Asked by: Maureen Burke (Labour - Glasgow North East)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps his Department is taking to monitor contractual performance for the Civil Service Pension Scheme.
Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The Cabinet Office awarded the contract to administer the Civil Service Pension Scheme to Capita in November 2023 under the previous government.
The issues and delays facing a number of civil servants and pension scheme members in receiving their pension quotes are unacceptable. I want to reassure you that this Government has taken firm action to help put things right as soon as possible. We have agreed a clear recovery plan with Capita, which includes specific milestones and accountability targets for delivery. For priority cases, we have deployed additional resources and improved communication with affected colleagues, so that staff, both former and serving, receive the quality of service and support they deserve.
Existing Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) have been enhanced and strengthened to deliver improved performance and higher penalties for failure, including financial penalties. These have already applied in respect to Capita's performance with recent issues and delays in administering the Civil Service Pension Scheme.
Capita prioritised the most urgent cases and by the end of February, all death in service cases were either settled or progressed to the final stage or awaiting a member response. The same position was reached for ill health retirement applications by mid-March.
Capita has made lump sum payments to 8,979 members, the majority of whom have retired but are not yet receiving their pension, and are on track to bring these members into regular pension payments by the end of April.
To provide immediate financial support to those who may need it, arrangements are in place for interest-free bridging loans typically up to £5,000 or £10,000 in exceptional cases to most recent retirees facing payment delays. This is alongside interim lump sum payments being made to provide immediate funds to retiring members. The pension scheme continues to make monthly pension payments to approximately 730,000 existing pensioner members on time.
The latest position of the Civil Service Pension Recovery Plan Update is available at this weblink: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-service-pension-recovery-plan-updates
Asked by: Maureen Burke (Labour - Glasgow North East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the adequacy of the enforcement of Section 2A of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office maintains a rigorous approach to enforcing Section 2A of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA), which embeds the statutory principles of replacement, reduction and refinement (the 3Rs). All applications proposing the use of animals undergo a robust assessment to ensure that non-animal alternatives have been fully explored, that any animal use is fully justified and that potential harms are minimised. Compliance with the 3Rs is actively monitored by the Animals in Science Regulation Unit through a programme of audit and enforcement activity.
All establishments which test on animals are required to establish an Animal Welfare and Ethical Review Body (AWERB). AWERBs have a statutory responsibility under ASPA to advise on the application of the 3Rs within establishments. The Home Office has commissioned the Animals in Science Committee for advice on strengthening the effectiveness of AWERBs.
In November 2025, the Government published “Replacing animals in science: a strategy to support the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods”. This strategy commits to delivery of recommendations published in the ‘Rawle Report’, which involve strengthening Home Office processes for assuring full implementation of the 3Rs. The report is available here: https://nc3rs.org.uk/sites/default/files/2023-02/Rawle%20project%20report.pdf.
Asked by: Maureen Burke (Labour - Glasgow North East)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to the non-technical summaries for project licences granted in October – December 2025, what steps she is taking to phase out the use of animals in science.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
On 11th November 2025 the government published “Replacing animals in science: A strategy to support the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods” which outlines the steps we will take to achieve this. (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/replacing-animals-in-science-strategy/replacing-animals-in-science-a-strategy-to-support-the-development-validation-and-uptake-of-alternative-methods(opens in a new tab) ).
The Home Office publishes non-technical summaries (NTS) for every project licence granted under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986. The non-technical summaries include the species and number of animals expected to be used over the duration of the project licence.
Asked by: Maureen Burke (Labour - Glasgow North East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps she is taking to ensure individuals with large liabilities under the Loan Charge are given adequate support, particularly in cases involving financial and personal distress.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government recognised that concerns continued to be raised about the loan charge and that some felt strongly that it had not been handled appropriately. The Government therefore commissioned an independent review of the loan charge to bring the matter to a close for those who had not settled and paid their loan charge liabilities.
The Government accepted all but one of the independent review’s recommendations and in some cases is going further. The Government’s decision to write off £5,000 from everyone’s liability will mean that around a third will have their liabilities written off entirely. Most people will see reductions in their liabilities of at least 50%.
HMRC will continue to work with taxpayers to resolve their cases in line with existing legislation and case law. HMRC is committed to working sensitively and pragmatically with taxpayers to reach settlement. This includes offering flexible payment terms where people need more time to pay their liabilities.
The Government takes the wellbeing of all taxpayers very seriously. Vulnerable customers can make use of HMRC’s well-established Extra Support Service.
Asked by: Maureen Burke (Labour - Glasgow North East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will confirm that ticket sales for prize draws offering both paid and free entry routes – as set out by the voluntary Code of Conduct published by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport – are subject to VAT under the Value Added Tax Act 1994.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
HMRC confirm that prize draws offering both paid and free entry routes are not eligible for VAT exemption and paid entries will be subject to VAT at the standard rate of 20%.
Asked by: Maureen Burke (Labour - Glasgow North East)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department has taken with the Scottish Government to ensure the Warm Homes Plan helps support households in Scotland.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland each have unique devolution settlements. The age, tenure, type and size of building stock varies across different parts of the UK. Therefore, some aspects of the Warm Homes Plan will apply equally in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland while other parts will not be relevant in all nations of the UK.
The UK Government will continue to work closely with the Devolved Governments in delivering the Warm Homes Plan.
Asked by: Maureen Burke (Labour - Glasgow North East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has been made of how the Employment Rights Act will help reduce economic inactivity.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Employment Rights Act will support a reduction in economic inactivity by improving job security, job quality and working conditions, particularly for those in lower paid and insecure roles, who are concentrated in more deprived areas of the UK. Over 18 million employees are expected to benefit in some way from the Act’s new protections, with the greatest gains for workers in sectors such as social care, hospitality and retail, where low pay and irregular hours are most prevalent.
By strengthening protections for those at the margins of the labour market, the Act helps make work more stable, predictable and attractive. This is expected to encourage more people to enter or return to the labour market, supporting higher participation and reducing inactivity over time.
Asked by: Maureen Burke (Labour - Glasgow North East)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many workers in Glasgow are estimated to benefit from day-one rights when the Employment Rights Act comes into force on 1 April 2026.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Across the UK from 6 April 2026, new day one rights will now allow 32,000 more dads and partners each year to take paternity leave and 1.5m more parents to take unpaid parental leave. This will support working families to juggle the modern demands of work with raising children. The government is also bringing in changes that will mean up to 1.3 million more employees, particularly in lower-paid or part-time roles are able to access Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) through the removal of the Lower Earnings Limit and ensuring all employees can access SSP from the first day of sickness absence.
Analysis also shows Scotland is expected to disproportionately benefit from the Employment Rights Act. Further detail on this analysis can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/employment-rights-bill-impact-assessments
Asked by: Maureen Burke (Labour - Glasgow North East)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what guidance and support is available to businesses in Scotland to help ensure compliance with the Employment Rights Act.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Employment Rights Act 2025 will be delivered gradually over a two-year period to give businesses time to prepare.
We are working in partnership with business organisations to build awareness about the changes and ensure there is practical support available.
We have also rolled out a new online resource offering practical guidance and support on what the changes mean and how to comply. All businesses and other employers in Scotland, Wales and England, can visit business.gov.uk/employment-changes to find clear timelines, a summary of key changes and actions to take, and links to additional guidance.
Asked by: Maureen Burke (Labour - Glasgow North East)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of further education colleges in Scotland on the skills requirement for the defence industrial strategy.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Further education has a significant role to play in giving Scotland’s, and the UK’s, defence sector the highly skilled workforce they need, both now and in the future. That is why, alongside the Defence Industrial Strategy, we have announced a £182 million skills package that contains initiatives to support people at all stages of their education and careers, including those in further education. This package includes specific funding allocated to support skills needs in Scotland, which as part of Scotland’s Defence Growth Deal, we are working with key stakeholders to define how this funding is best spent to support defence skills development in Scotland.