Asked by: Scott Arthur (Labour - Edinburgh South West)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she has taken to ensure charities do not endorse or promote hate crimes or terrorism linked to Iran's governing regime.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
As part of the Government’s action plan for social cohesion we have announced that the Charity Commission’s powers to tackle extremist abuse of charities will be extended. This includes automatically disqualifying individuals with a criminal conviction for hate crimes from serving as charity trustees or senior managers, and helping the Charity Commission to disqualify charity trustees who have been excluded from the UK, deprived of British citizenship or are engaged in conduct which promotes violence or hatred. The Charity Commission is not a prosecuting authority, so any allegation or evidence of criminal offences, including terrorism, is referred to the police to investigate.
The Charity Commission has published guidance for charities with links to Iran to be clear that charities must ensure any activity furthers their charity’s purposes and complies with the law and its guidance, or else face regulatory consequences.
Asked by: Scott Arthur (Labour - Edinburgh South West)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what guidance and oversight the Government provides to private postal companies to ensure that agreements with trade unions on pay and conditions are respected; and what steps the Government is taking to support adequate pay and employment standards in the postal sector.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Pay and terms and conditions of employment, provided they are lawful, are, in general, a matter for private businesses to agree with their workforce and their representatives.
The Secretary of State met Dave Ward, General Secretary of the CWU, and Daniel Křetínský, the owner of EP Group, on 16 February and again on 19 March 2026 to facilitate continued discussions on these matters.,
The Plan to Make Work Pay will boost fairness in the workplace, ensure equality of treatment and opportunity, and support low-paid workers.
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, further to the Written Answer given on 2 March 2026 (UIN 114544), does he plan to review or update this guidance.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department has no current plans to review or update informed consent guidance in protecting National Health Service clinicians from subsequent legal challenge where animal-derived ingredients are used in medicines or treatments without explicit disclosure.
Asked by: Scott Arthur (Labour - Edinburgh South West)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to support the Iranian diaspora and community cohesion in the UK via her cultural programme.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government is committed to fostering social cohesion and building stronger, more integrated communities across the UK. Culture is central to this mission, strengthening ties between people and the places they live.
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport does not however, generally run programmes specifically targeted only at the Iranian diaspora. Instead, it supports community cohesion and diaspora cultural expression through broader cultural, arts, and heritage programmes that are open to diverse communities across the UK. Iranian organisations, artists, and community groups can access these initiatives alongside other diaspora groups.
For instance, Arts Council England administers the National Lottery Project Grants, an open fund providing over £100 million annually to artists and organisations of all backgrounds.
Similarly, the National Lottery Heritage Fund provides an open funding programme which supports a broad range of projects that connect people and communities to the UK's heritage including those in diaspora in the UK. Their National Lottery Heritage grants can be used to support cultural traditions, exploring the history of different cultures through storytelling, dance, theatre, food or language for example.
Asked by: Scott Arthur (Labour - Edinburgh South West)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of tax relief claimed under the Enterprise Investment Scheme being withdrawn several years after the investment was made on investor confidence.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Enterprise Investment Scheme provides tax relief where the statutory conditions of that scheme are met. HM Revenue and Customs applies the legislation to the facts of each case, including after an investment has been made.
It is for investors to consider the risks associated with their investment, including a company’s ongoing compliance with the requirements of the scheme.
HMRC publishes guidance and offers an advance assurance service to help companies and investors understand the rules before investing.
Asked by: Scott Arthur (Labour - Edinburgh South West)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of engagement and consultation with blind and partially sighted people in the design and delivery of interventions set out in the Financial Inclusion Strategy.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
In November, I published the Government’s Financial Inclusion Strategy which sets out a range of ambitious measures for government and industry to improve financial inclusion for underserved groups across the UK.
As part of its focus on inclusive design, the Strategy recognises the work taken forward by The Royal National Institute of Blind People and UK Finance to introduce accessibility features for cards, so that those who are blind or partially sighted are better able to distinguish between card types and orientate them when using card readers. UK Finance is developing a Code of Practice for Accessible Cards which will ensure these features are consistent across participating firms.
The Strategy also includes a commitment for industry to work with the third sector to make it easier for individuals without standard identification documents to open a bank account, and the launch of an industry-led inclusive design working group to consider how to make products more accessible. UK Finance is currently open to submissions from consumer representative organisations about the accessibility challenges which this group should seek to address.
The Strategy was developed alongside a Committee of consumer and industry representatives, including engagement with frontline organisations and those with lived experience. The Government is committed to continuing to work collaboratively to ensure the delivery of interventions remains informed by a wide range of expertise and perspectives.
Asked by: Scott Arthur (Labour - Edinburgh South West)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she plans to ensure the representation of blind and partially sighted people on the (a) Identification and Verification Working Group and (b) Inclusive Design Working Group.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
In November, I published the Government’s Financial Inclusion Strategy which sets out a range of ambitious measures for government and industry to improve financial inclusion for underserved groups across the UK.
As part of its focus on inclusive design, the Strategy recognises the work taken forward by The Royal National Institute of Blind People and UK Finance to introduce accessibility features for cards, so that those who are blind or partially sighted are better able to distinguish between card types and orientate them when using card readers. UK Finance is developing a Code of Practice for Accessible Cards which will ensure these features are consistent across participating firms.
The Strategy also includes a commitment for industry to work with the third sector to make it easier for individuals without standard identification documents to open a bank account, and the launch of an industry-led inclusive design working group to consider how to make products more accessible. UK Finance is currently open to submissions from consumer representative organisations about the accessibility challenges which this group should seek to address.
The Strategy was developed alongside a Committee of consumer and industry representatives, including engagement with frontline organisations and those with lived experience. The Government is committed to continuing to work collaboratively to ensure the delivery of interventions remains informed by a wide range of expertise and perspectives.
Asked by: Scott Arthur (Labour - Edinburgh South West)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that financial services provided through banking hubs and the Post Office are accessible and inclusive for blind and partially sighted people.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government is committed to ensuring high standards of financial inclusion across the financial services sector, including the accessibility of services for blind and partially sighted customers.
Financial services provided through banking hubs and the Post Office must comply with the Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) rules, which require firms to provide a prompt, efficient and fair service to all customers, including those with disabilities. These services are also subject to the Equality Act 2010, which requires service providers to make reasonable adjustments to ensure disabled people can access services on an equal basis.
The FCA’s Consumer Duty further requires firms to act in good faith, avoid foreseeable harm and support customers to pursue their financial objectives, including by ensuring that information and services are accessible.
Industry, including LINK and UK Finance, is working with accessibility charities such as the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) to ensure that emerging shared banking services reflect the needs of blind and partially sighted people. This includes considering accessible design and tailored support within banking hubs.
The Government continues to monitor progress closely as part of its wider commitment to inclusive access to financial services.
Asked by: Scott Arthur (Labour - Edinburgh South West)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of increases in Benefit-in-Kind rates for electric vehicles on consumer uptake; and whether her Department has considered the effect on adoption rates if Benefit-in-Kind rates exceed 10%.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
At Autumn Budget 2024, the Government announced new Company Car Tax rates for the years 2028-29 and 2029-30, which increase for both electric vehicles (EVs) and petrol/diesel vehicles, while still maintaining generous incentives to support EV take-up.
The Tax Information and Impact Note (TIIN) published alongside Budget set out the expected economic, equalities and other impacts, and highlighted that overall the measure was expected to encourage the take-up of zero emission vehicles.
The Government recognises that the Company Car Tax regime and the salary sacrifice exemption for ultra-low and zero emission vehicles continues to play an important role in the EV transition. The Government needs to balance these incentives against responsible management of public finances to ensure we have sufficient revenue to fund essential public services. A company car is a valuable benefit and therefore needs to be taxed appropriately.
Asked by: Scott Arthur (Labour - Edinburgh South West)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of salary sacrifice schemes in supporting the uptake of electric vehicles.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
At Autumn Budget 2024, the Government announced new Company Car Tax rates for the years 2028-29 and 2029-30, which increase for both electric vehicles (EVs) and petrol/diesel vehicles, while still maintaining generous incentives to support EV take-up.
The Tax Information and Impact Note (TIIN) published alongside Budget set out the expected economic, equalities and other impacts, and highlighted that overall the measure was expected to encourage the take-up of zero emission vehicles.
The Government recognises that the Company Car Tax regime and the salary sacrifice exemption for ultra-low and zero emission vehicles continues to play an important role in the EV transition. The Government needs to balance these incentives against responsible management of public finances to ensure we have sufficient revenue to fund essential public services. A company car is a valuable benefit and therefore needs to be taxed appropriately.