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, how many coroners inquests have been held in (a) England and (b) Wales for the death of a UK national abroad in the last five years.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office received requests for documents to assist with coroner's inquests in England and Wales over the last five years (rounded to the nearest 100) as follows:
1,100 in 2019;
1,000 in 2020;
1,000 in 2021;
1,300 in 2022; and
1,300 in 2023.
The FCDO does not record separate figures for England and Wales. These figures may not be reflective of all deaths abroad where a coroner in England and Wales has taken forward an inquest as the FCDO may not have been contacted in every case. The Ministry of Justice produces statistics on coroners inquests: [https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/coroners-and-burials-statistics].
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, with reference to Bereavement abroad through homicide or culpable homicide - support: memorandum of understanding" between his Department and the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, published on 30th September 2024, whether his Department has taken recent steps to amend its processes on the deaths of UK nationals abroad who were resident in Scotland.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), the Police Service of Scotland, the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, Death Certification Review Service and Victim Support Scotland details the support offered to bereaved families of British nationals who are killed through murder or culpable homicide abroad. The MoU was created to ensure that affected families resident in Scotland have clarity on the type of support available from the MoU signatories. FCDO consular staff will provide bereaved families with information on support available during initial contact with them.
Asked by: Dave Doogan (Scottish National Party - Angus and Perthshire Glens)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what methodology his Department will use to allocate the £1 billion of funding for community energy to each of the nations in the UK.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
GBE will benefit all four nations, creating jobs and building supply chains across the whole of UK. GBE’s funding envelope provides a total amount for it to operate UK-wide.
We are resetting the Government’s approach to working with the devolved nations. We are working with the Northern Ireland Executive, and Scottish and Welsh Governments on the scope and opportunities for GBE’s work across the UK. The vision statement between the Scottish Government and DESNZ is a key step towards progressing this collaboration, including exploring opportunities for GBE to partner with the Community and Renewable Energy Scheme to support local energy in Scotland.
Asked by: Dave Doogan (Scottish National Party - Angus and Perthshire Glens)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of overhead lines on GPS equipment used by farmers.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Any developer of electricity network infrastructure projects undertakes an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for individual projects and EIAs for projects in rural areas will almost always include assessment of agricultural impacts. These assessments are then considered in the consenting process for projects. In addition, consultation on proposed projects includes engagement with relevant stakeholders, including farmers.
Asked by: Dave Doogan (Scottish National Party - Angus and Perthshire Glens)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking through the Child Maintenance Service to ensure that receiving parents and their children are adequately financially supported when paying parents (a) decide not to return to work after maternity leave to save on childcare costs and (b) take other decisions that forgo income due to their personal circumstances.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The maintenance calculation is designed to be affordable and sustainable for paying parents, while ensuring they contribute a reasonable amount to support their children.
Calculations are based on a percentage of the Paying Parent’s gross weekly income received directly from HM Revenue & Customs. This includes taxable income from employment and can take account of certain unearned income, including from dividends, property income and savings.
Where a paying parent’s income reduces due to not returning to work after maternity leave or due to a change in their personal circumstances, and this change means their income decreases by at least 25%, the calculation will then be reassessed.
Whilst the 1991 Child Support Act puts a legal obligation on all parents to support their children regardless of their financial situation. Under the 2012 Child Maintenance Scheme, an individual with income of less than £7 will generally have a “nil” liability.
Asked by: Dave Doogan (Scottish National Party - Angus and Perthshire Glens)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment the Child Maintenance Service has made of the potential merits of reducing the threshold for unearned income for paying parents from £2,500 to £1,000 in line with HMRC’s annual tax-free allowance.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The threshold for unearned income was originally set at £2,500 to ensure that this represented a significant source of a paying parent’s total annual income. This ensures that minor changes in unearned income do not interfere with the efficiency of the system, increasing costs for the taxpayer.
A review is currently ongoing to look at the child maintenance calculation to ensure it is fit for purpose. Unearned income, including the current threshold, falls within the scope of this review.
Asked by: Dave Doogan (Scottish National Party - Angus and Perthshire Glens)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of requiring the Child Maintenance Service to calculate a paying parent's liability using their household income rather than their individual income.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) operates on the principle that both parents have financial responsibility for their child, including contributing to their food and clothing, as well as contributing towards the associated costs of running the home that the child lives in. The calculation represents an amount of money that is broadly commensurate with the amount that a paying parent would spend on the child if they were still living with them.
The CMS will assess how much the paying parent should pay the receiving parent, which in most cases is based on a percentage of the paying parent's gross annual income, before tax and national insurance but after pension contributions. This can also include income from certain assets, savings and investment such as dividends or property income. Income from other members of the household is not considered as they have no financial responsibility for the qualifying child.
The income of the receiving parent is not taken into consideration as they are already contributing as the child's primary caregiver and their income should not remove the responsibility of a paying parent to support their child.
Asked by: Dave Doogan (Scottish National Party - Angus and Perthshire Glens)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment the Child Maintenance Service has made of the potential merits of ensuring that both parents are equally liable for childcare costs.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) operates on the principle that both parents have financial responsibility for their child, including contributing to their food and clothing, as well as contributing towards the associated costs of running the home that the child lives in. The calculation represents an amount of money that is broadly commensurate with the amount that a paying parent would spend on the child if they were still living with them.
The CMS will assess how much the paying parent should pay the receiving parent, which in most cases is based on a percentage of the paying parent's gross annual income, before tax and national insurance but after pension contributions. This can also include income from certain assets, savings and investment such as dividends or property income. Income from other members of the household is not considered as they have no financial responsibility for the qualifying child.
The income of the receiving parent is not taken into consideration as they are already contributing as the child's primary caregiver and their income should not remove the responsibility of a paying parent to support their child.
Asked by: Dave Doogan (Scottish National Party - Angus and Perthshire Glens)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to ensure that parents are not able to avoid (a) Child Maintenance liability and (b) Deduction of Earning Orders by changing employment.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Where parents frequently change employment, the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) can use alternative powers such as deducting child maintenance directly from their bank account. The CMS has a range of strong enforcement options that are designed to get money flowing quickly, prevent the build-up of arrears and ensure children get the financial support they deserve. Upon changing employer, the child maintenance liability will remain unaffected unless there is also a change to income which is greater than 25%.
The Child Support (Enforcement) Act 2023 delivered primary legislation to accelerate the enforcement process. The changes seek to introduce a simpler administrative process to obtain a liability order against those paying parents who actively avoid their responsibilities, enabling the CMS to take faster enforcement action. We will monitor the effectiveness of this.
The CMS has a relatively low percentage of unpaid maintenance. Only 8% of the total maintenance due to be paid since the start of the CMS remains to be collected through the collect & pay service. This was as high as 17% in March 2015.
Asked by: Dave Doogan (Scottish National Party - Angus and Perthshire Glens)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to improve the success of enforcement measures taken by the Child Maintenance Service on non-paying parents.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Where parents frequently change employment, the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) can use alternative powers such as deducting child maintenance directly from their bank account. The CMS has a range of strong enforcement options that are designed to get money flowing quickly, prevent the build-up of arrears and ensure children get the financial support they deserve. Upon changing employer, the child maintenance liability will remain unaffected unless there is also a change to income which is greater than 25%.
The Child Support (Enforcement) Act 2023 delivered primary legislation to accelerate the enforcement process. The changes seek to introduce a simpler administrative process to obtain a liability order against those paying parents who actively avoid their responsibilities, enabling the CMS to take faster enforcement action. We will monitor the effectiveness of this.
The CMS has a relatively low percentage of unpaid maintenance. Only 8% of the total maintenance due to be paid since the start of the CMS remains to be collected through the collect & pay service. This was as high as 17% in March 2015.