Asked by: Jamie Stone (Liberal Democrat - Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to contact vulnerable individuals in (a) remote and (b) rural areas with low broadband connectivity.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department for Work and Pensions utilise a range of channels to ensure vulnerable customers and those with limited broadband can access support.
Asked by: Jamie Stone (Liberal Democrat - Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, which nuclear technologies are being considered by Great British Energy - Nuclear as part of its investigation into Scottish sites for new nuclear development.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Secretary of State has asked Great British Energy – Nuclear (GBE-N) to assess Scotland’s capability for new nuclear power. That includes the potential for large-scale and small modular reactor projects.
Asked by: Jamie Stone (Liberal Democrat - Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether Great British Energy - Nuclear’s assessment of potential Scottish sites for new nuclear development includes (a) previously used nuclear sites and (b) new sites.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Secretary of State has asked Great British Energy – Nuclear (GBE-N) to assess Scotland’s potential for new nuclear power, including around areas that have previously hosted nuclear stations.
New nuclear can play an important role in helping achieve energy security and clean power, while securing thousands of skilled jobs.
The UK Government remains open to discussions with the Scottish Government regarding the deployment of new nuclear technologies in Scotland.
Asked by: Jamie Stone (Liberal Democrat - Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, when he expects Great British Energy – Nuclear to (a) complete its study into potential Scottish sites for new nuclear development and (b) make the findings of that study publicly available.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Great British Energy – Nuclear will complete its study on the potential for new nuclear development in Scotland in the first half of 2026.
We will provide an update once this study has been completed.
Asked by: Jamie Stone (Liberal Democrat - Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to improve the (a) regulation and (b) oversight of email service providers in relation to the use of (i) email diversion scams and (ii) impersonation fraud.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The government recognises the harm associated with scam emails and is taking action to protect the public and businesses from fraud and cyber crime. We strongly encourage the public and businesses to follow the advice from the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) on how to protect themselves from cyber threats, including scam emails and business email compromise. The NCSC provides tailored advice for the public, sole traders and businesses of all sizes. The government also offers the highly effective Cyber Essentials scheme to help organisations protect themselves against common cyber attacks.
Scam emails can be reported to the NCSC's Suspicious Email Reporting Service, which has blocked billions of phishing attempts and removed 232,000 scams across 415,000 malicious web addresses. The NCSC offers guidance on how to spot and report scam emails at https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/collection/phishing-scams. The police also offer advice on scam emails, including Action Fraud advice on payment diversion fraud and business email compromise, and the recent National Crime Agency campaign with the Law Society on payment diversion fraud in property sales. The government has committed to the publication of a new fraud strategy which will set out further details on how it will tackle fraud and protect UK residents and businesses.
Asked by: Jamie Stone (Liberal Democrat - Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what the (a) scope and (b) expected timetable for Great British Energy – Nuclear’s assessment of Scotland’s capability for new nuclear power stations.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Ministers have asked GBE-N to assess Scotland’s potential for new nuclear power, including around areas that have previously hosted nuclear stations.
New nuclear projects can deliver millions of pounds of investment and thousands of high-quality jobs to a region.
GBE-N will advise UK Ministers on the potential for new nuclear development in Scotland in due course.
Asked by: Jamie Stone (Liberal Democrat - Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he has had discussions with the Scottish Government on the potential impact of its ban on new nuclear projects on future employment opportunities.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
There is considerable potential for hosting new nuclear projects in Scotland, building on decades of experience of existing nuclear power across the country. Given the Scottish Government’s presumption against new nuclear, the UK Government cannot actively consider projects within Scotland at this time
At peak construction, Sizewell C will support 10,000 jobs directly employed in the project, thousands more in the nationwide supply chain, and plans to create 1,500 apprenticeships, whilst the Great British Energy - Nuclear-led small modular reactor project could support up to 3,000 jobs at peak construction.
Asked by: Jamie Stone (Liberal Democrat - Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on improving public engagement with politics.
Answered by Ellie Reeves - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
Public engagement and participation are vital to the health of our democracy, and the Government will continue to support the public to make their voices heard.
Engagement with the political process must be built on trust. The Government is committed to returning to a politics of service.
Asked by: Jamie Stone (Liberal Democrat - Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps she is taking through the tax system to support the hospitality sector.
Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
The hospitality sector plays a vital role in the UK economy, providing jobs and supporting local high streets and communities.
That is why the government announced a range of measures at Autumn Budget to support businesses, including those in the hospitality sector. These include:
We keep all taxes under review and continue to explore ways to support the UK’s vital hospitality sector.
Asked by: Jamie Stone (Liberal Democrat - Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of recognising the Royal Observation Corps as having served as a (a) regular and (b) reserve for the armed forces.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
The Royal Observer Corps (ROC) was formed by a Royal Warrant on 21 May 1947; this Warrant was re-issued by Her Late Majesty The Queen several times, most recently in July 1966. The Warrant laid down that, while the Defence Council would be responsible for the ROC’s organisation, training, financing and conditions of service, amongst other elements, for operational control it came under the Home Office.
This was reflected in the ROC’s own Regulations which stated that it was a uniformed civilian organisation, subject to the provision of the Ministry of Defence’s (MOD) civilian pay, staff and travel regulations. In addition, the regulations stated that the Commandant ROC was responsible to the Home Office for its operations, and to the MOD for administrative matters with direct access to the Assistant Under-Secretary Civilian Management (Administrators).
From this, it is very clear the ROC was a civilian, and not a military, organisation, which, even when interacting with the MOD, was treated on the same terms as Civil Servants rather than Service Personnel. For that reason, the MOD does not believe there is any rationale which would justify the retrospective recategorisation of past members of the ROC (or any other civilian defence organisation) as having been Regular or Reserve members of the Armed Forces. However, this in no way diminishes the Government’s admiration of those who performed such a vital role during the Cold War.