Asked by: Dave Doogan (Scottish National Party - Angus and Perthshire Glens)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether any components of the (a) Mk4 and (b) Mk4A Holbrock warhead were (i) manufactured in and (ii) procured from the US, other than the (A) arming, (B) fusing and firing system, (C) neutron initiators and (D) gas transfer system.
Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
In addition to the Mk4/4a components listed by the hon. Member, the UK acquires the Mk4 aeroshell from the US under the auspices of the 1963 Polaris Sales Agreement (as amended in 1982 for Trident). Utilising US non-nuclear warhead components brings significant cost benefits and ensures we remain compatible with the Trident missile, however, the requirements, design and manufacture of the Holbrook warhead are independent to the UK.
Asked by: Dave Doogan (Scottish National Party - Angus and Perthshire Glens)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many nuclear site events there were at (a) Coulport and (b) Faslane in the last 12 months.
Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The table below shows the number of Nuclear Site Event Reports (NSERs) at Coulport and Faslane recorded between 22 April 2024 to 22 April 2025. These are shown according to agreed categorisation:
Nuclear Site Events- 2024 22/04/2024 - 31/12/2024 | Category A | Category B | Category C | Category D | Below Scale |
Coulport | 0 | 0 | 9 | 25 | 1 |
Faslane | 0 | 3 | 22 | 58 | 36 |
Nuclear Site Events- 2025 01/01/2025 - 22/04/2025 | Category A | Category B | Category C | Category D | Below Scale |
Coulport | 0 | 0 | 4 | 9 | 0 |
Faslane | 1 | 2 | 7 | 13 | 5 |
In line with Industry Good Practice and in common with other defence and civil nuclear sites, His Majesty’s Naval Base Clyde has a well-established system for raising NSERs.
NSERs are raised to foster a robust safety culture that learns from experience, whether that is of equipment failures, human error, procedural failings, documentation shortcomings or near-misses.
Asked by: Dave Doogan (Scottish National Party - Angus and Perthshire Glens)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the planned reduction in Official Development Assistance on intelligence gathering to facilitate aid provision in Afghanistan.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Prime Minister has set out a new strategic vision for government spending on defence and security and Official Development Assistance (ODA). Detailed decisions on how the ODA budget will be used will be worked through as part of the ongoing Spending Review based on various factors including impact assessments, and value for money.
Asked by: Dave Doogan (Scottish National Party - Angus and Perthshire Glens)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make an estimate of the cost of increasing the number of full-time trained regular Army personnel by 3,000.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Strategic Defence Review will determine the roles, capabilities and reforms required by UK Defence to meet the challenges, threats and opportunities of the twenty-first century, including for the British Army. The Review has been considering all aspects of Defence, such as the future force design of the British Army.
It is not possible to provide an accurate estimate due to the number of variables involved in the calculation, for example the role(s) any additional personnel would be undertaking.
Asked by: Dave Doogan (Scottish National Party - Angus and Perthshire Glens)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the potential merits of recognising the State of Palestine.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK commitment to a two-state solution is unwavering. We are committed to recognising a Palestinian state at a time that has the most impact in achieving this reality and is most conducive to long-term prospects for peace.
UK bilateral recognition is the single most important action the UK can take with regard to Palestinian statehood. That is why it is important to get the timing right, so it creates genuine momentum and is not simply a symbolic gesture. We have noted President Macron's comments regarding recognition and are in constant dialogue with all partners on how we can best use the conference in June to achieve our shared objective of a two-state solution.
We condemn the latest remarks by Minister Katz regarding the annexation of land in Gaza. Palestinian territory must not be reduced in the conduct of this war. On 21 March, the UK issued a Statement at the UN Security Council opposing any attempt to forcibly annex land in Gaza or expand settlements in the West Bank.
Asked by: Dave Doogan (Scottish National Party - Angus and Perthshire Glens)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether US-owned nuclear weapons are permitted to be stationed at RAF Lakenheath.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
It remains longstanding UK and NATO policy to neither confirm nor deny the presence of nuclear weapons at any given location.
Asked by: Dave Doogan (Scottish National Party - Angus and Perthshire Glens)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will require the Financial Conduct Authority to consider access to banking services when carrying out local access to cash assessments.
Answered by Emma Reynolds - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Financial Services and Markets Act 2023 granted the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) the responsibility and powers to seek to ensure the reasonable provision of cash withdrawal and deposit facilities. Under the FCA’s regime, LINK, the operator of the UK’s ATM network, is responsible for undertaking access to cash assessments. When a cash service such as a bank branch closes, or if LINK receives a request directly from a community, LINK assesses a community’s access to cash needs and can recommend a new service, such as a banking hub.
The criteria for access to cash assessments is a matter for LINK, the financial services sector and the FCA. We have no plans to change the criteria.
The FCA is required by law to keep its access to cash rules under review and is monitoring the impact of these rules on an ongoing basis to ensure they deliver the right outcomes for businesses and consumers.
Asked by: Dave Doogan (Scottish National Party - Angus and Perthshire Glens)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will introduce a digitalised ID system for horses to (a) ensure effective enforcement of the ban on live exports for slaughter and (b) prevent illegal horse smuggling.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government recognises the importance of the equine sector to the UK economy and of improving equine identification. We have no current plans to implement mandatory digital identification, but we remain in close touch with the industry.
Exporting livestock and horses from Great Britain for slaughter is banned under the Animal Welfare (Livestock Exports) Act 2024. We have put in place regulations to ensure that the ban is enforced robustly. The Animal Welfare (Livestock Exports) Enforcement Regulations 2024 came into force on 1st January 2025 and provide a range of regulatory and enforcement powers to the Animal and Plant Health Agency and Local Authority Inspectors.
Asked by: Dave Doogan (Scottish National Party - Angus and Perthshire Glens)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure enforcement of the ban on live (a) horse and (b) other animal exports for slaughter.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government recognises the importance of the equine sector to the UK economy and of improving equine identification. We have no current plans to implement mandatory digital identification, but we remain in close touch with the industry.
Exporting livestock and horses from Great Britain for slaughter is banned under the Animal Welfare (Livestock Exports) Act 2024. We have put in place regulations to ensure that the ban is enforced robustly. The Animal Welfare (Livestock Exports) Enforcement Regulations 2024 came into force on 1st January 2025 and provide a range of regulatory and enforcement powers to the Animal and Plant Health Agency and Local Authority Inspectors.
Asked by: Dave Doogan (Scottish National Party - Angus and Perthshire Glens)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many Investment Fund for Scotland applications have been (a) received and (b) approved for each of the funds administered by (i) DSL Business Finance, (ii) FSE Group and (iii) Maeven; and what was the average time taken to consider a funding application by (A) DSL Business Finance, (B) FSE Group and (C) Maeven.
Answered by Gareth Thomas - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The £150 million Investment Fund for Scotland was launched in November 2023 and provides debt and equity finance to Scottish businesses. Similar funds are available in Wales, Northern Ireland, and three regions of England. As at November 2024, the Investment Fund for Scotland had provided over £10 million of finance to 26 businesses. Updated information will be published by September 2025. The British Business Bank does not publish information on numbers of applications received or hold information on time taken to review applications. All investment decisions are taken by the fund managers who analyse the application and complete due diligence.