the progress against the Transport Digital Twin Vision and Roadmap to 2035, as part of regular operations for all its areas of activity. DfT has met all key government-owned milestones in digital twins, including working with the National Digital Twin Programme, enabling funding to research organisations, and providing a clear vision for the strategic case and benefits for digital twins in transport and adjacent sectors. A key milestone was to provide clear evidence and guidelines on the benefits of digital twins, and DfT has published its Economic Benefit Analysis (2024) showing that this emerging technology can enable better integration of traffic management and deliver £1.85bn of benefits to the UK over a decade. Additionally, DfT is working with the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre to develop guidance on data interoperability and integration across transport. The work is ongoing, and DfT committed in the recent Climate Adaptation Strategy for Transport (Dec 2025) to a long-term digital twin programme that aims to support network management, resilience planning and climate response.