Written questions by Gethins.

What estimate he has made of the potential impact of a reduction in spending on asylum would have on the Scottish Government's block grant.

Phase 2 of the Spending Review confirmed that devolved expenditure by the UK Government on Justice and Home Affairs will generate £451 million of additional Barnett funding for the Scottish Government over 2026/27-2029/30. The Spending Review set a three year envelope and guarantees that the block grant will be at least £52 billion by 2029, with an additional £9.1 billion in Barnett consequentials over that time period.

When he expects to publish the Review of the Electricity Market Arrangements.

We aim to conclude the policy development phase of REMA soon. We want to ensure that our final package of reforms continues to underpin the investment needed to reach our 2030 commitment whilst also benefitting consumers through reducing system costs.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the adoption of a reformed national pricing mechanism for Electricity Market Arrangements on the four nations of the UK.

No decision has been reached on whether to transition to zonal pricing or to reform our current national pricing arrangements. For either a potential reformed national or zonal market, we will ensure that any decision is based on a robust assessment of impacts across the country. The Review of Electricity Market Arrangements' scope covers Great Britain, but we have also considered any potential impacts on Northern Ireland as part of our thinking and continue to engage with officials from all Devolved Administrations on a regular basis. We will provide an update in due course.

Whether her Department accepts documents for (a) visa and (b) asylum applications translated by artificial intelligence.

Whilst the Home Office is committed to using technology and innovation to make the asylum system more efficient, the Home Office does not currently use Artificial Intelligence to translate documents submitted as evidence in asylum claims.

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of using artificial intelligence to translate documents supporting (a) visa and (b) asylum applications.

Whilst the Home Office is committed to using technology and innovation to make the asylum system more efficient, the Home Office does not currently use Artificial Intelligence to translate documents submitted as evidence in asylum claims.

Whether his Department is negotiating a free trade agreement with Greenland.

This government’s top priority is economic growth. We are working with officials to review these negotiations to date, and their alignment with the Government’s wider international and domestic priorities.We have already concluded trade agreements with the US and India, and restarted talks with a number of others including the Gulf, Switzerland and South Korea.Greenland is an important trading partner to the UK and the Government will continue to work closely with Greenland to improve and strengthen our bilateral relationship.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of leaving the Dublin Convention on the numbers of illegal migrants entering the UK.

The Dublin III Regulation ceased to apply to the UK from January 2021 onwards. Any assessment of the potential impact of that change would have been for the previous government to make at the time in question.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of changing the terms of the Financial Services Compensation Scheme to reimburse legal costs for victims of fraud.

The rules governing the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) for consumers of failed authorised firms, including where those consumers have been the victims of fraud, are set by the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). They are set out in the PRA Rulebook and FCA Handbook within the framework set by Parliament. It is for the FSCS to assess individual claims and provide appropriate compensation in line with those rules and depending on the circumstances of the claim and the regulated activity involved.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential (a) implications for its policies of the Georgian Foreign Agent Registration Act and (b) impact of that legislation on civil society in that country.

I am deeply concerned by the Georgian Foreign Agents Registration Act which came into force on 31 May 2025 and the implications it will have on our ability to support the reforms required for Georgia's Euro-Atlantic aspirations. This legislation represents a serious setback for democratic governance, civil liberties, and Georgia's stated European aspirations. I have shared my concerns with Georgian Dream representatives and encouraged engagement with civil society, opposition voices and the Venice Commission to bring their approach into line with international human rights standards as well as Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe principles and commitments.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the UK leaving the EU on availability of workforce in the Scottish hospitality sector.

Government values the contribution that legal migration makes to the UK, not least to important sectors of the Scottish economy such as hospitality.While there has been no specific assessment, there were around 226,000 people working in hospitality in Scotland at the end of last year, which is a 6% increase from December 2019 - a month before the UK left the EU.As part of the Plan for Change, we’re determined to bring net migration down and restore control and order to the immigration system, and it is good to see the hospitality industry employing more people domestically.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the UK leaving the EU on medicine shortages in the UK.

The United Kingdom left the European Union on 31 January 2020. The Department has not made a specific assessment of the potential impact on medicine shortages in the UK.Medicine supply chains are complex, global, and highly regulated, and there are a number of reasons why supply can be disrupted, many of which are not specific to the UK and outside of Government control, including manufacturing difficulties, access to raw materials, sudden demand spikes or distribution issues, and regulatory issues. We have drawn on up-to-date intelligence and data on the root causes of medicine supply issues, with manufacturing problems being the most dominant root cause. The Department works closely with industry, the National Health Service, manufacturers, and other partners across the supply chain to make sure patients across the UK can access the medicines they need.The resilience of UK supply chains is a key priority, and we are continually learning and seeking to improve the way we work to both manage and help prevent supply issues and avoid shortages. The Department, working closely with NHS England, is taking forward a range of actions to improve our ability to mitigate and manage shortages and to strengthen our resilience. As part of that work, we continue to engage with industry, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, and other colleagues across the supply chain as we progress work to co-design and deliver solutions. We have plans underway to increase the awareness of our work.

What assessment he has made of the impact of the UK leaving the EU on workforce shortages in the construction industry.

The current migration route for employing individuals into the construction industry is through Skilled Worker Visas.DBT and industry has worked with the Home Office (HO) to provide clearer guidance to construction employers on the Sponsor Licence process. The construction industry also worked with Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to add in-demand construction occupations to the Shortage Occupation List.Following publication of the Immigration White Paper DBT is working with the HO and the MAC to feed into priority occupations that should be considered for the Temporary Shortage List while building investment in the training of the domestic workforce.

What steps her Department is taking to reduce waiting times for the Child Maintenance Service phone line.

The Child Maintenance Service are committed to delivering the best possible service to all customers within our growing caseload. We continuously monitor telephony performance and through this fully recognise that call waiting times are at times longer than we would like. To address this, we are working to improve the efficiency of our customer interactions through both the telephone and digital channels. In September 2024, we introduced the Digital Assist Telephony Service, which has been a significant step forward in our mission to support and encourage customers to use our online services. In October, we restructured our call routing to make more caseworkers available to answer telephone calls. By promoting self-service options online and efficient call routing, we have freed up valuable resources to deliver a more responsive service and allow caseworkers more time to better assist customers who need to reach out to us via telephone. Additionally, we have extended the telephony service to 6pm on weekdays to meet demand and our online services are available to all customers 24/7. As a result, call volumes are reducing, and improved customer service being delivered through the combination of telephone and digital channels. The Department publishes quarterly statistics for the Child Maintenance Service and the latest statistics are currently available to December 2024. Table 12 of the latest National tables shows the percentage of calls to the CMS that were answered each quarter, from January 2015 to December 2024. Latest published quarterly telephony performance for the period Oct to December 2024 was 75% for Percentage of calls answered. We will continue to review, evaluate, and enhance our telephony service to meet demand and deliver a quality customer service.

Pursuant to the Answer of 7 May 2025 to Question 48500 tabled on British Coal Staff Superannuation Scheme, what the Government’s timetable is for considering proposals put forward by British Coal Staff Superannuation Scheme Trustees.

I met the British Coal Staff Superannuation Scheme Trustees in April and am due to meet them again shortly. Officials have recently received the analysis we jointly commissioned from the Government Actuary’s Department and will now use that to inform our consideration of the Trustees’ proposals.

How many UK-based apprenticeships were supported through the Erasmus programme in each year between 2008 and 2021.

The department does not hold or publish the requested data, as this data is owned by the European Commission.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the merits of the detention of demonstrators in Novi Sad, Serbia.

We and international partners continue to track ongoing political protests and responses in Serbia, including a number of arrests and detentions of demonstrators in Novi Sad and other cities. The UK continues to stress to Serbia's leaders the importance of respecting citizens' rights to freedom of assembly and expression, as the Foreign Secretary did when visiting Belgrade last month.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with European counterparts on the detention of demonstrators in Novi Sad, Serbia.

We and international partners continue to track ongoing political protests and responses in Serbia, including a number of arrests and detentions of demonstrators in Novi Sad and other cities. The UK continues to stress to Serbia's leaders the importance of respecting citizens' rights to freedom of assembly and expression, as the Foreign Secretary did when visiting Belgrade last month.

How many full-time equivalent UK Government civil servants main place of employment is (a) Queen Elizabeth House Edinburgh and (b) elsewhere in Scotland.

The number of civil servants on a full-time equivalent basis reported as in post as at 31 March 2024 and based in Queen Elizabeth House is 2,760. The number of civil servants based in Scotland on a full-time equivalent basis as at 31 March 2024 is 51,830. This information is published annually as part of Civil Service Statistics 2025 and available through the Civil Service data browser at the following web address:https://civil-service-statistics.jdac.service.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/

How many civil servants in his Department are employed in (a) Queen Elizabeth House in Edinburgh, (b) Dover House on Whitehall and (c) other locations in London.

As at 31 March 2025, the Scotland Office had 47 civil servants based at Queen Elizabeth House, Edinburgh and 38 civil servants based at Dover House, Whitehall, London. The Office does not have civil servants based at any other locations.

When the Minister for the Armed Forces plans to reply to correspondence from the hon. Member for Arbroath and Broughty Ferry of 28 January 2025.

We are committed to ensuring Government responses to correspondence are timely, accurate, and high quality. On this occasion there was an administrative error which has caused a delay, for which I apologise. However, I can assure the hon. Member that I will be writing to him imminently on the matter he has raised.