Asked by: Maureen Burke (Labour - Glasgow North East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department collects data from police forces on vehicle seizures carried out under section 8 of the Crime and Police Act 2026.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
Section 8 of the Crime and Policing Act 2026, which amended section 59 of the Police Reform Act 2002 came into force on 29 June. The Home Office has not collected vehicle seizure data since the new provisions came into force.
Asked by: Maureen Burke (Labour - Glasgow North East)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions the Ministry has had with the Scottish Government regarding match funding for the two Defence Technical Excellence Colleges in Scotland; and what assessment he has made of the potential implications for defence-sector skills development if no such funding is agreed.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Together with the Secretary of State for Scotland, I wrote to the Scottish First Minister on 12 March 2026 and 23 June 2026 informing him of our intention to establish two Defence Technical Excellence Colleges in Scotland and to invite his Government to match the £10 million being committed by the UK Government. I continue to work towards opening a constructive dialogue with the Scottish Government on match funding and look forward to further conversations with Scottish Government ministers in the future.
Further education has a vital role to play in ensuring Scotland's, and the wider UK's, defence sector has access to the highly skilled workforce it needs, both now and in the future. That is why, alongside the Defence Industrial Strategy, we have announced a £182 million skills package, which includes a range of initiatives to support people at every stage of their education and careers, including those pursuing further education.
Asked by: Maureen Burke (Labour - Glasgow North East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the trends in the levels of long-term health conditions among working-age adults in lower-income households; and what plans she has to target health improvement resources in lower socio-economic areas to support future economic productivity.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We recognise that long-term ill health is more prevalent in lower-income communities. Through the 10-Year Health Plan, we are targeting health improvement activity and resources towards communities with the greatest need to improve health outcomes and support economic growth.
Asked by: Maureen Burke (Labour - Glasgow North East)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what changes she plans to make to UK procurement rules to support the Government's commitment to increase domestic purchasing.
Answered by Mark Ferguson - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
This Government is committed to fostering a resilient economy that supports British businesses and creates good jobs in communities across the country.
We must ensure that every pound that we spend in procurement goes as far as it can in benefiting the UK and this is why we published a new Social Value Model with a much sharper focus on good quality jobs, skills and opportunities. Supplementary guidance will follow later this autumn and the model will apply to relevant procurements commencing from 1 January 2027.
These reforms will be carefully developed to be consistent with the UK’s international agreements, ensuring non-discriminatory treatment for suppliers and goods from countries who are party to those agreements. This is a two-way street as it gives UK suppliers access to public procurement markets overseas.
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 potential opportunities the Defence Technical Excellence College programme can provide for apprenticeships and advanced technical training, national security and regional economic development.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Defence Technical Excellence Colleges (DTECs) will be specialist training centres for students aged 16 and above that will equip them with the cutting-edge technical skills required for critical defence roles. The DTECs will help bolster our national security and contribute to regional economic development by providing a skilled workforce to communities across Great Britain.
In April 2026, we announced the five successful DTECs in England: Blackpool and the Fylde College, City College Plymouth, Yeovil College, Lincoln College and Rotherham College (RNN Group).
As part of the Defence Growth Deals, we have also announced our intention to launch a DTEC in Wales and two DTECs in Scotland, one in east and one in west Scotland. We are working with the respective devolved governments and education authorities in those nations to establish these.
Asked by: Maureen Burke (Labour - Glasgow North East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what Barnett consequentials will arise from the decision to cap single bus fares in England at £2; and when he expects these consequentials to be available to devolved governments.
Answered by Emma Reynolds - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
The Barnett formula applies when UK Government departmental DEL budgets formally change, not when new policy or funding is announced. Barnett consequentials associated with the £2 bus fares cap will therefore be confirmed in the usual way at Budget 2026.
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 discussions the Department has had with the Scottish Government regarding opportunities for new nuclear power in Scotland.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
UK Ministers work productively with the Scottish Government on a range of energy issues and remain open to discussions on deploying new nuclear technologies in Scotland.
Great British Energy - Nuclear’s recent technical study indicated that Scotland has land areas with potential for new nuclear development, but planning policy is devolved and the Scottish Government currently opposes new nuclear power stations in Scotland.
Asked by: Maureen Burke (Labour - Glasgow North East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential impact on Scottish households of the removal of VAT from electricity bills from October.
Answered by James Murray - Financial Secretary to the Treasury and Paymaster General
The Government’s recent announcement that it will cut VAT on electricity bills will give millions of households breathing space on the cost of living. Around 29 million households in the UK are expected to benefit from this change.
These changes to VAT apply and are funded for this winter (from 1 October 2026 to 31 March 2027).
A Tax Information and Impact Note (TIIN) will be published alongside the legislation, setting out the impacts of the measure.
Asked by: Maureen Burke (Labour - Glasgow North East)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps the Government is taking to encourage Small and Medium Enterprises in Glasgow to register their offers on the official Great British Summer Savings website.
Answered by Chris Ward
The Great British Summer Savings (GBSS) campaign means cheaper family days out this summer across the whole of the UK. The Government is cutting VAT from 20% to 5% on family days out and for young people under 18 years old — from cinema and theatre tickets to attractions, and children's meals out.
The GBSS campaign is backed by the Federation of Small Businesses, the British Chambers of Commerce, UK Hospitality, the Society of London Theatre, UK Theatre and Small Business Britain, who - alongside government colleagues - have been engaging small and medium sized businesses in all parts of the UK.
VAT-eligible businesses can visit greatbritishsummersavings.gov.uk to take part. We have already onboarded thousands of offers with more being added every day.
Asked by: Maureen Burke (Labour - Glasgow North East)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to enforce the National Living Wage within the gig economy and delivery-app sectors.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Minister of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade)
The Government is clear that all workers entitled to the National Minimum Wage should receive it, and all businesses, including those in the gig economy, must meet their legal obligations. This is why we have created the Fair Work Agency to bring enforcement functions together and make employment rights enforcement more effective.
Since 1999, the government has returned over £200 million to 1.5 million underpaid workers. In 2024/25, NMW investigations in Scotland returned close to £330,000 to nearly 1,000 workers, with employers fined £240,000 in total.