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.
Asked by: Jamie Stone (Liberal Democrat - Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to paragraph 167 of the National Planning Policy Framework published on 12 December 2024, whether she has plans for local planning authorities to take a proactive approach to facilitating domestic decarbonisation.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Paragraph 167 of the revised National Planning Policy Framework published on 12 December 2024 sets out that when determining planning applications, local planning authorities should give significant weight to the need to support energy efficiency and low carbon heating improvements to existing buildings, both domestic and non-domestic.
The Framework also makes clear that plans should take a proactive approach to mitigating and adapting to climate change and that the need to mitigate and adapt to climate change should be considered in preparing and assessing planning applications.
Asked by: Jamie Stone (Liberal Democrat - Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
What discussions he has had with the Northern Ireland Executive on support for the farming industry in rural areas in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Fleur Anderson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Northern Ireland Office)
I very recently met with the Executive Minister for the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, Minister Muir, and discussed support for the farming industry. We also visited a farm near Newry and talked directly with farmers and I have met with the Ulster Farmers Union twice in the last two weeks. We are committing to supporting local farmers and the important rural economy.
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 discussions his Department has had with the Scottish government on (a) reforms to Energy Performance Certificates and (b) how Energy Performance Certificates measure the performance of traditionally constructed buildings.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Ministers engage regularly with Scottish Government counterparts across a range of policy areas, including through the Net Zero, Energy and Climate Change Interministerial Group (IMG). Departmental officials meet Scottish Government counterparts regularly, most recently in February 2025, on matters including Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) reforms. HM Government and Scottish Government will make independent decisions on what the EPC will measure but it is intended that both will use a common calculation framework, the Home Energy Model (HEM). It will support options for building types that are especially prevalent in Scotland including for traditional dwellings.
Asked by: Jamie Stone (Liberal Democrat - Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help SMEs adopt digital technology.
Answered by Gareth Thomas - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
To support more small businesses’ digitisation efforts, we announced at Budget 2024 that we would extend the work of the SME Digital Adoption Taskforce. The Taskforce is made up of industry experts and focuses on addressing the challenge of how to support SMEs to adopt and implement productivity-enhancing technologies, such as customer relationship management, accountancy, and resource planning software. We intend to publish a summary of the Taskforce’s draft recommendations soon and their full report will be published later this year.
We will be announcing further measures shortly.
Asked by: Jamie Stone (Liberal Democrat - Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of regulation of motor insurers in the context of increases in premiums.
Answered by Emma Reynolds - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
Insurers make commercial decisions about pricing and the terms of cover they offer based on their assessment on the likelihood of a claim being made and the cost of those claims. Motor insurance premiums have been affected by specific economic factors that increased the costs of claims, such as the rising cost of replacement car parts
However, the Government is determined that insurers treat customers fairly and firms are required to do so under Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) rules. The FCA requires firms to ensure their products offer fair value (i.e. if the price a consumer pays for a product or service is reasonable compared to the overall benefits they can expect to receive).
On 16 October, the FCA announced a package of work in the insurance market amid concerns about rising prices. This includes a market study on premium finance – a form of credit that allows insurance customers to spread the upfront annual cost of their premium. On the same day, the Government launched a cross-Government taskforce on motor insurance. This Taskforce has a strategic remit to set the direction for UK Government policy, identifying short- and long-term actions for departments that may contribute to stabilising or reducing premiums, while maintaining appropriate levels of cover.
Asked by: Jamie Stone (Liberal Democrat - Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has made an assessment of the recent increase in motor insurance premiums.
Answered by Emma Reynolds - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
Insurers make commercial decisions about pricing and the terms of cover they offer based on their assessment on the likelihood of a claim being made and the cost of those claims. Motor insurance premiums have been affected by specific economic factors that increased the costs of claims, such as the rising cost of replacement car parts
However, the Government is determined that insurers treat customers fairly and firms are required to do so under Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) rules. The FCA requires firms to ensure their products offer fair value (i.e. if the price a consumer pays for a product or service is reasonable compared to the overall benefits they can expect to receive).
On 16 October, the FCA announced a package of work in the insurance market amid concerns about rising prices. This includes a market study on premium finance – a form of credit that allows insurance customers to spread the upfront annual cost of their premium. On the same day, the Government launched a cross-Government taskforce on motor insurance. This Taskforce has a strategic remit to set the direction for UK Government policy, identifying short- and long-term actions for departments that may contribute to stabilising or reducing premiums, while maintaining appropriate levels of cover.
Asked by: Jamie Stone (Liberal Democrat - Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to improve transport links between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Whilst transport is devolved, the Department for Transport is committed to is enhancing links between Northern Ireland and Great Britain. The Department is providing funding for Transport Scotland’s feasibility study to explore options to bypass the villages of Springholm and Crocketford on the A75 and is supporting the Windsor Framework to streamline transport and customs processes. The Government is also supporting key aviation routes, including the Public Service Obligation between City of Derry Airport and London Heathrow Airport.
Asked by: Jamie Stone (Liberal Democrat - Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what steps he is taking to help improve transport links between Northern Ireland and Scotland.
Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
Connectivity is essential for economic growth which is why the Chancellor committed £5m in the Budget to explore improvements to the A75, which is the key route for road transport, using the ferry between Cairnryan and Belfast and Larne. We look forward to continuing work with the Scottish Government on this project, and welcome the recent addition of flights between Edinburgh and Liverpool and Derry City Airport.
Asked by: Jamie Stone (Liberal Democrat - Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions she plans to hold with stakeholders in the heritage sector; and how often she plans to hold such discussions.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Since the General Election, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport and her ministerial team have met with a wide range of stakeholders in the heritage sector, including representatives of the department’s arm’s length bodies. These meetings will continue periodically, in Westminster and around the country and we intend to announce the next date of the Heritage Council very soon.