Asked by: Scott Arthur (Labour - Edinburgh South West)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of banning of weapons exports to Israel on the training of Israeli Defense Forces personnel in the UK.
Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Whilst both take into account international humanitarian law considerations, decisions to suspend certain export licences to Israel and the provision of UK training courses to Israel Defence Forces personnel are not directly linked.
There are fewer than five members of the IDF currently enrolled on non-combat academic courses in the UK.
The UK has a long history of providing assistance to other nations in the security and justice fields. The Ministry of Defence’s provision of such assistance is currently considered on a case-by-case basis. UK training courses promote British values, including human rights, democracy and compliance with international humanitarian law.
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 discussions she has had with the (a) the Secretary of State for Defence and (b) Office for Veterans’ Affairs on the potential impact of welfare reform on former service personnel.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
This Government is committed to championing the rights of disabled people and people with long-term health conditions and our mission-driven approach relies on regular cross-government collaboration. We are working across government to further consider the impacts of the Green Paper, including on veterans, and will continue to do so as the package is developed in detail. I will continue to engage closely with my Ministerial colleagues and other stakeholders throughout the consultation period and beyond.
We are also providing detailed briefings on the proposals to Ministry of Defence (MoD) and Office for Veterans' Affairs (OVA). Once we have completed the consultation we will be building up to a White Paper, and we will continue to engage with MoD and the OVA.
We have welcomed veterans and representative organisations to respond to our Green Paper consultation to share their views on how wounded, injured and sick veterans can best be supported. To promote further engagement, we held a specific consultation event for Armed Forces and veterans’ organisations, at which I spoke, to hear their experiences and thoughts directly.
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, with reference to the Spending Review 2025, published on 11 June 2025, what steps she is planning to take to ensure that the £1 billion investment in employment support specifically caters to the needs of (a) injured veterans and (b) those transitioning from military service.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
We are providing tailored support to help people get into and on at work, including the biggest investment in employment support for disabled people and those with health conditions in at least a generation - £1 billion a year by the end of the scorecard. Our Pathways to Work Guarantee will provide tailored work, health and skills support for disabled people and those with health conditions claiming out of work benefits, including injured veterans.
This additional investment begins in 26/27 to ensure all those affected by the Universal Credit health element reduction and the PIP changes are offered support from one of 1000 Pathways to Work advisers. This support will include access to a conversation about needs, goals and aspirations; an offer of one-to-one follow-on support; and help to access additional work, health and skills support through dedicated programmes. These programmes include Connect to Work, which will support around 100,000 people with health conditions, complex barriers to employment or disabilities in 2026/27, Trailblazers and WorkWell, which join up health and employment support at a local level.
Additionally, veterans and military personnel will continue to have access to support services that recognise their particular needs and circumstances. These includes initiatives that help current and former Armed Forces personnel and their families. There are also Armed Forces Champions in every Jobcentre who provide specialist support to Jobcentre staff, building and maintaining relationships with local organisations and services to connect veterans and military personnel with them.
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 she is taking to ensure that the reintroduction of face-to-face benefit assessments does not negatively impact veterans with (a) PTSD and (b) mobility impairments.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
We already undertake a number of face-to-face benefit assessments. However, as announced in Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper, we intend to do more while preserving alternative health assessment channels to meet the specific needs of people who require a different channel, for example as a reasonable adjustment.
In all cases, the Healthcare Professional (HCP) aims to complete the assessment using the customer’s health questionnaire and any supporting medical evidence provided. Should this not be possible the customer is invited to a consultation. Before sending an invitation to a consultation, the HCP considers whether a specific assessment channel is needed due to the customer’s health or circumstances. Otherwise, customers are offered the next available appointment, which can be changed if they inform us that a reasonable adjustment is appropriate in their circumstances.
We are committed to ensuring equal access to our services, in line with the Equality Act 2010. Customers are encouraged to inform us of any reasonable adjustments at any stage. If notified, the assessment provider will consider an alternative assessment method.
On 25 June, I attended an online event with veterans, as one of the series of consultation events on the proposals in the Pathways to Work Green Paper.
Asked by: Scott Arthur (Labour - Edinburgh South West)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when the last time was that a member of UK armed forces was trained by Israel Defense Forces.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The last time a member of the UK Armed Forces was trained by Israel Defence Forces was in Israel on a military academic course in July 2022.
Asked by: Scott Arthur (Labour - Edinburgh South West)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to ensure that rail fares are affordable.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Scottish fares are a matter for the Scottish Government. However, in both administrations Scotland and England, some fares are regulated to protect passengers by setting the maximum amount that regulated fares can increase year-on-year.
London North Eastern Railway's (LNER’s) "Simpler Fares" trial is running on the East Coast Mainline, including between London and areas around Edinburgh, to explore alternative fare structures on long-distance routes.
With LNER’s Simpler Fares initiative, the number of tickets has been reduced to just three per class - fixed, semi-flexible, and fully flexible.
The off-peak and super-off-peak tickets with complex validities have been replaced by a new semi flexible ticket - “70-Flex” which allows passengers to adjust their booking in order to travel on an earlier or later LNER service, scheduled to depart within 70 minutes of their booked departure time, which is much clearer and more descriptive.
Finally, everything is priced on a single leg basis where a single costs no more than half of the equivalent return, enabling passengers to easily mix and match tickets for each leg of their journey without penalty according to their needs e.g. Fixed out and Flexible back or First Class with Standard.
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 holds evidence on the use of F-35 jets to breach international law in Gaza.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
No, we don't. We have carefully collated, reviewed and assessed relevant evidence concerning the Gaza conflict. The action we have taken, as announced to Parliament, is consistent with our legal obligations and we remain wholly committed to international law.
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 has had discussions with allies involved in the F-35 programme on Israel's use of F-35 jets in Gaza.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Conversations with F-35 Partners occur regularly and cover a range of issues, however we are unable to disclose details of confidential conversations held within an international programme.
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 international allies have raised concerns with him on the use of UK made F-35 parts in Gaza.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Conversations with F-35 Partners occur regularly and cover a range of issues, however we are unable to disclose details of confidential conversations held within an international programme.
Asked by: Scott Arthur (Labour - Edinburgh South West)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his target sale date is for the Redford Barracks site; whether he plans to have (a) a single sale and (b) sale in parts; if he will publish a plan of the area being considered for disposal; and what discussions he has had with (i) City of Edinburgh Council on the future use of the site and (ii) developers on this matter.
Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The target sale date for the Redford Barracks site remains 2030.
The Ministry of Defence anticipates selling the whole site in a single sale; however, it is too early in the disposal process to confirm this. A plan of the disposal area will be published as part of routine engagement.
Discussions have taken place with the City of Edinburgh Council as part of the Local Plan process. There have been no discussions with developers at this stage.