Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what discussions he has had with the Scottish Government on ensuring victims of crime who move between Scotland and England and Wales have access to adequate support services.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

The Ministry of Justice is providing £550 million of funding for victim support services in England and Wales over three years (26/27 to 28/29 inclusive). The majority of this is routed annually through Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) who commission local support services based on an assessment of need. Victims can access services in their local area at any time, regardless of when or where the crime happened – this includes victims of crime who have moved to England and Wales since the crime occurred. Information about what support is available can be found on the Victim and Witness Information website. Victims in England and Wales are entitled to provisions in the Victims’ Code, which includes the Right to be offered a referral to specialist support services.

Victim support funding and commissioning is devolved in Scotland and is therefore the responsibility of the Scottish Government.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of differences in apprenticeship systems across the UK on employers operating nationally.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

Apprenticeships is a devolved matter in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. This government is committed to working closely with the devolved governments on the apprenticeships policy in each of the devolved nations, including on the development of the Growth and Skills Levy for England, to share best practice and support one another in boosting growth and spreading opportunity throughout the UK. We regularly talk to large employers who operate across the UK to support them with their apprenticeship programmes.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential for UK-wide collaboration on the regulation and use of artificial intelligence tools in educational assessment.

Answered by Paul Waugh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The government recognises the importance of collaboration on the safe and effective use of artificial intelligence (AI) in education. In January 2026, the UK hosted an international ministerial summit on generative AI in education, bringing together education leaders from across the globe to build the global consensus on safe, effective and human-centred AI for education.

As education is a devolved matter, there are no plans to formalise UK-wide regulation for AI in education, however, the department holds regular meetings with the devolved administrations to share effective practice and policy developments, and to ensure alignment.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the average time taken for a reservist to complete the Armed Forces recruitment process from initial application to enlistment.

Answered by Calvin Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans and People)

The Ministry of Defence continually monitors and works to improve the Reserve recruitment process. While the average time from application to enlistment varies due to individual circumstances and medical requirements, the process is still too long overall. Initiatives are underway to streamline and shorten this timeline.

The tri-Service Armed Forces Recruiting Service (launching in 2027) will make the candidate process faster and more accessible. Streamlined single entry point for prospective recruits with a new digital platform are expected to reduce delays and improve candidate experience, ultimately decreasing the time taken for reservists to complete recruitment.

Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what support his Department has provided to satellite manufacturing and space technology businesses based in Glasgow since July 2024.

Answered by Chris McDonald - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department recognises Glasgow’s role as a European leader in small satellite manufacturing.

The National Space Innovation Programme (NSIP), National Earth Observation Programme, Connectivity in Low Earth Orbit and wider Space Ecosystem supports UK businesses and researchers develop satellite communications, resilient navigation, Earth observation and manufacturing capabilities.

Since July 2024, NSIP funding has supported two Glasgow-based projects with £8.3 million, backing HyImpulse’s sub-orbital rocket test from SaxaVord and £4.9 million, backing Spire Global’s weather data technology.

Glasgow-based companies have also received €5.25million in ESA contracts.

The Department supports Space Scotland and the UK Space Cluster Network to strengthen Scotland’s space ecosystem.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress has been made on simplifying the rail fares and ticketing system.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

We are already taking steps to simplify the rail fares and ticketing system and to make it easier for passengers to trust they are buying the right ticket at the right fare. The move to GBR will enable passengers to receive a more consistent offer across the network, supporting simpler fares, ticketing and retail arrangements. GBR's online retailer will bring together 14 existing websites and apps to one site to deliver a simpler, more consistent service across the country.

We are also taking forward long-distance fares reform. The LNER ‘Simpler Fares’ trial has introduced more flexible products for passengers, making it easier to choose cheaper, less busy trains, putting passenger choice first and tackling overcrowding.

The expansion of Pay As You Go (PAYG) means that more passengers can now access tap in tap out contactless payments, creating a seamless travel experience and allowing people to benefit from daily and weekly caps. We are also trialling new technology including Digital Pay As You Go (DPAYG).

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with the devolved administrations on developing a coordinated UK approach to addressing shortages in the NHS workforce in key specialties.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

While planning of the health workforce is devolved in the United Kingdom, specialty training recruitment is undertaken on a UK-wide basis. The UK National Recruitment Board oversees specialty training on behalf of the four UK health departments.

The new resident doctors’ deal will see significant expansion of training places by up to 4,500 over the next three years, including 1,000 next year, 250 of which will be starting in February 2027. Further information on which specialties will receive these places and when, will be set out in due course.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what progress has been made in discussions with the Scottish Government on enabling Police Scotland to join the ReportFraud service.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security) (Jointly with the Cabinet Office)

The City of London Police, as the operators of Report Fraud, have been working proactively with Police Scotland to assist them in developing their business case to join the Report Fraud service in the future. This includes Police Scotland representation on the Report Fraud Service Board. It remains an ambition of the Report Fraud service to see the service coverage include Scotland.

Policing and criminal justice matter are historically devolved in Scotland.

Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of private equity ownership on long-term investment in UK high street businesses.

Answered by Chris McDonald - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department has not made a specific assessment of the impact of private equity ownership on long-term investment in UK high street businesses. Decisions on ownership structures and investment strategies are matters for individual businesses and investors.

The Small Business Plan sets out the Government’s approach to supporting high street businesses to thrive, including through expanding access to finance, reductions to business rates, and supporting and nurturing a range of alternative business models like co-operatives and mutuals.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what proportion of direct procurement expenditure was awarded to UK small and medium-sized enterprises in the last financial year.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

I can confirm that Ministry of Defence (MOD) direct expenditure with Small and Medium-sized Enterprises in the UK was £1.2 billion in 2024-25.

4% of MOD direct expenditure with UK industry is with Small and Medium-sized Enterprises.

The most recent spend figures available can be found here: MOD regional expenditure statistics with industry: 2024/25 - GOV.UK

Work on gathering the necessary data for reporting 2025-26 figures is still underway with publication expected in the Autumn.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which visa categories currently have the largest number of outstanding applications.

Answered by Jo White - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

The Home Office publishes data on its performance against its service level agreement for visas, including WIPs, which can be found at Migration transparency data - GOV.UK. The latest version is named “Visas, status and immigration data: January to March 2026”

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of progress in reducing the number of outstanding visa and asylum applications since July 2024.

Answered by Jo White - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

We have maintained performance levels since July 2024 and are processing the majority of visa routes within their published customer service standards. The Home Office publishes data on its performance against its service level agreement for visas, including applications awaiting a decision, which can be found on the GOV.UK webpage: Migration transparency data - GOV.UK

All family visa and private life applications are carefully considered in line with the published family visa processing times available here: Visa processing times: applications inside the UK - GOV.UK. Where applicants require their application to be expedited owing to their individual compelling and compassionate circumstances, we will consider each case on its own merit.

Applicants on certain family routes may choose to use optional priority or super priority services, where available, for an additional fee to receive a faster decision on their application. Applicants using the priority service will usually receive a decision within five working days. Further information on the priority service is available here: Get a faster decision on your visa or settlement application: Applying for a faster decision - GOV.UK

For asylum claims, at the end of June 2024 there were 118,882 people awaiting an initial decision on their asylum claim. By comparison, the latest available published data shows that at the end of March 2026 there were 48,758 people (59% fewer) awaiting an initial decision on their asylum claim. The Home Office is continuing to make good progress in reducing this number further.

Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on reducing administrative burdens for UK businesses exporting to the European Union.

Answered by Chris McDonald - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government is committed to supporting UK businesses trading with the European Union and to reducing unnecessary barriers to trade with our closest partner and biggest market to help delivery growth to every post code.

Ministers and officials in my department regularly engage with Cabinet colleagues on matters affecting exporters and economic growth.

We also provide a range of business support services, information, training, events and expert support to both new and experienced exporters, including through ‘Unlock Europe’, a free webinar series which features regular sessions for businesses on how to navigate EU regulations.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions her Department has had with HM Revenue and Customs on simplifying customs processes for low-volume exporters.

Answered by James Murray - Financial Secretary to the Treasury and Paymaster General

The Government is committed to minimising administrative burdens and frictions experienced by all businesses trading internationally and has engaged with key stakeholders to better understand their needs for the future operation of the UK border.

HMRC provides clear guidance and direct support to help businesses navigate export processes, whilst applying risk-based checks to minimise disruption for legitimate trade. The make and manage an export declaration online service (Make and manage an export declaration online - GOV.UK) has been designed to support smaller exporters to make export declarations directly to HMRC’s Customs Declaration Service without the need for specialist software. HMRC works closely with Border Force and industry partners to improve processes and offer training and tools to support compliance.

In June 2026, HMRC published a call for evidence to capture industry views on modernising and evolving the customs regime to ensure it provides the best support for exporters and international trade to meet the needs of a modern, digital economy. Where exporters choose to use intermediaries, HMRC has also announced steps to raise standards across the sector to support businesses in navigating customs processes. For further information, please visit: Tax update 2026: simplification, modernisation and fairness summary - GOV.UK.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many exercises testing national resilience arrangements have been conducted in each of the last five years.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security) (Jointly with the Cabinet Office)

The Cabinet Office encourages all departments to conduct or participate in exercises on cross-cutting risks in line with the National Security Risk Assessment, via the National Exercising Programme. The Cabinet Office is not responsible for exercising across the entire system but offers support and guidance.

The Cabinet Office oversaw three cross-system exercises within this period. Exercise MIGHTY OAK on preparedness for a national power outrage ran in March 2023. Exercise PEGASUS on pandemic preparedness was conducted in three primary phases in September and October 2025. A classified cross-system cyber resilience exercise was also conducted in 2026.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate she has made of the number of exporting businesses located in the Glasgow South constituency.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with HM Treasury)

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the Parliamentary Question of 15th July is attached.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to reduce the risk of widespread flight disruption caused by air traffic control failures.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Following a technical failure that NATS experienced in 2023, an independent review was commissioned by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). The review made 34 recommendations for NATS, CAA, airlines, airports and government to respond on in order to learn lessons from this event and ensure that the UK aviation industry is well prepared to respond to incidents when they occur in the future. The CAA has recently confirmed that all recommendations from the review have either been completed or integrated into its ongoing regulatory oversight work.

Additionally, my department has recently introduced secondary legislation, which will make it easier for Air Navigation Service Providers to recruit existing Air Traffic Controllers (ATCOs) from Third Countries and the Military. This will increase resilience in the UK’s ATCO system and reduce the risk of delays.

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 adequacy of the cyber resilience of UK energy infrastructure.

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

The Government monitors and assesses the cyber resilience of UK energy infrastructure through a combination of annual regulatory assurance returns, on-site inspections conducted under the Network and Information Systems (NIS) Regulations, and regular engagement with industry. This is supported by technical assessments and threat intelligence provided by the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC).

The cyber threat continues to evolve, and the Government keeps the resilience of the energy sector under continual review to ensure our defensive posture is appropriate and proportionate to the cyber threat. The Cyber Security and Resilience Bill will further strengthen resilience by expanding the scope of cyber regulation and enhancing requirements to manage cyber risk and respond to incidents.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what estimate he has made of expected electricity demand growth arising from (a) data centres and (b) artificial intelligence by 2035.

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

Future electricity demand for both data centres and artificial intelligence overall is inherently uncertain. This is because different scenarios for capacity, efficiency, utilisation and ramp-up rates of data centres, as well as scenarios for AI adoption and speed of technological change, interact in complex ways and translate into varying annual electricity consumption.

The Government continues to work with the National Energy System Operator, Ofgem and industry to monitor developments and test how a range of scenarios interface with final consumption.

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 adequacy of UK gas storage capacity for winter 2026/27.

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

The UK uses diverse gas supply sources to meet winter demand, including domestic UK Continental Shelf production, pipeline and interconnector imports, and Europe’s second largest LNG import infrastructure.

Gas storage, filled from these sources, provides system flexibility to respond to short-term changes in supply and demand. In winter 2025/26, gas storage supplied 5% of total GB gas use and we expect it to contribute a similar amount this winter.

As set out in our interim response to the Gas System in Transition: Security of Supply consultation, we recognise that gas infrastructure needs may change through the energy transition. We will further assess whether additional infrastructure, including strategic gas storage, is required, and will publish a full response in due course.