Asked by: Scott Arthur (Labour - Edinburgh South West)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she has considered regulating airport parking charges.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Decisions on the provision and pricing of airport parking remain a commercial matter for individual operators. Parking revenue, including that from drop-off charges, is an important source of income for airports, supporting investment in future infrastructure and upgrades, enhancing public transport options, and helping to manage congestion around airport sites.
However, the Government recognises concerns about the impact of airport drop-off charges on airport users and we are considering how any such review of this might be taken forward.
Many airports across the UK offer free drop-off alternatives, either within walking distance of the airport or via a complementary shuttle bus service. The department will continue to engage with operators to ensure that, where airports choose to charge, this is implemented in a way that is fair and transparent.
Asked by: Scott Arthur (Labour - Edinburgh South West)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that Skills England undertakes structured engagement with employers in the aviation sector before the proposed retirement of apprenticeship standards.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The government recognises the importance of aviation apprenticeships in helping employers develop a skilled workforce. Skills England is consulting with stakeholders on the proposal to retire certain occupational standards, often due to low levels of new starts or a range of delivery challenges, including limited provider availability. The potential impact on youth employment and skills development opportunities will form part of the assessment of consultation responses.
As an executive agency sponsored by the Department for Work and Pensions. Skills England reviews standards to ensure that they continue to meet employer need. The current consultation is still live, and no final decision has been taken. Aviation sector stakeholders have been engaged throughout, and we will continue to work closely with them throughout the process.
Asked by: Scott Arthur (Labour - Edinburgh South West)
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 proposals to retire aviation apprenticeship standards for certain posts on (a) youth employment and (b) opportunities for skills expansion.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The government recognises the importance of aviation apprenticeships in helping employers develop a skilled workforce. Skills England is consulting with stakeholders on the proposal to retire certain occupational standards, often due to low levels of new starts or a range of delivery challenges, including limited provider availability. The potential impact on youth employment and skills development opportunities will form part of the assessment of consultation responses.
As an executive agency sponsored by the Department for Work and Pensions. Skills England reviews standards to ensure that they continue to meet employer need. The current consultation is still live, and no final decision has been taken. Aviation sector stakeholders have been engaged throughout, and we will continue to work closely with them throughout the process.
Asked by: Scott Arthur (Labour - Edinburgh South West)
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 potential merits of introducing a national targeted cardiac screening programme for young people and those with a family history of heart disease.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Further to the answer of 17 July to Question 17975, the UK National Screening Committee is now considering responses to the consultation exercise, and will set out its conclusions in the usual way in due course.
On the issue of defibrillator access, I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 13 April in response to Question 123969.
Asked by: Scott Arthur (Labour - Edinburgh South West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of legislating for mandatory registration of newly installed public-access defibrillators on The Circuit database.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Further to the answer of 17 July to Question 17975, the UK National Screening Committee is now considering responses to the consultation exercise, and will set out its conclusions in the usual way in due course.
On the issue of defibrillator access, I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 13 April in response to Question 123969.
Asked by: Scott Arthur (Labour - Edinburgh South West)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what steps he is taking to protect and enhance UK sovereign capability to design and build satellites.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Through the UK Space Strategy, Government is investing £7.8 billion in the UK space sector to 2029/30, including £2.8 billion in satellite communications to strengthen and scale UK satellite manufacturing and capabilities. Programmes including ESA ARTES, Moonlight and C-LEO will support UK firms to develop and commercialise satellite technologies, strengthen supply chains and secure opportunities in future satellite constellations. The Government is also taking a more interventionist approach to the sector, using grants, procurement and other targeted interventions to support strategically important UK space companies and enhance the UK's ability to design, build and operate satellites, building on our successful heritage in this area.
Asked by: Scott Arthur (Labour - Edinburgh South West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he can clarify what specific (a) fiscal metrics and (b) economic thresholds will be used to determine when a return to the 0.7% ODA target is possible.
Answered by Kirsty McNeill - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government is committed to returning to spending 0.7% of Gross National Income (GNI) on Official Development Assistance (ODA) as soon as fiscal circumstances allow. I refer the Honourable Member to Written Ministerial Statement HLWS291 of 16 July 2026 (0.7 per cent of GNI on ODA target 2025) for further detail.
Asked by: Scott Arthur (Labour - Edinburgh South West)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he plans to (a) reinstate the Community Automated External Defibrillator Fund and (b) introduce VAT relief for community groups purchasing defibrillators.
Answered by James Murray - Financial Secretary to the Treasury and Paymaster General
The Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) is responsible for funding decisions relating to local and community healthcare.
Over 110,000 defibrillators are registered in the United Kingdom on The Circuit, the independent AED database.
A key consideration for any potential new VAT relief is whether savings would be passed on to the consumer, in this case by makers and suppliers of AEDs. Evidence suggest that businesses only partially pass on any savings from lower VAT rates.
Asked by: Scott Arthur (Labour - Edinburgh South West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions she has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer regarding the potential health merits of removing VAT from sunscreen products.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Responsibility for VAT policy rests with HM Treasury. The Department of Health and Social Care works closely with other Government departments on matters affecting public health, however, there have not been any recent discussions regarding this matter.
Asked by: Scott Arthur (Labour - Edinburgh South West)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how the scope of social media services to be banned for under 16s will be future proofed for the design of emerging social media platforms.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
The government announced in June that we would be closely following the Australian model for the scope of the social media ban. This means capturing user to user platforms whose purpose is to enable social interaction, and which allow users to post material alongside algorithms. The department is currently working through the details and the final scope criteria will be set out in the regulations that will be laid in Parliament.