Written questions by Gilbert.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent representations he has made to his Israeli counterpart on the (a) right to access legal advice and (b) wellbeing of Dr Hussam Abu Safiya.

I remain deeply disturbed by the ongoing detention of Dr Hussam Abu Safiya and other medical staff from Gaza, and I have raised his case with the Government of Israel. We continue to urge Israel to clarify the reasons for the detention of Dr Abu Safiya and other medical personnel, and to allow the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) unfettered and immediate access to detention facilities.

How many organisations he has had discussions with on zonal pricing are (a) in favour of and (b) against introducing zonal pricing.

The second REMA consultation sought views on a range of market reforms under consideration by Government, including zonal pricing. The outcomes of the consultation are available at https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/review-of-electricity-market-arrangements-rema-second-consultationSince coming into office I have also met with stakeholders representing a wide spectrum of views on zonal pricing, with the purpose of considering all positions as we work towards making a decision on market reform.

What his planned timetable is for the end of the policy development phase of the review of electricity market arrangements.

As set out in the Review of Electricity Market Arrangements Autumn Update, the Government plans to conclude the policy development phase of the REMA programme by mid-2025 and announce final decisions before the CfD Allocation Round 7 auctions open.

What assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing zonal pricing on private investment.

The Government is considering reforms to the electricity market through our Review of Electricity Market Arrangements (REMA). This includes consideration of whether to move to a zonal electricity market, where prices vary depending on local conditions, or to continue with a reformed version of our national pricing arrangements. Zonal pricing could have significant benefits, including through reducing the cost of energy to businesses. However, it also creates potential new risks to generators that need to be carefully considered. Any decisions on market reform will be based on a robust analysis of the costs and benefits. The Government plans to conclude the policy development phase of the REMA programme by mid-2025.

What estimate his Department has made of the number of employees who will benefit from the increase in national minimum wage rates in Edinburgh North and Leith constituency.

Approximately 200,000 employees in Scotland are expected to benefit from a direct pay rise due to the increases in the National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage in April 2025, according to the Government’s Impact Assessment. Constituency-level estimates are not available due to greater data reliability issues arising from low survey response rates.

Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate his Department has made of the proportion of whisky distilled in England that is currently labelled as (a) English Whisky and (b) Single Malt English Whisky.

From a check of products online, it is estimated that around 20% of English whiskies are labelled as English Whisky, and around 70% are labelled as Single Malt Whisky (not all of which use the term English Whisky). Use of the English Whisky name is increasing among English whiskies, and if the geographical indication proceeds to registration, this will bring those producers under the HMRC Spirit Drinks Verification Scheme to ensure compliance with the product specification.

Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate his Department has made of the percentage of whisky distilleries in (a) England, (b) Northern Ireland, (c) Scotland and (d) Wales that mash, ferment, and distil on one site.

Accurate figures can only be obtained from those whiskies subject to HMRC verification checks for registered geographical indications, so the figure for English Whisky is an estimate. The percentages are 100% for Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales and approximately 90% for England.

How many people were claiming Pension Credit in (a) Edinburgh North and Leith constituency and (b) Scotland on 31 December 2024.

In Winter 2023 to 2024, there were 10,051 pensioner households living in the Edinburgh North and Leith constituency and 751,246 pensioner households living in Scotland. This is based on winter-fuel-payments-household-2023-to-2024.ods. At that point in time, 1,659 pensioner households received Pension Credit in the Edinburgh North and Leith constituency and 125,136 pensioner households received Pension Credit in Scotland. This is based on February 2024 Pension Credit statistics which are available via DWP Stat-Xplore. Based on these figures, 16.5% of pensioner households in the Edinburgh North and Leith constituency and 16.7% of pensioner households in Scotland received Pension Credit in February 2024. The latest Pension Credit statistics were published in November 2024 and cover the period up to May 2024. The next iteration of Pension Credit caseload statistics will be released on 18th February 2025, as part of the DWP Benefits Statistics quarterly release. This will contain data for the period from June 2024 to the end of August 2024. Following release, the data can also be accessed at Stat-Xplore - Home.

Food and Rural Affairs, when his Department plans to publish guidance on the Marine Recovery Fund; and what his planned timeline is for the implementation of that fund.

As announced in the Clean Power Action Plan, we will establish an industry‑funded Marine Recovery Fund into which applicants can pay to discharge their compensation obligations, underpinned by a library of approved strategic compensation measures. This will be launched in late 2025. A consultation on the Marine Recovery Fund will be published this Spring. The library of approved compensation measures for offshore wind projects in England is being developed by Defra in collaboration with stakeholders through the Collaboration in Offshore Wind Strategic Compensation programme (COWSC). COWSC brings together Government representatives, Statutory Nature Conservation Bodies (SNCBs), environmental NGOs, offshore wind industry representatives, and Devolved Governments to work together in partnership. The focus of the programme is to propose sufficient measures to meet the Government’s offshore wind ambitions. DESNZ estimates that delivery of strategic compensation through the Marine Recovery Fund will remove environmental barriers to up to 16GW of offshore wind.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Marine Recovery Fund on offshore wind deployment targets.

As announced in the Clean Power Action Plan, we will establish an industry‑funded Marine Recovery Fund into which applicants can pay to discharge their compensation obligations, underpinned by a library of approved strategic compensation measures. This will be launched in late 2025. A consultation on the Marine Recovery Fund will be published this Spring. The library of approved compensation measures for offshore wind projects in England is being developed by Defra in collaboration with stakeholders through the Collaboration in Offshore Wind Strategic Compensation programme (COWSC). COWSC brings together Government representatives, Statutory Nature Conservation Bodies (SNCBs), environmental NGOs, offshore wind industry representatives, and Devolved Governments to work together in partnership. The focus of the programme is to propose sufficient measures to meet the Government’s offshore wind ambitions. DESNZ estimates that delivery of strategic compensation through the Marine Recovery Fund will remove environmental barriers to up to 16GW of offshore wind.

Food and Rural Affairs, when he plans to make an announcement on the establishment of the Marine Recovery Fund; and whether he plans to include sufficient approved measures on ornithological impacts to deliver the projects required to meet (a) the Government’s Clean Power 2030 Plan and (b) offshore wind targets beyond 2030.

As announced in the Clean Power Action Plan, we will establish an industry‑funded Marine Recovery Fund into which applicants can pay to discharge their compensation obligations, underpinned by a library of approved strategic compensation measures. This will be launched in late 2025. A consultation on the Marine Recovery Fund will be published this Spring. The library of approved compensation measures for offshore wind projects in England is being developed by Defra in collaboration with stakeholders through the Collaboration in Offshore Wind Strategic Compensation programme (COWSC). COWSC brings together Government representatives, Statutory Nature Conservation Bodies (SNCBs), environmental NGOs, offshore wind industry representatives, and Devolved Governments to work together in partnership. The focus of the programme is to propose sufficient measures to meet the Government’s offshore wind ambitions. DESNZ estimates that delivery of strategic compensation through the Marine Recovery Fund will remove environmental barriers to up to 16GW of offshore wind.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of giving Statutory Nature Conservation Bodies a statutory duty to consider (a) net zero and (b) the delivery of the Clean Power Mission when providing advice on applications for renewable energy infrastructure projects to (i) developers and (ii) competent authorities.

Statutory Nature Conservation Bodies (SNCBs) under Defra’s purview include Natural England and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC). Remits differ with Natural England advising developers and competent authorities on environmental assessments and certain planning applications related to Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and best and most versatile agricultural land; and JNCC focusing on nature conservation in the marine environment. These statutory remits ensure development, including renewable energy infrastructure projects, contribute to net zero and clean power goals, and enable development to progress with a full understanding of impacts. Furthermore, Natural England’s aims, as set out in their Strategy, are in support of the 25 Year Environment Plan and government’s net zero commitments, and they have a priority action for 24/25 to help align Local Nature Recovery Strategies with other local spatial plans including net zero.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department plans to take to ensure that the Marine Recovery Fund has a sufficient library of appropriate compensation measures to deliver the environmental compensation necessary to meet Government's Offshore Wind targets.

As announced in the Clean Power Action Plan, we will establish an industry‑funded Marine Recovery Fund into which applicants can pay to discharge their compensation obligations, underpinned by a library of approved strategic compensation measures. This will be launched in late 2025. A consultation on the Marine Recovery Fund will be published this Spring. The library of approved compensation measures for offshore wind projects in England is being developed by Defra in collaboration with stakeholders through the Collaboration in Offshore Wind Strategic Compensation programme (COWSC). COWSC brings together Government representatives, Statutory Nature Conservation Bodies (SNCBs), environmental NGOs, offshore wind industry representatives, and Devolved Governments to work together in partnership. The focus of the programme is to propose sufficient measures to meet the Government’s offshore wind ambitions. DESNZ estimates that delivery of strategic compensation through the Marine Recovery Fund will remove environmental barriers to up to 16GW of offshore wind.

What proportion of pensioners were claiming pension credit in (a) Edinburgh North and Leith constituency and (b) Scotland on 31 December 2024.

In Winter 2023 to 2024, there were 10,051 pensioner households living in the Edinburgh North and Leith constituency and 751,246 pensioner households living in Scotland. This is based on winter-fuel-payments-household-2023-to-2024.ods. At that point in time, 1,659 pensioner households received Pension Credit in the Edinburgh North and Leith constituency and 125,136 pensioner households received Pension Credit in Scotland. This is based on February 2024 Pension Credit statistics which are available via DWP Stat-Xplore. Based on these figures, 16.5% of pensioner households in the Edinburgh North and Leith constituency and 16.7% of pensioner households in Scotland received Pension Credit in February 2024. The latest Pension Credit statistics were published in November 2024 and cover the period up to May 2024. The next iteration of Pension Credit caseload statistics will be released on 18th February 2025, as part of the DWP Benefits Statistics quarterly release. This will contain data for the period from June 2024 to the end of August 2024. Following release, the data can also be accessed at Stat-Xplore - Home.

Food and Rural Affairs, what processes are in place for Statutory Nature Conservation Bodies to consider (a) new scientific research and (b) evidence on the impact of offshore wind on the marine environment; and how this evidence is incorporated into the modelling parameters which developers use when assessing the impact of offshore wind projects on (i) ornithology and (ii) benthic ecology.

Defra’s Statutory Nature Conservation Bodies, Natural England and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee, work closely together on assessing and advising on the impacts of offshore wind on the marine environment. Advice is based on robust scientific methods and all new scientific research is scrutinised before incorporating it into advice. Specialists at Natural England are directly involved in many offshore wind research projects and contribute to the Offshore Wind Environmental Evidence Register to support the knowledge base for the development of new offshore wind farms. New evidence is incorporated into Natural England’s guidance to offshore wind developers on environmental impact assessments. The guidance covers both ornithology and benthic assessments and is updated when new evidence comes to light.

What discussions she has had with the Welsh Government on electoral registration in Wales.

The UK Government is committed to strengthening our democracy, widening participation, and upholding the integrity of elections. The Interministerial Group on Elections, which will meet next week, provides a regular forum for the UK Government and the Devolved Governments to discuss our shared ambitions.

What support her Department is providing to SMEs on the changes to employer National Insurance contributions.

The Government has protected the smallest businesses and charities from the impact of the increase to Employer National Insurance by increasing the Employment Allowance from £5,000 to £10,500, which means that 865,000 employers will pay no NICs at all next year, more than half of employers will see no change or will gain overall from this package, and all eligible employers will be able to employ up to four full-time workers on the National Living Wage and pay no employer NICs.Businesses will also still be able to claim employer NICs reliefs including those for under 21s and under 25 apprentices, where eligible.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of suspending export licences for F-35 components to Israel.

On day one in office, the Foreign Secretary commissioned a thorough review into Israel's compliance with International Humanitarian Law (IHL), given the grave concerns about the conduct and consequences of the war in Gaza for civilians. The UK's robust export licensing criteria state that the Government will not issue export licences if there is a clear risk that the items might be used to commit or facilitate serious violations of IHL. Given the conclusions of the review, on 2 September the Government suspended around 30 export licences to Israel, effectively covering all arms exports for use in the current conflict in Gaza, exempting components for F-35 aircraft which, for reasons outlined in the Foreign Secretary's Statement and the Business and Trade Secretary's Written Ministerial Statement, have been excluded from the suspension.

What remit the Great British Energy satellite sites in (a) Edinburgh and (b) Glasgow will have.

This Government has been clear that Great British Energy (GBE) will be operationally independent, and decisions such as these will ultimately sit with the company itself. These additional sites in Glasgow and Edinburgh will allow GBE to tap into other expertise across Scotland, and workforce planning is ongoing to ensure the company secures the right skills in the right locations. The work GBE delivers across all of its locations will be in accordance with the strategic priorities, which will be set by the Secretary of State.

Communities and Local Government, when her Department will confirm allocations for the £900 million Shared Prosperity Funding announced in the Autumn budget.

Allocations for the UK Shared Prosperity Fund in 2025-26 were published on GOV.UK on 13 December and can be found here.