Asked by: Brian Leishman (Labour - Alloa and Grangemouth)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions she has had with (a) the Scottish Government and (b) ferry operators on the crewing model that will be used on the vessels used to provide Roll-on Roll-off passenger and freight ferry services between Scotland and continental Europe; and whether conditions of maritime employment on those services will be covered by the Mandatory Seafarers Charter.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Maritime policy is devolved to Scotland and so it is for the Scottish Government to engage with ferry operators about any services from Scottish ports to mainland Europe. My officials regularly engage with the Scottish Government about maritime matters but Scotland have not raised any specific issues about crewing on services from Scotland to mainland Europe.
We will be consulting on the regulations bringing into force the Mandatory Seafarers’ Charter in Spring 2026. This consultation will set out the proposed scope of the requirements.
Asked by: Brian Leishman (Labour - Alloa and Grangemouth)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will outline the differences between the Border Control Post requirements in place for (a) exports and (b) imports at (i) Grangemouth, (ii) Rosyth, (iii) Burntisland and (iv) Methil ports.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Standards set out for Border Control Post (BCPs) are contained within a legislative framework and are dependent on what the BCP is approved to handle in relation to SPS goods, such as plants and plant products, or products or animal origin. A list of what a BCP is approved to handle can be found on GOV.UK
Asked by: Brian Leishman (Labour - Alloa and Grangemouth)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to promote modal shift of freight from road to sea; and when she last discussed this matter with counterparts in the Scottish Government.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The GB-wide Waterborne Freight Grant encourages new coastal or short sea shipping services and assists a company with the operating costs associated with running waterborne freight transport instead of road, where transport by water is more expensive. The grant can assist a company for up to three years. The application window for funding in the 2026/27 financial year is open until 15 February.
Officials across the UK and Scottish Governments remain engaged on the ongoing administration and future of the scheme.
Asked by: Brian Leishman (Labour - Alloa and Grangemouth)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an estimate of the average (a) distance travelled and (b) cost incurred by (i) children and (ii) young people from Scotland when attending cancer treatment in England; and what financial support is available to support people travelling cross-border.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department is responsible for healthcare in England. In Scotland, health is a devolved matter. The Department has not made an assessment of the average distance travelled or the cost of travel for young cancer patients from Scotland when attending cancer treatment in England, as patient-level data on patient travel is not collected at a national level.
However, the Department recognises that the cost of travel is an important issue for many young cancer patients and their families.
In England, NHS England and the integrated care boards are responsible for commissioning and ensuring that the healthcare needs of local communities are met, including providing support for travel. The National Health Service in England runs the Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme (HTCS) to provide financial assistance for travel to a hospital or other NHS premises for specialist NHS treatment or diagnostics tests when referred by a doctor or other primary healthcare professional.
Patients who do not qualify for the HTCS and who are on a low income may be able to claim the costs from the Department for Work and Pensions through Universal Credit or Personal Independence Payment. There are also a number of United Kingdom charities who provide support, including financial support, for patients with cancer.
NHS England does not collect national patient-level data on uptake of the HTCS, therefore it is not possible to provide an estimate of how much financial support is provided annually to specific patient groups, such as children and young people with cancer and their families.
Asked by: Brian Leishman (Labour - Alloa and Grangemouth)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much financial support his Department provides annually to children and young people with cancer and their families travelling for treatment.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department is responsible for healthcare in England. In Scotland, health is a devolved matter. The Department has not made an assessment of the average distance travelled or the cost of travel for young cancer patients from Scotland when attending cancer treatment in England, as patient-level data on patient travel is not collected at a national level.
However, the Department recognises that the cost of travel is an important issue for many young cancer patients and their families.
In England, NHS England and the integrated care boards are responsible for commissioning and ensuring that the healthcare needs of local communities are met, including providing support for travel. The National Health Service in England runs the Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme (HTCS) to provide financial assistance for travel to a hospital or other NHS premises for specialist NHS treatment or diagnostics tests when referred by a doctor or other primary healthcare professional.
Patients who do not qualify for the HTCS and who are on a low income may be able to claim the costs from the Department for Work and Pensions through Universal Credit or Personal Independence Payment. There are also a number of United Kingdom charities who provide support, including financial support, for patients with cancer.
NHS England does not collect national patient-level data on uptake of the HTCS, therefore it is not possible to provide an estimate of how much financial support is provided annually to specific patient groups, such as children and young people with cancer and their families.
Asked by: Brian Leishman (Labour - Alloa and Grangemouth)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether UK armed forces personnel are embedded in the US Gerald Ford carrier strike group in the Caribbean.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
Personnel from His Majesty's Armed Forces routinely serve on long‑standing exchange programmes with NATO Allies and key international partners. These arrangements strengthen interoperability, enhance mutual understanding, and support our shared security aims.
For reasons of operational and personnel security, the Ministry of Defence does not comment on the specific roles, locations, or units in which UK personnel may be embedded.
Asked by: Brian Leishman (Labour - Alloa and Grangemouth)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has provided (a) training and (b) assistance to Guyana to protect its Exclusive Economic Zone.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
The Ministry of Defence offers a range of training to global partners. Our Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) course emphasises peacetime operations both ashore and afloat in support of activities in the EEZ. Personnel from Guyana’s Defence Force have attended this course.
Asked by: Brian Leishman (Labour - Alloa and Grangemouth)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many UK armed forces personnel are present in Guyana.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
None.
Asked by: Brian Leishman (Labour - Alloa and Grangemouth)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what is the specific purpose is of the Government's £14.5 million funding for Granngemouth; whether this funding is expected to be allocated to technologies identified in the Project Willow scope; and whether this funding will align with (a) existing Grangemouth investment workstreams and (b) Scottish Government funding.
Answered by Kirsty McNeill - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Scotland Office)
The UK and Scottish Governments are working together to progress all investment at Grangemouth. To support this, on 11 December we announced the first project to benefit from this £14.5m funding, the Scottish biotech company MiAlgae, which will receive a total of £3 million from both governments to develop an innovative new project on the Grangemouth site, using byproducts from whisky distillation. This investment is expected to support around 310 jobs over the next five years.
This is the first of a number of projects we are working to bring to the site, though at this moment in time, we cannot provide further information on future allocations of funding due to commercial sensitivities. On 17 December we went further, committing £120 million in support for the ethylene plant at Grangemouth. The UK Government remains firmly committed to delivering a successful low-carbon future for Grangemouth.
Asked by: Brian Leishman (Labour - Alloa and Grangemouth)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to introduce mandatory heart screening for cardiac conditions for young people.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
In the United Kingdom, national screening programmes are introduced based on the recommendations of the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC), an independent scientific advisory committee which advises ministers and the National Health Service in all four countries on all aspects of population and targeted screening, and which supports implementation.
The UK NSC last reviewed screening for sudden cardiac death (SCD) in people under the age of 39 years old in 2019 and concluded that population screening should not be offered. Further information is available at the following link:
https://view-health-screening-recommendations.service.gov.uk/sudden-cardiac-death/
The UK NSC is currently examining the evidence for SCD screening and will open a public consultation to seek comments from members of the public and stakeholders on this in due course.