Asked by: Angus MacDonald (Liberal Democrat - Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to help ensure HGV licence applications are processed within DVLA target times, in cases where drivers may lose their job if the licence is delayed.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) seeks to process all driving licence applications as quickly as possible. However, in the interests of road safety, licences can only be issued once the required medical standards are met.
Medical standards for lorry and bus drivers (Group 2) are significantly higher than those for car and motorcycle drivers (Group 1), reflecting the size and weight of these vehicles and the length of time professional drivers typically spend at the wheel. Where a medical condition needs to be assessed, applications may take longer to process, as the DVLA is often dependent on information from third parties, including medical professionals. Where drivers indicate that their licence is required for employment, applications are prioritised where possible.
The DVLA has seen a sustained increase in both the volume and complexity of medical licence applications. In 2024/25, more than 830,000 medical licensing decisions were made, with over 925,000 medical applications and notifications forecast for 2025/26. This increase has led to longer waiting times for some customers.
To improve performance and service levels, the DVLA is enhancing its digital services and introducing a new casework system to support medical licensing. This is being complemented by the recruitment of additional staff to process applications and handle customer enquiries, which will deliver improvements for drivers with medical conditions.
Asked by: Angus MacDonald (Liberal Democrat - Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to reduce delays in the issuing of HGV driving licences for drivers with medical conditions.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) seeks to process all driving licence applications as quickly as possible. However, in the interests of road safety, licences can only be issued once the required medical standards are met.
Medical standards for lorry and bus drivers (Group 2) are significantly higher than those for car and motorcycle drivers (Group 1), reflecting the size and weight of these vehicles and the length of time professional drivers typically spend at the wheel. Where a medical condition needs to be assessed, applications may take longer to process, as the DVLA is often dependent on information from third parties, including medical professionals. Where drivers indicate that their licence is required for employment, applications are prioritised where possible.
The DVLA has seen a sustained increase in both the volume and complexity of medical licence applications. In 2024/25, more than 830,000 medical licensing decisions were made, with over 925,000 medical applications and notifications forecast for 2025/26. This increase has led to longer waiting times for some customers.
To improve performance and service levels, the DVLA is enhancing its digital services and introducing a new casework system to support medical licensing. This is being complemented by the recruitment of additional staff to process applications and handle customer enquiries, which will deliver improvements for drivers with medical conditions.
Asked by: Angus MacDonald (Liberal Democrat - Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions he has had with defence companies and advanced manufacturing clusters in Scotland on collaborating with Ukrainian partners on the development of air defence, drone and electronic warfare technologies.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
I have held multiple discussions with defence companies and Scottish stakeholders on collaboration with Ukrainian partners in air defence, uncrewed systems, and electronic warfare. In March, I led the seventh and largest UK defence trade mission to Ukraine, including Scottish businesses, with support from my Department and ADS. We are also helping UK industry—including Scottish companies—establish a lasting presence via the Business Centre in Kyiv and develop further capabilities in partnership with Ukraine’s defence ecosystem.
Asked by: Angus MacDonald (Liberal Democrat - Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment the Government has made of Ukraine’s approach to maintaining civil resilience and continuity of government during sustained attacks on critical infrastructure.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
Ukraine continues to show great determination and ability to defend itself against Russia’s illegal invasion. Russia has gained less than 1.5% of Ukrainian territory since the frontlines stabilised in November 2022, suffering over 1 million casualties since the start of the full-scale invasion, and its economy is stagnating.
The UK will stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes. The Prime Minister has met with and spoken to President Zelenskyy on numerous occasions since taking office, most recently on March 17th to agree an Enhanced Security and Defence Industrial Collaboration Declaration. We are incorporating lessons relating to CNI, continuity of government and wider resilience from Ukraine’s extraordinary experience as outlined in the Resilience Action Plan and National Security Strategy.
Asked by: Angus MacDonald (Liberal Democrat - Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what comparative assessment her Department has made of the (a) VAT Registration Threshold and (b) rate of inflation between 2014 and 2026.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
At £90,000, the UK has a higher VAT registration threshold than any EU country and the joint highest in the OECD. This reflects the Government’s approach to balance the impacts on small businesses, with the needs of the wider economy and the public finances. Such a comparatively high threshold means the majority of UK businesses are not in the VAT system at all, reducing administrative burdens and supporting growth.
Asked by: Angus MacDonald (Liberal Democrat - Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what measures her Department is implementing to help ensure big tech companies do not profit from fraudulent activity on their platforms.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Online Safety Act lists fraud as priority illegal content, meaning in-scope services including social media and search providers must prevent and minimise fraudulent user-generated content from appearing on their services and swiftly remove it if it does. In-scope user-to-user services must also manage the risk that their service may be used to facilitate fraud offences.
Category 1 and 2A services (including large social media and search providers respectively) will have additional duties to tackle paid-for fraudulent advertising. Ofcom is responsible for designating categorised services and aims to publish the categorisation register in July.
Asked by: Angus MacDonald (Liberal Democrat - Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the provisions of the Online Safety Act 2023 for tackling online scam advertisements.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Online Safety Act lists fraud as priority illegal content, meaning in-scope services including social media and search providers must prevent and minimise fraudulent user-generated content from appearing on their services and swiftly remove it if it does. In-scope user-to-user services must also manage the risk that their service may be used to facilitate fraud offences.
Category 1 and 2A services (including large social media and search providers respectively) will have additional duties to tackle paid-for fraudulent advertising. Ofcom is responsible for designating categorised services and aims to publish the categorisation register in July.
Asked by: Angus MacDonald (Liberal Democrat - Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department plans to expand defence training and knowledge-sharing initiatives with Ukraine, including through facilities and defence establishments in Scotland.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
In March 2026, the UK and Ukraine signed an Enhanced Security and Defence Industrial Collaboration Declaration, which will see the UK and Ukraine deepen cooperation in the field of military training and knowledge sharing.
This includes the participation of Ukrainian personnel in allied training activities and the organisation of joint exercises.
We will accelerate cooperation in the exchange of defence-related information and data and integrate lessons learnt from the battlefield into military training and capability planning.
On 12 March, we announced a £50 million investment into the Scotland Defence Growth Deal to boost Scotland’s crucial role in UK defence. We also announced a further £10 million to support the implementation of a Defence Technical Excellence College, in consultation with Colleges Scotland, to increase the number of skilled workers available to Scotland’s defence sector.
Asked by: Angus MacDonald (Liberal Democrat - Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent steps he has taken to incorporate lessons from Ukraine’s battlefield innovation, particularly in drone technology, electronic warfare and autonomous systems, into UK defence.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The pace of Defence's 'learn and adapt' cycle has accelerated exponentially as a result of lessons learnt in Ukraine The SDR highlighted the importance of autonomous systems within the UK’s integrated force. Decisions on the UK’s equipment requirements, including drones, electromagnetic warfare and autonomous systems, will be prioritised appropriately against the threat as part of the future Integrated Force and set out in the Defence Investment Plan to be published this year.
Asked by: Angus MacDonald (Liberal Democrat - Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate her Department has made of the administrative burden to the Treasury of processing VAT receipts for Businesses with a turnover under £250,000.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
HMRC has not made an estimate of the administrative burden to the Treasury for processing VAT receipts for businesses with a turnover below £250,000. HMRC measures its overall operational costs across all taxes and does not hold this information at the level of granularity required to isolate costs attributable to businesses with a turnover under £250,000.