Alister Jack

Regulations introduced in 2017 require employers with 250 or more employees to report specific data about their gender pay gap.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission has the power to take enforcement action against employers that breach the regulations. Failure to comply with the regulations could ultimately lead to an unlimited fine decided by the courts

The Equality and Human Rights Commission have published their enforcement policy, which is available online:

www.equalityhumanrights.com/en/publication-download/closing-gap-enforcing-gender-pay-gap-regulations

I continue to have regular conversations with the Secretary of State for Scotland on the return of powers from Brussels to Holyrood following exit from the EU. Furthermore, we are both part of JMC(EN) where this, amongst other issues, has been discussed with the devolved administrations.

Ministers regularly meet the Mobile Network Operators to discuss a range of issues including improving mobile phone coverage across the whole of the UK, including Scotland.

In delivering the Emergency Services Network (ESN), the mobile network operator EE is delivering around 500 new sites (up to 291 of which will be funded by the Government) and upgrading its entire existing network. Over 300 of these new sites are in Scotland and all new sites are open to incoming site share applications from other Mobile Network Operators. Additionally, in the more remote areas of Great Britain, the Government, as part of its Extended Area Service (EAS) Programme, will deliver approximately 300 further sites for ESN and, potentially, for commercial coverage. 123 of these EAS sites will be in Scotland.

We are working with the radio industry to improve digital radio coverage for listeners. DCMS has provided around £7.3m capital funding - in conjunction with on-going financial support from the BBC and commercial radio - to support the long term expansion of the local digital radio (DAB) network across the UK.

In December 2014 a commitment was made to a programme of work including a total of 182 new local DAB transmitters built across Scotland, Wales, England and Northern Ireland, and technical improvements at a further 49 existing local DAB transmitter sites. According to Ofcom the programme to upgrade the local DAB network in Scotland is predicted to increase the coverage of local digital radio services from 65% to around 86% of Scottish homes, up by over 20%.

Separately, under phase 4 of its expansion, the BBC has rolled out its national DAB network to a further 163 transmitter sites across the UK. This programme of work has included new DAB transmitters at 4 sites in Dumfries and Galloway serving: Kirkconnel, Langholm, Moffat, Sanquhar and Thornhill. The BBC’s phase 4 expansion programme has seen an increase in the coverage of its national DAB network in Scotland from 91% to 95% of homes.

DCMS does not collect this type of information. The independent communications regulator Ofcom publishes an annual review of the digital radio market, which includes data on the availability of DAB radio services by Nation. The last report was published in November 2017. DAB coverage figures for Scotland are set out in the table below.

According to Ofcom's Connected Nations 2017 report (published on 15 December 2017), indoor premises voice coverage by at least one Mobile Network Operator (MNO) was 97% (with 63% from all four MNOs) in Dumfries and Galloway, while indoor premises data coverage was 96% (51% from all four).

However, the Government recognises that there is still more to do to improve coverage. That is why we reformed the Electronic Communications Code in 2017, to make it cheaper to install digital infrastructure and this should help improve coverage in the UK, including Scotland. We also welcome the Scottish Government's planning reforms introduced in 2017 that follow our 2016 reforms in England to support infrastructure rollout. We are committed to having good quality coverage where people live, work and travel and welcome that Ofcom is considering new licence obligations for rural coverage as part of the upcoming 700 MHz spectrum auction.

Ministers and officials are in regular discussion with their Scottish counterparts on future agriculture policy after the UK leaves the EU. Meetings were held over the summer between Defra and Scottish Government officials, along with their counterparts from Wales and Northern Ireland, on UK common agricultural frameworks. Further discussions have taken place on 14 and 15 November.

The Secretary of State met Fergus Ewing, the Scottish Cabinet Secretary for Rural Economy and Connectivity, on 6 November to discuss future agricultural policy, along with Lesley Griffiths, the Welsh Cabinet Secretary for Energy, Planning and Rural Affairs and Noel Lavery, the Permanent Secretary in the Department for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) in Northern Ireland.

The Government is committed to delivering an approach that works for the whole of the UK and reflects the needs and individual circumstances of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Ministers and officials are in regular discussion with their Scottish counterparts on future agriculture policy after the UK leaves the EU. Meetings were held over the summer between Defra and Scottish Government officials, along with their counterparts from Wales and Northern Ireland, on UK common agricultural frameworks. Further discussions have taken place on 14 and 15 November.

The Secretary of State met Fergus Ewing, the Scottish Cabinet Secretary for Rural Economy and Connectivity, on 6 November to discuss future agricultural policy, along with Lesley Griffiths, the Welsh Cabinet Secretary for Energy, Planning and Rural Affairs and Noel Lavery, the Permanent Secretary in the Department for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) in Northern Ireland.

The Government is committed to delivering an approach that works for the whole of the UK and reflects the needs and individual circumstances of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The UK Chief Veterinary Officer (CVO) has regular meetings with the Ireland CVO which cover a range animal health and welfare issues. At their most recent meeting on 25 July 2017 they discussed operations to tackle the smuggling of puppies into the United Kingdom from the Republic of Ireland and elsewhere.

Defra Ministers have ongoing discussions with a range of government departments, including the Home Office, about securing the workforce that the farming industry needs for the future.

The Government has commissioned the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to better understand the reliance on EU migrant workers across the economy and to consider the UK’s labour market needs.

The Home Office leads on immigration, and we are working with them to ensure that the specific needs of food and farming industry are considered in our future immigration system. We will look to develop a system which works for the whole United Kingdom.

We gather industry intelligence and analyse data to ensure that we understand the labour supply and demand in agriculture, and the effect of leaving the EU on this sector.

The Government also commissioned the independent Migration Advisory Committee to assess the role that EU citizens play in the UK economy and society, including the agriculture sector.

Defra is working closely with the Home Office which leads on immigration as we work towards developing a new immigration system following our departure from the EU.

The great.gov.uk website offers small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) digital tools to start or expand exporting. Companies across the UK can access our overseas network, high-value campaigns and international events programme. In addition, last year UK Export Finance provided £3 billion to 221 UK companies - 79% of which were SMEs.

The Department for Transport has not made such an assessment. Cumbria Local Enterprise Partnership has made £4.75 million available from its Local Growth Fund towards infrastructure improvements at Carlisle Airport. It would be a matter for airlines to decide which commercial flights they operate from the airport.

Road investment in Scotland is a devolved matter and as such any plans to regenerate the A75 euro-route fall to the Scottish Government.

Where there are areas of cross border interest, such as in the case of the A1 north of Newcastle, UK ministers are keen to collaborate with their Scottish counterparts.

Road investment in Scotland is a devolved power and as such any plans to upgrade the A75 fall to the Scottish Government.

Road investment in Scotland is a devolved power and as such any plans to upgrade the A75 fall to the Scottish Government.

Road investment in Scotland is a devolved matter and as such any plans to regenerate the A75 euro-route fall to the Scottish Government.

Where there are areas of cross border interest, such as in the case of the A1 north of Newcastle, UK ministers are keen to collaborate with their Scottish counterparts.

HMRC, as the anti-money laundering supervisor for estate agents, drafts the guidance on how to apply the Money Laundering, Terrorist Financing and Transfer of Funds (Information on the Payer) Regulations 2017. The estate agency guidance was updated after the 2017 regulations came into force and is available in draft.

Both HM Treasury and HMRC are working closely with industry representatives to ensure that the guidance is finalised as soon as possible and that it is effective and fit for purpose.

The EU’s Fifth Anti-Money Laundering Directive (5AMLD) requires EU Member States to extend the scope of their anti-money laundering (AML) regimes to estate agents that are letting property for a rent of over €10,000 per month.

The transposition deadline for 5AMLD is January 2020. As this falls within the Implementation Period, the UK will transpose this Directive.

The Government is committed to ensuring that the UK property market is hostile to illicit finance whilst ensuring burdens on legitimate businesses are minimised. Estate agents are covered by the UK’s Money Laundering, Terrorist Financing and Transfer of Funds (Information on the Payer) Regulations 2017 (“the regulations”). Under the regulations, estate agents must conduct customer due diligence checks, including identifying and verifying their clients (which includes both buyers and sellers) and conducting ongoing monitoring. HMRC, as the supervisor of estate agents, is also required to carry out criminality checks on their supervised population to ensure that individuals with a relevant criminal conviction cannot be the beneficial owner, officer, manager or sole practitioner of a relevant estate agency firm.

The regulations were comprehensively updated in 2017 and we’ll continue to keep them under review.

The Cryptoassets Taskforce will publish a report in Q3 2018.

The first meeting of the Taskforce was held on May 21^st, and attended by senior leaders from government and the financial regulators, including the Director General of Financial Services at HM Treasury, a Deputy Governor of the Bank of England, and the Chief Executive of the Financial Conduct Authority.^[1]

Officials from across all three organisations continue to meet on a regular basis and are working closely together. Officials are also engaging with industry stakeholders and international counterparts, and held an industry roundtable on 24 July.

[1] https://www.gov.uk/government/news/cryptoassets-taskforce-meets-for-the-first-time

The first meeting of the Taskforce was held on May 21^st, and attended by senior leaders from government and the financial regulators, including the Director General of Financial Services at HM Treasury, the Deputy Governor of the Bank of England, and the Chief Executive of the Financial Conduct Authority.^[1]

Officials from across all three organisations continue to meet on a regular basis and are working closely together. Officials are also engaging with industry stakeholders and international counterparts, and held an industry roundtable on 23 July. The Taskforce will publish a report in Q3 2018.

[1] https://www.gov.uk/government/news/cryptoassets-taskforce-meets-for-the-first-time

The tackling of human trafficking is a devolved matter and the Scottish Government works closely with Police Scotland, Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, Procurator Fiscal Service and other key partners to address this crime and support victims. This includes co-ordination with the Home Office and UK-wide bodies including Border Force and Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority.

The Scottish Parliament passed legislation in 2015 entitled “Human Trafficking and Exploitation (Scotland) Act” to tackle human trafficking in Scotland. Since then, a range of work has taken place to implement the Scottish Government’s Trafficking and Exploitation Strategy, focussing on three action areas: identifying and supporting victims, identifying and disrupting perpetrators, and addressing the conditions that foster trafficking and exploitation. The Scottish Government will soon publish the first annual progress report on implementation of the Strategy.

Tackling human trafficking and modern slavery, both in the UK and overseas, is a priority for the government.

The tackling of human trafficking is a devolved matter for the Scottish Government. At the border, intelligence-led operations to disrupt traffickers and protect victims is the key to Border Force’s response to the threat of Modern Slavery. Through the Modern Slavery Threat Group, Border Force work alongside UKVI, IE and other law enforcement agencies to identify and disrupt modern slavery offenders.

It is not Border Force Policy to release port specific information as it could compromise operational and National Security.

The port of Cairnryan is a domestic UK port. Border Force has no powers to operate in that environment.

Information is not held centrally on the specific location from which potential victims of modern slavery and human trafficking are first identified. For Scotland as a whole, the number of potential victims first identified in Scotland and referred to the National Referral Mechanism (the support service provided to potential victims of modern slavery and human trafficking) for the last three years are:

The 2015 Spending Review continued the commitment to meet the NATO investment pledge to spend 2% of GDP on Defence for the rest of this decade. This is evaluated using the NATO definitions of Defence spending which the UK complies with fully. Details and figures on NATO Defence expenditures can be found at the following link:

https://www.nato.int/nato_static_fl2014/assets/pdf/pdf_2018_07/20180709_180710-pr2018-91-en.pdf

The amount and proportion spent on pensions, by financial year (FY), is as follows:

Currency Unit: £million

The UK complies with NATO’s definitions on defence spending.

There are 30 staff employed at the Ministry of Defence (MOD) West Freugh establishment (26 QinetiQ and four sub-contracted staff). No MOD personnel are employed there.

The Ministry of Defence West Freugh establishment is expected to continue delivering test, evaluation and training support services under the Long Term Partnering Agreement with QinetiQ which runs until 2028.

Thirty-two training exercises were undertaken at the Ministry of Defence West Freugh establishment during the last five financial years (2013-14 to 2017-18).

The Ministry of Defence does plan to develop and enhance the training facilities at Dundrennan Range, but these plans are in the very early stages of development.

The UK Government recognises the importance of the ports sector in our trading activity, as a vital part of intra-UK trade and wider export success, tourism and transport connectivity. As well as underpinning so many industries, we recognise too the important contributor the ports sector makes to the economy in their own right, though have made no specific assessment of the ports in question.

Tourism is a devolved policy area, meaning that the Northern Ireland Executive has responsibility for the promotion and delivery of the tourism offered within Northern Ireland. Tourism Ireland is responsible for marketing the island of Ireland overseas, including with Great Britain.

The Department has not undertaken an assessment of the value of tourism between Northern Ireland and Scotland. As shown, though, by its place at the top of the recent Lonely Planet list of regions to visit, Northern Ireland is a 'must-see' tourist destination, and Ministers in the Northern Ireland Office will continue to encourage visitors to come to experience the many wonderful sights and attractions it has to offer.

The Department has not undertaken an assessment of the value of cross-border trade between Scotland and Northern Ireland. The Department has however worked with colleagues across the UK to assess the value of external sales from Northern Ireland to Great Britain, which stands at £14bn.