Lord Cameron of Lochiel

The Department does not hold local authority level data on RTS meters in residences or businesses. Ofgem data shows that as of 30 May, 105,879 RTS meters remain in premises in Scotland.

Energy suppliers have contacted all premises with RTS meters and Ofgem is encouraging customers to book an appointment to ensure they are provided with a replacement meter as soon as possible.

The RTS signal will be switched off in carefully targeted local areas, where suppliers are ready to respond quickly in case of any issues, starting from 30 June.

Industry’s phase out plan will be flexible and subject to change, as suppliers must demonstrate to Ofgem and Government that they are sufficiently prepared before they can proceed. Households will be contacted by their energy suppliers to inform them well ahead of time of any phase out activity in their area. Ofgem will also contact local authorities to inform them of planned activity in their area ahead of any switch off.

DESNZ has stepped in to ensure there will be a managed and more controlled start of the Radio Teleswitch Service (RTS) phase out from 30 June. People with an RTS meter will not face any unexpected disruption to their heating or hot water when the phase out begins.

The RTS Taskforce, which is attended by Government, has agreed that resources should be targeted towards regional hotspots, such as Scotland, with a high number of RTS meters and it is leading work to ensure suppliers have sufficient installer capacity to replace RTS meters in residential and business premises across GB.

As RTS meters typically control heating and hot water on a separate circuit to a premises' electricity, consumers should not be at risk of losing their electricity supply.

There are now technical solutions available to allow the replacement of all RTS meters.

Ofgem and industry have convened a taskforce on the Radio Teleswitch Service (RTS) involving all major energy suppliers, which the Government attends. This is working with key stakeholders to urgently ramp up efforts to replace the remaining RTS meters in Great Britain.

The Minister for Energy Consumers is meeting with Energy UK and Ofgem on a fortnightly basis to discuss progress, with a particular focus on Scotland and remote and rural areas.

The Government is clear that suppliers must fulfil all their legal obligations to their customers and will work with Ofgem to hold suppliers to account.

Under the Online Safety Act, platforms must proactively tackle illegal content, much of which disproportionately affects women and girls.

Services likely to be accessed by children must also protect children from harmful and age-inappropriate content including abuse.

Category 1 services will also need to remove legal misogynistic content, where their terms of service prohibit it.

As of 17 March Ofcom can take robust enforcement action against those failing to comply with their illegal safety duties. The effectiveness of the Act will be kept under review.

The audit will conclude within three months of commencement and Baroness Casey will submit a written report, which will detail the evidence and findings across the areas detailed at section 2 of the Terms of Reference (which is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-audit-on-group-based-child-sexual-exploitation-and-abuse-terms-of-reference/national-audit-on-group-based-child-sexual-exploitation-and-abuse-terms-of-reference).

The report will provide recommendations on what further local, regional or national work may be necessary, and it will be made publicly available by the Home Secretary in due course.

On 15 January 2025, the Government laid a statutory instrument before Parliament that will increase fees charged by police forces to provide full-cost recovery for firearms licensing applications, in line with the Government's manifesto commitment on firearms fees. The fees were last increased in 2015 and they are now considerably below the cost of the service provided. It is essential for both public safety and police efficiency that increased fees are introduced so that service improvements can be made. The new fees will come into effect on 5 February.

The new fees are based on data produced by a review of firearms licensing costs in 31 police forces in January 2023. This data has since been updated to reflect increases in costs since then. The review was discussed at the Firearms Fees Working Group, chaired by the Home Office, which met in 2022 and 2023 with representation from:

· National Police Chiefs' Council

· Association of Police and Crime Commissioners

· Police Scotland

· Scottish Government

· Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

· British Shooting Sports Council

· British Association for Shooting and Conservation

· Gun Trade Association

· National Rifle Association

· Countryside Alliance

· National Gamekeepers Organisation

· Scottish Association for Country Sports.

A full impact assessment, which covers the impact of increased fees on rural communities, was published alongside the statutory instrument. The Policing Minister met with both the BSSC and BASC on the 13 January 2025.

On 15 January 2025, the Government laid a statutory instrument before Parliament that will increase fees charged by police forces to provide full-cost recovery for firearms licensing applications, in line with the Government's manifesto commitment on firearms fees. The fees were last increased in 2015 and they are now considerably below the cost of the service provided. It is essential for both public safety and police efficiency that increased fees are introduced so that service improvements can be made. The new fees will come into effect on 5 February.

The new fees are based on data produced by a review of firearms licensing costs in 31 police forces in January 2023. This data has since been updated to reflect increases in costs since then. The review was discussed at the Firearms Fees Working Group, chaired by the Home Office, which met in 2022 and 2023 with representation from:

· National Police Chiefs' Council

· Association of Police and Crime Commissioners

· Police Scotland

· Scottish Government

· Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

· British Shooting Sports Council

· British Association for Shooting and Conservation

· Gun Trade Association

· National Rifle Association

· Countryside Alliance

· National Gamekeepers Organisation

· Scottish Association for Country Sports.

A full impact assessment, which covers the impact of increased fees on rural communities, was published alongside the statutory instrument. The Policing Minister met with both the BSSC and BASC on the 13 January 2025.

As per the statement made by the Minister of the Armed Forces on Monday 23 June 2025, an investigation is underway into the incident at RAF Brize Norton. Work has initially focused on Brize Norton but extends to all UK bases. The results will allow us to prioritise improvements and investment required. Further plans will be announced in due course after the completion of the review.

As per the statement made by the Minister of the Armed Forces on Monday 23 June 2025, an investigation is underway into the incident at RAF Brize Norton. Work has initially focused on Brize Norton but extends to all UK bases. The results will allow us to prioritise improvements and investment required. Further plans will be announced in due course after the completion of the review.

£16.7 million has been awarded to 46 projects in Scotland through the Community Ownership Fund. £10.4 million has been drawn down by projects to date.

A number of these projects have completed including The Heart of Newhaven in Edinburgh and the Y Centre in Perth. We will continue to provide funding to successful projects that have been announced.

As set out at Autumn Budget, the Long-Term Plan for Towns will be retained and reformed, as part of a new regeneration programme.

The 75 places across the UK, including 10 in Scotland, that were previously selected to receive funding under the Long-Term Plan for Towns will receive up to £20 million of funding and support over the next decade.

£471 million has been awarded to 24 projects in Scotland through the Levelling Up Fund and to date £132 million has been released. At Autumn Budget 2024 we were pleased to confirm that funding for rounds 1 – 3 projects of the Levelling Up Fund have been confirmed.

The Autumn Budget 2024 confirmed that the government is minded to withdraw the funding for culture projects announced at Spring Budget 2024, which includes allocations to Dunfermline, Perth and the Victoria and Albert Museum Dundee levelling up culture projects. The consultation process with potential recipients is underway.

Delivery activity under the UK Community Renewal Fund ended on 31 December 2022; and all funding has been paid to projects in Scotland.

The UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) operates under a delegated delivery model, meaning lead local authorities are responsible for managing the funding for their area and the allocation of funds to projects.

Lead local authorities in Scotland have been paid £188.6m of the £212m available to them for delivery up to March 2025. The outstanding £16.8m remains available to be paid to lead local authorities at the end of the financial year, based on actual spend. UKSPF funding allocations for 2022-25 are unaffected by the 2024 Autumn Budget announcement.

The UK Government is currently engaging with the Scottish Government and considering their proposal. We will keep Parliament informed of any developments.