Douglas McAllister

The government is committed to strengthening equal pay and ending pay discrimination.

We have already introduced legislation, through the Employment Rights Act 2025, which will require employers to publish the actions they are taking to close the gender pay gap.

Through planned legislation, we will make the right to equal pay effective for ethnic minority and disabled people. We will also put in place measures to ensure that the outsourcing of services can no longer be used by employers to avoid paying equal pay, and we will implement a regulatory and enforcement unit for equal pay.

Last year, we launched a public call for evidence on a number of areas of equality policy, including these commitments. We are currently analysing the responses to the call for evidence, which closed at the end of June 2025. We will consider the views from the call for evidence to ensure that the legislation works for everyone.

On implementing these measures, up-to-date, clear guidance will be made available so that everyone understands their rights under the law.

This government reset relations with the devolved governments, has delivered record funding settlements for Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, and is bringing pride to communities in every part of the UK with our groundbreaking Pride in Place scheme, including in West Dunbartonshire.

My honourable friend’s constituents are best served when both of Scotland’s governments work in partnership, to create jobs and opportunities for all Scots, and that is exactly the approach I have taken in this role.

I am delighted to say that we are deepening our trading relationship with India through the UK India Free Trade Agreement, which is estimated to boost UK GDP by £4.8bn, increase wages by £2.2bn, and grow bilateral trade by £25.5bn each year in the long run.

Every region and nation in the UK will benefit from the agreement, including a £190m boost for Scotland supported by market access for whisky, advanced manufacturing and financial services access.

We are now anticipating the deal entering into force in Spring, ahead of the planned schedule of Summer, provided final issues are resolved with India.

The government is committed to strengthening equal pay and ending pay discrimination.

As part of the 2025 Equality law call for evidence, the Office for Equality and Opportunity sought information about best practices already used by some employers, research from academics and the experience of other countries when it comes to pay transparency measures. Responses to the call for evidence will help us to understand how increased pay transparency may impact women, ethnic minorities, disabled people, and other groups in the workplace.

The government is committed to strengthening equal pay and ending pay discrimination.

As part of the 2025 Equality law call for evidence, the Office for Equality and Opportunity sought information about best practices already used by some employers, research from academics and the experience of other countries when it comes to pay transparency measures. Responses to the call for evidence will help us to understand how increased pay transparency may impact women, ethnic minorities, disabled people, and other groups in the workplace.

The Government has published a strategy to support alternatives to the use of animals in science, which considered economic impacts.

Building on the UK’s strengths as home to world leading research and pharmaceutical businesses, the strategy will support the UK to capitalise on the global non-animal technologies market, estimated to be worth $29.4 billion by 2030

The strategy has also considered the scientific and economic advantages of human-relevant methods for product development and testing.

Digital inclusion is a priority for me and for Government. It means everyone has the access, skills, support and confidence to participate in a modern digital society, whatever their circumstances. Work is ongoing to develop our approach to tackling digital exclusion and we hope to announce more on this soon. We look forward working closely with the third sector, business and the Devolved Governments, to ensure interventions are targeted to and based on individual needs.

We have set an ambition to have two-thirds (66.7%) of young people participating in higher-level learning, academic, technical, or an apprenticeship, by age 25.

The Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper sets out our path to meeting that ambition, by raising the status of further education, strengthening our world-leading higher education sector, and introducing more support and flexibility for learners.

We are delivering these reforms at pace, with rapid progress across funding, policy development and key launches that are already impacting providers and learners:

• We are cracking down on rogue university franchising and in November we published our response to the consultation on Franchising in Higher Education.
• We are delivering on our commitment to expand the TEC programme. In December, we launched applications to become a Wave 2 TEC, and announced CTECs allocations. The national bidding round for Post‑16 and Construction Skills Capacity Funding in non‑devolved areas opened in February.
• In January, we launched the tender for technical and vocational subject teaching professional development, laid regulations for Initial Teacher Education reform, and refreshed the Teach in FE campaign.
• We have consulted on Post-16 Level 3 and Below Pathways.
• At Autumn Budget 2025, we announced over £1.5 billion of funding is being made available across the spending review period into the Youth Guarantee and the Growth and Skills Levy. This funds £820 million for the Youth Guarantee, ensuring all young people aged 16-24 years old have access to the support they need to earn and learn.

For too long, water companies paid out billions in dividends while pumping sewage into our rivers. This Government is ending that. The Water White Paper creates a single regulator, prevention-focused enforcement, and tougher laws: banning bonuses for failure and ensuring water works for customers, not just shareholders.

The Secretary of State announced in his oral statement of 11 November 2025 that we will retake the decision made in December 2024 as it relates to the communications on State Pension age.

This was because findings from a 2007 report had not been drawn to the attention of the previous Secretary of State as its potential relevance to the making of her decision was not evident at the time.

The process to retake the decision is underway and it is important that we give this full and proper consideration. Retaking the decision should not be taken as an indication that Government will necessarily decide that it should award financial redress. We will update Parliament on the decision as soon as a conclusion is reached and on 2 December 2025 we committed to re-take the decision within three months.

We have no plans to do so.

There are no plans to meet with any campaign groups.

We have no such plans.

We are getting on with delivery. Fundamental reform will be delivered through:

• Transformation of jobcentres to support people into and on in work.

• Working with local areas to tackle economic inactivity.

A Youth Guarantee for 18-21's in England to benefit from education, training or help to find work.

The Department invests over £1.6 billion each year on research through its research delivery arm, the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).

In November 2023, the Government and Prostate Cancer UK (PCUK) announced the £42 million TRANSFORM screening trial to find the best way to screen men for prostate cancer, in order to find it before it becomes advanced and harder to treat. PCUK is managing the award on behalf of the funders, with the Government contributing £16 million through the NIHR.

Once received, the protocol will be published on the NIHR’s website on the funding and awards page. This is expected to contain details of the site selection criteria. TRANSFORM will aim to recruit men from across the United Kingdom, including Scotland.

The Department funds research into leukaemia through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR spent £133 million on cancer research in 2023/24.

In leukaemia research, for example, the NIHR is funding the £2.6 million PROPEL trial, testing whether a package of enhanced personalised prehabilitation can help people with acute myeloid leukaemia secure better outcomes after treatment.

NHS England has implemented non symptom specific pathways for patients who present with non-specific symptoms or combinations thereof that can indicate several different cancers. This includes leukaemia, which can present non-specific symptoms, such as unexpected weight loss and night sweats. The national evaluation showed that blood cancers are one of the most common cancer types diagnosed through these pathways.

The National Cancer Plan will include further details on how we will improve outcomes for cancer patients, including treatment for acute myeloid leukaemia patients.

We are leading the international fight against organised immigration crime, and have delivered new agreements with a range of partners, including with Iraq, Germany and Italy; as well as deepening our cooperation with France

Today’s landmark Summit on Organised Immigration Crime features delegations from over 45 countries and agencies, and will strengthen our partnerships across the globe; increase intelligence-sharing, and enable targeted disruptions to the criminal networks whose operations cross over multiple borders.

The Government is delivering for defence by increasing defence spending and recognises the defence sector as a strategic resource. The Defence Industrial Strategy will provide clear signals to encourage firms to take long-term investment decisions in the UK and grow onshore production capability in priority areas that will drive growth and productivity across the UK economy, while strengthening our national security. The nearly £3 billion increase in spending next year will help us do this.