Asked by: Scott Arthur (Labour - Edinburgh South West)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of the cost of technical debt to UK productivity; and what steps her Department is taking to address skills shortages linked to the retirement of personnel maintaining legacy IT systems critical to national infrastructure.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
At least 28% of central government systems are classified as legacy. These outdated systems cost around 40% more to maintain than modern alternatives, slow down public services, are harder to join up and increase the risk of disruption, reducing efficiency across government and contributing to wider productivity challenges.
DSIT is committed to addressing this technical debt. We are undertaking work to identify the most cost-effective methods for modernising outdated systems, which will inform the Technology Modernisation Action Plan later this year.
By moving departments off legacy systems, we reduce reliance on retiring specialist expertise. Alongside this, through Get Tech Certified, over 9,000 public servants have accessed free certification pathways in cloud, AI and modern engineering; equipping the workforce with the skills these modern platforms require.
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 to ensure the maintenance of capital investment in rail infrastructure during the transition period to Great British Railways; and what assessment she has made of the risk of operational stasis from the transfer of budgetary and delivery responsibilities between Network Rail, operators and Great British Railways.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
This government remains committed to the existing settlement for the day-to-day running of the railway during the current funding period (2024 to 2029), including capital spend, and including through the transition from Network Rail to Great British Railways. There is also an average of £2 billion capital spend per year committed through the Rail Network Enhancement Pipeline during the current settlement period.
The integration of track and train is expected to bring significant benefit to passengers and taxpayers. Work to identify and leverage integration benefits, as well as to mitigate any potential risks associated with creating the new organisation and transferring responsibilities from other rail bodies, is already underway. The Railways Bill (2025) contains the appropriate provisions to facilitate a smooth transfer of responsibility from Network Rail.
Asked by: Scott Arthur (Labour - Edinburgh South West)
Question
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what assessment she has made of the feasibility for service providers with limited physical space to maintain single-sex services while also providing separate third-space arrangements for transgender individuals.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The EHRC has assessed the costs for service providers and others. The draft Code of practice for services, public functions and associations acknowledges service providers might comply with the law in different ways due to different factors such as physical building constraints.
Overall, providers should take a proportionate approach with a view to everyone having access to essential services. The Code cannot cover every single individual circumstance, but aims to give organisations guidance with key explanations and worked examples.
Asked by: Scott Arthur (Labour - Edinburgh South West)
Question
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, if she will set out how organisations will be held to account for demonstrating that any exclusion of trans people from single-sex services is a proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim in line with the Equality Act 2010.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) regulates equality law across England, Wales and Scotland. The EHRC is independent of the government and makes its own enforcement and regulation decisions.
Asked by: Scott Arthur (Labour - Edinburgh South West)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans her Department has to help support the development of standardised high voltage battery diagnostics for electric vehicles to enable repair and reuse.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government is aware of calls from industry to develop standardised high voltage battery diagnostics for electric vehicles (EVs), to support repairability as well as the safe working operations of EV technicians.
While the Government currently has no plans to develop such a standard, we will continue to engage with stakeholders on this topic, for example through industry-led used EV working groups. The Government also continues to invest in battery R&D via the £4 billion allocated to 2035 for the DRIVE35 programme, and the £452 million Battery Innovation Programme, launched as part of the Modern Industrial Strategy.
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, whether he plans to renew the National TB Action Plan to help ensure the UK meets its commitment to the World Health Elimination (WHO) targets by 2035.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The UK Health Security Agency and NHS England’s current joint Tuberculosis (TB) Action Plan for England 2021 to 2026 outlines outcomes and indicators to achieve a 90% reduction in people with TB by 2035, aligned with the World Health Organisation elimination targets. It is due to run to the end of 2026, and work is underway to develop the next five-year national TB action plan for England. The current plan is available at the following link:
The devolved administrations’ public health agencies are actively engaged in the National TB Advisory and Implementation Group which oversees and monitors the current plan’s implementation, although the plan is for England only.
Significant policy development and stakeholder engagement have been undertaken to inform the next National TB Action Plan for England. This includes a public call for evidence in 2025 and a rapid interim evaluation of the current TB Action Plan in 2025/26.
The findings from these, together with extensive stakeholder input, including the devolved administrations, clinical and academic experts, service providers, third-sector organisations, and people with lived experience are being used to determine the proposed interventions for the next TB National Action Plan, which will focus on the needs of those affected by TB and strengthening TB services.
Advice will be provided to ministers on the next TB National Action Plan following the outcome of cross-Government ministerial discussions on the proposed interventions.
Asked by: Scott Arthur (Labour - Edinburgh South West)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions she has had with her European counterparts on mutual recognition of UK pilot licences for flying EU registered aircraft.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government has been clear that it will work to reset the relationship with Europe, strengthen ties, and tackle barriers to trade. As part of this, the Government is continuing to seek expansions to the Aviation Safety Chapter of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) regarding pilot licences. We remain committed to establishing closer cooperation with the EU where possible.
Asked by: Scott Arthur (Labour - Edinburgh South West)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to increase the level of collaboration with the EU on transport policy.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
This Government has reset its relationship with European partners to strengthen economic and security cooperation following the UK’s withdrawal from the EU. The Secretary of State, Department for Transport Ministers, and officials engage closely with EU institutions and Member States across a wide range of transport policy areas. This engagement aims to build a stronger partnership in the interests of UK businesses and transport users, support growth across both of our jurisdictions, and strengthen transport resilience.
On 18 March 2026, the Secretary of State visited Brussels and met with Apostolos Tzitzikostas, the EU Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism. Additionally, the Secretary of State has held bilateral meetings with her French, German and Irish counterparts to increase the level of collaboration with these key European partners.
Asked by: Scott Arthur (Labour - Edinburgh South West)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has considered the potential implications for her policies of research by (a) York University entitled Global Footprint Network: Explore Data, (b) Bioregional entitled The social shortfall and ecological overshoot of nations, (c) Cambridge University Press entitled Degrowth: a path to transformative solutions for socio-ecological sustainability and (d) Science Direct entitled Global Patterns of Ecologically Unequal Exchange on economic growth in the UK and resource consumption.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
The Government agrees with the central conclusion of the Dasgupta Review that nature, and the biodiversity that underpins it, sustains our economies, livelihoods and wellbeing. It is therefore committed to integrating nature into economic and financial decision-making, and the institutions and systems that underpin it.
As set out at Spending Review 2025, the Government is investing more than £2.7 billion a year in sustainable farming and nature recovery from 2026-27 until 2028-29. This will boost productivity and protect the natural ecosystems underpinning food production, which will support food and economic security.
The Treasury also continues to make progress and explore ways to strengthen processes for assessing the climate and environmental impacts of fiscal decisions and improve the Green Book in line with emerging evidence and best practice. For example, building on the extensive guidance already provided for evaluating and monetising natural capital impacts, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs published updated supplementary guidance to the Green Book on Enabling a Natural Capital Approach, including additional guidance on valuing biodiversity.
Asked by: Scott Arthur (Labour - Edinburgh South West)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent discussions she has had with her counterparts in the devolved Administrations about harmonising support for mobile children in Armed Forces families.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
I recognise that there are particular challenges which children and young people from Armed Forces families can encounter in moving between different education systems, and I am engaging with military families and organisations who support them to help ensure that Service children are properly supported across the UK. My department regularly engages with the devolved administrations on matters of shared interest, including support for mobile pupils who have special educational needs and disabilities.