Asked by: Scott Arthur (Labour - Edinburgh South West)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment has she made of the adequacy of the provision of British Sign Language teaching in schools.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.
Schools may choose to offer British Sign Language (BSL) as part of their school curriculum, or as an extra-curricular activity. The government does not hold data on the extent to which BSL is currently taught in schools.
The department is in the process of developing a BSL GCSE. The BSL GCSE is a key feature of our commitment to enhancing the status of BSL in education and society. This landmark GCSE is an important step towards greater recognition of BSL as a language and will foster better communication between deaf and hearing communities.
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, whether she has plans to make changes to the rules on public notices for small online news publishers.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Public notices are important for ensuring that the public is kept informed of decisions made by their council which may affect their quality of life, local services or amenities, or their property. The independent 2019 Cairncross Review into sustainable journalism found that public notices are also an important source of revenue for local newspapers.
However, the Government is aware of feedback from some sectors about the audience reach of these notices and the desire for greater digitalisation. In this context, the sector’s Public Notice Portal is a welcome innovation, intended to take advantage of print publishers’ growing digital audiences and provide a centralised resource for all types of public notice. We are monitoring the progress of the Portal, and the effect that it has on the audience reach of public notices.
We also welcome the plans for expansion of the Portal, announced in December and funded by the Google News Initiative, including a fully searchable archive and new consultation functions to help public bodies and commercial entities engage with the public more effectively. We consider this type of industry innovation and collaboration to be integral to securing the sector’s future, and will seek to further support and incentivise it through our Local Media Strategy.
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 local independent journalism.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Sustainability of the local media sector across the country is an area of particular concern for this Government. We are developing a Local Media Strategy, in recognition of the importance of this vital sector. Our vision is a thriving local media that can continue to play an invaluable role as a key channel of trustworthy information at local level, reporting on the issues that matter to communities, reflecting their contributions and perspectives, and helping to foster a self-confident nation in which everyone feels that their contribution is part of an inclusive national story.
Officials have met with the Public Interest News Foundation, founders of the Local News Commission, as part of our continued engagement with key external stakeholders. Government welcomes the publication of the Commission’s report and will consider its recommendations as part of our wider work on the Strategy. Our work is also being informed by the range of studies conducted into the state of local journalism in the UK in recent years.
Asked by: Scott Arthur (Labour - Edinburgh South West)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Service Family Accommodation units were available in Scotland between 2010 and 2014; and how many and what proportion of those were reported to have (a) black mould and (b) damp in the same period.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) acknowledges serious concerns regarding damp and mould in Service Family Accommodation (SFA). A Damp and Mould Taskforce was established in 2023 to address reported cases of damp and mould in SFA and since then, over 9,000 Service personnel and their families have benefitted from the delivery of damp and mould packages of works. The severity of damp and mould cases now being raised, has reduced significantly since the Taskforce was first established, with circa 3% of reported cases now being at the most severe level.
The Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) will continue with its current approach to ensure cases of damp and mould are addressed on a priority basis.
The table below shows the number of SFA properties available in Scotland, as at 1 April, from 2010 to 2014. This includes occupied and empty SFA available for allocation.
Year | Number of SFA |
April 2010 | 3,237 |
April 2011 | 2,969 |
April 2012 | 2,897 |
April 2013 | 2,981 |
April 2014 | 3,033 |
The number of SFA properties in Scotland between 2010 and 2014 with reported cases of damp and mould, is not held centrally. Information requested prior to April 2022, can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Due to the way in which Defence accommodation is managed, Awaab’s Law cannot be applied directly. However, the MOD has agreed to mirror or exceed any regulations set out in Awaab’s Law, in its own policies and procedures and this will continue to be a priority.
The MOD will continue to move families to alternative accommodation in the most serious cases of damp and mould or if a family member has a known vulnerability.
Asked by: Scott Arthur (Labour - Edinburgh South West)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, is he will make an estimate of the cost to the public purse of the Scottish Income Tax Mitigation scheme in each financial year between 2018-19 and 2024-25.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
The Ministry of Defence’s Scottish income tax mitigation payment scheme is unique within the public sector and has been agreed by wider Government for use only where Service personnel are compelled to serve at one location over another. The scheme aims to support retention of those serving in Scotland by removing the disadvantage of higher taxes applying on those required to serve there who might not choose to do so if not compelled.
The estimated cost to the public purse of the Scottish Income Tax Mitigation scheme is set out below. Figures commence from Financial Year 2019-20, covering payments for those affected in Tax Year 2018-19.
Financial Year | Estimated Cost (£million) |
2019-20 | 4.69 |
2020-21 | 7.36 |
2021-22 | 8.11 |
2022-23 | 8.27 |
2023-24 | 9.31 |
2024-25 | 12.74 |
Asked by: Scott Arthur (Labour - Edinburgh South West)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the press notice entitled Awaab’s Law to force landlords to fix dangerous homes, published 6 February 2025, if he will take steps to extend Awaab's law to include all Service Family Accommodation provided by his Department.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) acknowledges serious concerns regarding damp and mould in Service Family Accommodation (SFA). A Damp and Mould Taskforce was established in 2023 to address reported cases of damp and mould in SFA and since then, over 9,000 Service personnel and their families have benefitted from the delivery of damp and mould packages of works. The severity of damp and mould cases now being raised, has reduced significantly since the Taskforce was first established, with circa 3% of reported cases now being at the most severe level.
The Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) will continue with its current approach to ensure cases of damp and mould are addressed on a priority basis.
The table below shows the number of SFA properties available in Scotland, as at 1 April, from 2010 to 2014. This includes occupied and empty SFA available for allocation.
Year | Number of SFA |
April 2010 | 3,237 |
April 2011 | 2,969 |
April 2012 | 2,897 |
April 2013 | 2,981 |
April 2014 | 3,033 |
The number of SFA properties in Scotland between 2010 and 2014 with reported cases of damp and mould, is not held centrally. Information requested prior to April 2022, can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Due to the way in which Defence accommodation is managed, Awaab’s Law cannot be applied directly. However, the MOD has agreed to mirror or exceed any regulations set out in Awaab’s Law, in its own policies and procedures and this will continue to be a priority.
The MOD will continue to move families to alternative accommodation in the most serious cases of damp and mould or if a family member has a known vulnerability.
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 extent of any black mould problem in service family accommodation in Scotland.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) acknowledges serious concerns regarding damp and mould in Service Family Accommodation (SFA). A Damp and Mould Taskforce was established in 2023 to address reported cases of damp and mould in SFA and since then, over 9,000 Service personnel and their families have benefitted from the delivery of damp and mould packages of works. The severity of damp and mould cases now being raised, has reduced significantly since the Taskforce was first established, with circa 3% of reported cases now being at the most severe level.
The Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) will continue with its current approach to ensure cases of damp and mould are addressed on a priority basis.
The table below shows the number of SFA properties available in Scotland, as at 1 April, from 2010 to 2014. This includes occupied and empty SFA available for allocation.
Year | Number of SFA |
April 2010 | 3,237 |
April 2011 | 2,969 |
April 2012 | 2,897 |
April 2013 | 2,981 |
April 2014 | 3,033 |
The number of SFA properties in Scotland between 2010 and 2014 with reported cases of damp and mould, is not held centrally. Information requested prior to April 2022, can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Due to the way in which Defence accommodation is managed, Awaab’s Law cannot be applied directly. However, the MOD has agreed to mirror or exceed any regulations set out in Awaab’s Law, in its own policies and procedures and this will continue to be a priority.
The MOD will continue to move families to alternative accommodation in the most serious cases of damp and mould or if a family member has a known vulnerability.
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 adequacy of service family accommodation in Scotland.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
Circa 97% of Service Family Accommodation (SFA) in Scotland meets or exceeds the Government's Decent Homes Standard.
This Government continues to invest significant sums to improve the quality of SFA in the United Kingdom. For Financial Year 2024-25, circa £445 million is forecast to be spent on maintaining and improving SFA.
Work is now underway with the Defence Housing Strategy Review which started following the completion of the Annington Deal in January 2025. The Military Housing Strategy planned for publication in Summer 2025 will set out a roadmap to deliver a generational renewal of military accommodation.
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, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of staff cuts at Dundee University on the industrial strategy.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government recognises the crucial role of universities in the UK's innovation ecosystem and in delivering the skills needed to drive growth as part of the Industrial Strategy. Education policy is devolved in Scotland, and it is for the Scottish Government to consider the broader impact of developments in the education sector, including of any potential staff cuts in Scottish universities.
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, whether he has had discussions with Scottish universities on the development of an industrial strategy.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government recognises the crucial role of universities in the UK’s innovation ecosystem and in delivering the skills needed to drive growth as part of the Industrial Strategy. My officials have discussed our Industrial Strategy plans with Universities Scotland.