Asked by: Seamus Logan (Scottish National Party - Aberdeenshire North and Moray East)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what estimate he has made of the potential impact of proposed reductions in Personal Independence Payment on Scotland’s Block Grant.
Answered by Ian Murray - Secretary of State for Scotland
In Scotland, Adult Disability Payment, a devolved benefit, replaced Personal Independence Payment.
Individual block grant adjustments linked to individual policy decisions will be published in due course.
The Spending Review set a three year envelope and guarantees that the block grant will be at least £52 billion by 2029, with an additional £9.1 billion in Barnet consequentials over that time period.
Asked by: Seamus Logan (Scottish National Party - Aberdeenshire North and Moray East)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what estimate he has made of the potential impact of the reduction in spend on Carers Allowance on Scotland’s Block Grant.
Answered by Ian Murray - Secretary of State for Scotland
In Scotland, Carers Allowance is a devolved benefit.
Individual block grant adjustments linked to individual policy decisions will be published in due course.
The Spending Review set a three year envelope and guarantees that the block grant will be at least £52 billion by 2029, with an additional £9.1 billion in Barnet consequentials over that time period.
Asked by: Seamus Logan (Scottish National Party - Aberdeenshire North and Moray East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will issue guidance on how disabled people can maintain their national insurance contributions needed to qualify for full state pension if (a) their household income is above the Universal Credit threshold due to a partner’s income and (b) they can only claim the replacement for new style Employment and Support Allowance for 6-12 months.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department for Work and Pensions has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
Asked by: Seamus Logan (Scottish National Party - Aberdeenshire North and Moray East)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the proposed disability benefit reforms on claimants in Scotland.
Answered by Ian Murray - Secretary of State for Scotland
Universal Credit is a reserved matter in Scotland, so the changes to Universal Credit will apply in Scotland. Personal Independent Payment (PIP) is an extra costs disability benefit and is a devolved matter in Scotland. By the time the Personal Independence Payment changes come into effect, PIP will have been fully replaced by the Scottish Government’s Adult Disability Payment. The changes to PIP eligibility therefore will not apply in Scotland.
The interactions between the reserved and devolved systems in Scotland will need to be considered before these reforms are implemented and officials are already engaging on this. DWP has engaged with the Scottish Government on the reforms set out in the Pathways to Work Green Paper, at both an official and Ministerial level. They will continue to work closely as they develop detailed proposals for the White Paper.
Asked by: Seamus Logan (Scottish National Party - Aberdeenshire North and Moray East)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what discussions he has had with the Scottish Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice to ensure that changes for claimants who depend on both reserved and devolved social security are understood.
Answered by Ian Murray - Secretary of State for Scotland
UK Government Ministers regularly meet with their Scottish government counterparts to discuss social security and claimants. Scotland Office Ministers also attend the Joint Ministerial Working Group on Welfare, alongside Ministers from the Department of Work and Pensions and Scottish Government Ministers. The most recent meeting was held on 18 June 2025.
The Pathways to Work Green Paper states that interactions between the reserved and devolved systems in Scotland will need to be considered before reforms are implemented. Officials are already engaging on this.
Asked by: Seamus Logan (Scottish National Party - Aberdeenshire North and Moray East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if the National Wealth Fund will deliver £1.8 billion in ring-fenced funding for UK ports; and how much will be allocated to ports in (a) Peterhead and (b) Fraserburgh.
Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The National Wealth Fund will commit at least £5.8 billion over this Parliament to green hydrogen, carbon capture, ports, gigafactories and green steel sub-sectors. The National Wealth Fund’s Strategic Plan will set out where and how the NWF can deploy its capital within these sectors.
The National Wealth Fund is operationally independent, including when making investment decisions. Like all proposals, any investment made into the ports sector will be subject to the investment satisfying the National Wealth Fund’s normal requirements for investable proposals.
Asked by: Seamus Logan (Scottish National Party - Aberdeenshire North and Moray East)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the press release entitled Government to launch £360m Fishing and Coastal Growth Fund, published on 19 May 2025, whether the fund will be UK-wide; and what the Barnet consequentials will be for each of the devolved Administrations.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Fishing & Coastal Growth Fund will be investing £360 million over the next 12 years. As part of that fund Ministers committed to working closely with the industry and local communities in order to ensure investment is targeted to where it is needed most. As part of that planned engagement we will work closely with Devolved Governments.
Asked by: Seamus Logan (Scottish National Party - Aberdeenshire North and Moray East)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to Gambling Commission report entitled Young People and Gambling 2024: Official statistics, published on 7 November 2024, what steps her Department is taking to reduce rates of gambling harms on children and young people.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
To improve and expand the services available to understand, tackle and treat gambling-related harm, the Government has introduced a statutory levy on gambling operators to fund research, prevention and treatment. This will include dedicated investment to raise awareness of the risks associated with gambling and facilitating a cultural shift to break down barriers to help-seeking behaviour such as stigma. 30% of the new statutory gambling levy funding will be allocated to prevention activity, including education and early intervention, to help raise awareness of harmful gambling. Furthermore, since 2020, children and young people have been taught about the risks relating to gambling as part of the statutory Relationships, Sex and Health Education curriculum in England. Education is a devolved matter in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
We continue to monitor the best available evidence to inform how we reduce gambling harm amongst children and young people.
Asked by: Seamus Logan (Scottish National Party - Aberdeenshire North and Moray East)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to reduce the stigmatisation of gambling harms.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
To improve and expand the services available to understand, tackle and treat gambling-related harm, the Government has introduced a statutory levy on gambling operators to fund research, prevention and treatment. This will include dedicated investment to raise awareness of the risks associated with gambling and facilitating a cultural shift to break down barriers to help-seeking behaviour such as stigma. 30% of the new statutory gambling levy funding will be allocated to prevention activity, including education and early intervention, to help raise awareness of harmful gambling. Furthermore, since 2020, children and young people have been taught about the risks relating to gambling as part of the statutory Relationships, Sex and Health Education curriculum in England. Education is a devolved matter in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
We continue to monitor the best available evidence to inform how we reduce gambling harm amongst children and young people.
Asked by: Seamus Logan (Scottish National Party - Aberdeenshire North and Moray East)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what her Department's planned timetable is for publishing the Government's response to the consultation entitled Fur Market in Great Britain, published on 31 May 2021.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
I refer Seamus Logan to the reply given to Neil Duncan-Jordan on 3 March 2025, PQ UIN 32808.