Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the funding provided to Grangemouth through the National Wealth Fund must be spent on recommendations made through Project Willow.

Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department considered Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil production facility within the recommendations of Project Willow.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

Project Willow – an independent feasibility study led by Ernst and Young and jointly funded by the UK and the Scottish Governments – evaluated over 300 technologies to identify those that could be effectively deployed in Grangemouth. This included options to produce hydrogenated vegetable oil products, such as sustainable aviation fuel and renewable diesel.

We are now ready to take these opportunities forward. Backed by £200 million from the National Wealth Fund, our UK and Scottish Government investment agencies are working together to find investors for clean energy proposals in the Grangemouth area.

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 review the ranking of the use of municipal solid waste to produce sustainable aviation fuel in the waste hierarchy.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 8 May 2024 to Question 49143.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of expanding the eligibility of feedstocks in the SAF mandate to include dedicated energy crops.

Answered by Mike Kane - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

We have been clear that fuel supplied under the SAF Mandate must have the highest sustainability credentials. This is why SAF derived from biomass must be made from wastes or residues, as these offer high greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction potential, whilst also minimising negative environmental impacts. This means that SAF produced from food, feed or energy crops are not eligible under the Mandate. We are continuing to examine the direct and indirect impacts of non-food crop use, including impacts on the environment and on food production.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, how much funding his Department provides for solar radiation management experiments.

Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The Advanced Research and Invention Agency’s (ARIA) ‘Exploring Climate Cooling’ programme, backed by £56.8 million, has been designed to build an evidence base which will enable scientists to better understand and properly assess whether or not Earth cooling approaches could help to mitigate climate change safely.

ARIA is an independent research body, and they are conducting cautious, controlled research aimed at improving understanding of the risks and impacts of Solar Radiation Modification. This will produce important information for decisions around the world.

ARIA have put in place an independent oversight committee, made up of international experts, to support effective governance of outdoor experiments and communication of their findings. Projects with field trial components will be subjected to risk and impact assessment by an independent team of experts and subjected to a degree of co-design with local communities; the results of both exercises will be publicly available prior to any outdoor experiment taking place. An independent assessment will also take place on completion of any outdoor experiment, also to be made publicly available.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether he plans to consult farmers prior to the commencement of Aria Solar Radiation Management experiments.

Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The Advanced Research and Invention Agency’s (ARIA) ‘Exploring Climate Cooling’ programme, backed by £56.8 million, has been designed to build an evidence base which will enable scientists to better understand and properly assess whether or not Earth cooling approaches could help to mitigate climate change safely.

ARIA is an independent research body, and they are conducting cautious, controlled research aimed at improving understanding of the risks and impacts of Solar Radiation Modification. This will produce important information for decisions around the world.

ARIA have put in place an independent oversight committee, made up of international experts, to support effective governance of outdoor experiments and communication of their findings. Projects with field trial components will be subjected to risk and impact assessment by an independent team of experts and subjected to a degree of co-design with local communities; the results of both exercises will be publicly available prior to any outdoor experiment taking place. An independent assessment will also take place on completion of any outdoor experiment, also to be made publicly available.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to end animal testing; and what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of progress towards the (a) development and (b) adoption of non-animal testing methods.

Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government is committed to supporting the uptake and development of alternative methods to the use of animals in science. The Labour Manifesto includes a commitment to partner with scientists, industry, and civil society as we work towards the phasing out of animal testing, which is a long-term goal.

Progress has been made towards the development and adoption of non-animal test methods within the OECD’s Environmental Health and Safety Programme. The UK leads on and supports numerous projects producing internationally harmonised tools and guidance for ‘New Approach Methodologies’ based regulatory chemical assessment across a number of working groups. This includes the Test Guidelines Programme, where the UK recently contributed to the development of the first internationally harmonised guideline to describe a non-animal defined approach that can be used to replace completely replace animal tests to identify skin sensitizsers and predict potency.

In line with the Government’s Manifesto commitment, Defra, along with partners from sectors with interests in animal science and on a cross-Government level are currently engaging with DSIT to develop a strategy to support the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods to animal testing. We expect the publication of this strategy later this year.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the awareness of small businesses of the change in eligibility for Employment Allowance announced in the Autumn Budget 2024.

Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

Since announcement at Autumn Budget 2024, HMRC have undertaken a wide range of stakeholder engagement and employer communications through a variety of channels in advance of the significant increase to the Employment Allowance to £10,500 and removal of the threshold which prevented some larger employers from claiming. This includes webinars highlighting important changes for the new tax year for employers, and written articles in numerous editions of HMRC’s Employer Bulletin, Agent Update and Stakeholder Digest.

In addition, HMRC has a range of channels to raise awareness of changes in tax policy. These include communications issued directly to stakeholders or published on gov.uk, and engagement with stakeholders through established forums such as the Employment and Payroll Group, which the Federation of Small Businesses attend.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what engagement she has had with the Federation of Small Businesses on small businesses awareness of the change in eligibility for employment allowance announced in the Autumn Budget 2024.

Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

Since announcement at Autumn Budget 2024, HMRC have undertaken a wide range of stakeholder engagement and employer communications through a variety of channels in advance of the significant increase to the Employment Allowance to £10,500 and removal of the threshold which prevented some larger employers from claiming. This includes webinars highlighting important changes for the new tax year for employers, and written articles in numerous editions of HMRC’s Employer Bulletin, Agent Update and Stakeholder Digest.

In addition, HMRC has a range of channels to raise awareness of changes in tax policy. These include communications issued directly to stakeholders or published on gov.uk, and engagement with stakeholders through established forums such as the Employment and Payroll Group, which the Federation of Small Businesses attend.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to publish the reforms to allow a limited pool of UNHCR recognised refugees and displaced people living overseas to apply for employment through existing sponsored worker routes.

Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

Refugees who have had to leave their home country because of persecution often lack the opportunity to apply for jobs and skilled worker visas in the UK, even where they have the talent and training to do so.

The Home Office’s Displaced Talent Mobility Pilot ended on 1 November 2024. Its findings will inform consideration of further efforts to enable skilled refugees and displaced people to work in the UK.

Further details of all the measures announced in our Immigration White Paper will be set out in due course.

Question

To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, when she plans to bring forward legislative proposals to provide for a fully trans-inclusive ban on conversion therapy.

Answered by Nia Griffith - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Wales Office)

Conversion practices are abuse. Such practices have no place in society and must be stopped. As outlined in the King’s Speech, this Government is committed to bringing forward a full, trans-inclusive ban on conversion practices. We continue to work cross-government on this important issue with a view to publishing our draft Bill later this session.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of Short-Term Student (English Language) Route Visa applications refusals were due to belief that the applicant was applying to use the route without the intention to study.

Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

Published data on short term student visas can be found here, Immigration system statistics quarterly release - GOV.UK including refusal volumes.

Visa applications can be refused for a variety of reasons, and we do not publish data detailing these. Short term student visa applications must meet the criteria as published here; Short-term students caseworker guidance (accessible) - GOV.UK.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, when his Department plans to complete its consideration of the relevant Project Willow recommendations.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

We are working as quickly as possible to understand what we can do to support investors interested in developing projects at Grangemouth, including what policy or regulatory support is needed to enable investment. The inaugural Grangemouth Investment Taskforce, jointly chaired by the HMG and the Scottish government took place on May 21, 2025, to drive forward potential investment propositions.

The National Wealth Fund stands ready, and we encourage investors to come forward to join us in this major opportunity to secure a long-term industrial future in Grangemouth.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to his Department's press release entitled Thousands of Civil Service roles moved out of London in latest reform to the state, published on 14 May 2025, what assessment his Department has made of the economic impact of relocating civil service jobs from London to (a) Glasgow, (b) Edinburgh, and (c) Aberdeen on Scottish cities.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

Places for Growth published a formative evaluation report in October 2024, which outlined that the programme is on track to deliver an estimated £729m in local economic benefits to cross Government locations between 2024 and 2030. Further details on the programme will be set out in the Spending Review after which an assessment will be undertaken. Places for Growth is committed to ongoing programme evaluation.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the White Paper entitled Restoring control over the immigration system, published 12 May 2025, whether her Department's proposed changes to the qualifying period for settled status will apply to people who have acquired settled status but have not yet lived in the UK continuously for ten years.

Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

We will be consulting on the earned settlement scheme later this year and further details on the proposed scheme will be provided at the time.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent discussions his Department has had with (a) the Scottish Government and (b) industry representatives on supporting the growth of Scotland’s offshore wind supply chain; and what steps he is taking to ensure Scottish businesses can gain from UK offshore wind deployment targets and associated manufacturing opportunities.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Department ensures Scotland benefits from our world-leading offshore wind deployment by supporting the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero with the Contract for Difference’s Clean Industry Bonus, which awards developers who invest in sustainable supply chains. The Energy Secretary has already increased the bonus from an initial £200m to £544m to support clean energy growth, including in Scotland’s industrial heartlands and coastal communities. We are also supporting the delivery of Great British Energy’s £300m grant funding to secure investment in domestic supply chains, including in Scotland.

The Department regularly engages with Scottish Government and industry representatives. For example, UK and Scottish Governments participated in a roundtable in Edinburgh to discuss clean energy supply chains, including floating offshore wind.

Falkirk Delivers named Policing Partner of the Year for Forth Valley

Braes High School awarded Climate Action Project of the Year in Eco-Schools Scotland Awards

Steins Thistle win Scottish Amateur Cup

Glenskirlie Castle, Scottish Prestige Hotel Awards

Madleen Freedom Flotilla Ship

Scottish Rugby and the British and Irish Lions

Found: Zöe Franklin Edward Morello Rachel Gilmour Steve Witherden Sarah Russell Claire Hanna Euan Stainbank

Found: Zöe Franklin Edward Morello Rachel Gilmour Steve Witherden Sarah Russell Claire Hanna Euan Stainbank

Found: Zöe Franklin Edward Morello Rachel Gilmour Steve Witherden Sarah Russell Claire Hanna Euan Stainbank

Found: Zöe Franklin Edward Morello Rachel Gilmour Steve Witherden Sarah Russell Claire Hanna Euan Stainbank

Found: Melanie Ward Barry Gardiner Rosie Duffield Rachael Maskell Daniel Francis Graham Stringer Euan Stainbank

Found: Zöe Franklin Edward Morello Rachel Gilmour Steve Witherden Sarah Russell Claire Hanna Euan Stainbank

Found: Zöe Franklin Edward Morello Rachel Gilmour Steve Witherden Sarah Russell Claire Hanna Euan Stainbank

Found: Melanie Ward Barry Gardiner Rosie Duffield Rachael Maskell Daniel Francis Graham Stringer Euan Stainbank

Found: Zöe Franklin Edward Morello Rachel Gilmour Steve Witherden Sarah Russell Claire Hanna Euan Stainbank

Found: Melanie Ward Barry Gardiner Rosie Duffield Rachael Maskell Daniel Francis Graham Stringer Euan Stainbank

Found: Melanie Ward Barry Gardiner Rosie Duffield Rachael Maskell Daniel Francis Graham Stringer Euan Stainbank

Found: Zöe Franklin Edward Morello Rachel Gilmour Steve Witherden Sarah Russell Claire Hanna Euan Stainbank

Found: Melanie Ward Barry Gardiner Rosie Duffield Rachael Maskell Daniel Francis Graham Stringer Euan Stainbank

Found: Zöe Franklin Edward Morello Rachel Gilmour Steve Witherden Sarah Russell Claire Hanna Euan Stainbank

Found: Melanie Ward Barry Gardiner Rosie Duffield Rachael Maskell Daniel Francis Graham Stringer Euan Stainbank

Found: Asato Lizzi Collinge Gill Furniss Katrina Murray Lillian Jones David Smith Joani Reid Euan Stainbank

Found: Barker Lizzi Collinge Gill Furniss Katrina Murray Lillian Jones David Smith Joani Reid Euan Stainbank