Asked by: Lord Cameron of Lochiel (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government what action they are taking to assist (1) residential properties, (2) business properties, in island communities in Scotland who are yet to switch over from Radio Teleswitch Service meters to smart meters.
Answered by Lord Wilson of Sedgefield - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
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.
Asked by: Lord Cameron of Lochiel (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government what support they are providing to energy companies to expedite smart meter installations as part of the phased Radio Teleswitch Service shutdown.
Answered by Lord Wilson of Sedgefield - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
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.
Asked by: Lord Cameron of Lochiel (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to provide compensation to households who are unable to switch from a Radio Teleswitch Service meter to a smart meter and consequently lose access to power.
Answered by Lord Wilson of Sedgefield - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
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.
Asked by: Lord Cameron of Lochiel (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government on what dates the shutdown of the Radio Teleswitch Service will be completed, broken down by area.
Answered by Lord Wilson of Sedgefield - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
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.
Asked by: Lord Cameron of Lochiel (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many (1) residential, and (2) business, properties have a Radio Teleswitch Service meter in Scotland, broken down by local authority area.
Answered by Lord Wilson of Sedgefield - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
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.
Asked by: Lord Cameron of Lochiel (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to assess the existing security protocols at RAF Lossiemouth following the recent compromise in security at RAF Brize Norton.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
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.
Asked by: Lord Cameron of Lochiel (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to provide additional funding for security at RAF Lossiemouth following the recent compromise in security at RAF Brize Norton.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
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.
Asked by: Lord Cameron of Lochiel (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the projected impact of new powers granted to Ofcom under the Online Safety Act 2023 on the level of online abuse against women and girls.
Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
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.
Asked by: Lord Cameron of Lochiel (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government on what date the national audit on group-based child sexual exploitation and abuse, led by Baroness Casey, will be published.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
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.
Asked by: Lord Cameron of Lochiel (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they consulted (1) British Association for Shooting and Conservation Scotland, (2) the Scottish Gamekeepers Association, (3) Scottish Land & Estates, (4) NFU Scotland, (5) the Scottish Association for Country Sports, (6) Scottish Target Shooting and (7) the Scottish Clay Target Association prior to laying the Firearms (Variation of Fees) Order 2025 before Parliament; and, if so, what details they can provide of the consultation and responses to it.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
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.