Asked by: Stephen Gethins (Scottish National Party - Arbroath and Broughty Ferry)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of investment treaties on net zero policies.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
I refer the member of Arbroath and Broughty Ferry to the answer I gave on 12 November 2025 to UIN 88456.
Asked by: Stephen Gethins (Scottish National Party - Arbroath and Broughty Ferry)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what discussions he has had with MyCSP on the timeline for delivery of Immediate Choice Remediable Service Statements for people with civil service pensions.
Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
MyCSP, the current administrators of the Civil Service Pension Scheme (CSPS), continue work on the implementation of circa 132,100 impacted members who are drawing their pension and need to be provided with revised options for the Remedy period (2015 to 2022). This is known as Immediate Choice (IC).
In agreement with the Cabinet Office Pension team, acting as Scheme Managers, MyCSP provided 58,400 IC members with their remedial service statements by March 2025. Of this group, 43,400 members have returned their option forms and all but 500 of these will be implemented by the end of November.
From 1 December 2025, Capita takes over as scheme administrator and as part of this, they will pick up the remaining IC work as a focused programme of work ‘project 7’.This will see the remaining 56% of IC members provided with choices as soon as possible. This project is currently being scoped to establish what work remains and how quickly the work can be completed whilst balancing accuracy and business as usual requirements. Detailed delivery plans will be provided to the Cabinet Office by the end of March 2026.
Asked by: Stephen Gethins (Scottish National Party - Arbroath and Broughty Ferry)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of Student Awards Agency Scotland (a) loans and (b) grants on levels of entitlement to Universal Credit.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Most people in full-time education are excluded from Universal Credit because financial support for students comes from the system of student loans and grants designed for their needs. The level of that support is a matter for the Department of Education and the Devolved Governments.
If an eligible student makes a claim to Universal Credit any loan or grant which provides for the student's basic maintenance is taken into account as income. Student income which covers additional costs, such as tuition fees and books, is disregarded.
Asked by: Stephen Gethins (Scottish National Party - Arbroath and Broughty Ferry)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to support (a) civilian conflict resolution and (b) peacebuilding funding.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 20 October to question 80942.
Asked by: Stephen Gethins (Scottish National Party - Arbroath and Broughty Ferry)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she plans to publish an updated International Education Strategy.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department is conducting a review of the UK government’s International Education Strategy alongside the Department for Business and Trade, and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, to ensure that it continues to be an effective tool in increasing the value of education exports and reflects the priorities of education stakeholders, businesses and our global partners. As part of the review process, officials have engaged with devolved government officials and stakeholders to seek feedback on the strategic direction and other aspects of the strategy. We will announce next steps on this shortly.
Asked by: Stephen Gethins (Scottish National Party - Arbroath and Broughty Ferry)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to foster dialogue between India and Pakistan on peace in Kashmir.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer given to question 82344.
Asked by: Stephen Gethins (Scottish National Party - Arbroath and Broughty Ferry)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of support provided for families of serving personnel separating from their spouses.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
Defence recognises the unique challenges faced by families of Serving personnel during separations. Families of Serving personnel are provided with access to a wide range of support, which includes housing assistance and guidance, emotional support, financial and legal signposting to charities and organisations. The support provided is designed to assist families through the emotional and logistical difficulties of relationship breakdowns.
Joint Service Publication (JSP) 770 ‘Armed Forces Welfare Support Policy’ contains a chapter focussing on matters of separation and divorce and which provides a link to an online guide ‘Separation and divorce guide for military personnel spouses and partners’ which contains a wealth of support and guidance. JSP 770 also includes an annex ‘The Welfare HARDFACTS Handrail’ which is used by the chain of command and Service welfare teams to guide how they support affected personnel.
The ‘Separation and divorce guide for military personnel spouses and partners’ can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/separation-and-divorce-guide-for-military-personnel-spouses-and-partners/separation-and-divorce-guide-for-military-personnel-spouses-and-partners
Asked by: Stephen Gethins (Scottish National Party - Arbroath and Broughty Ferry)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to provide stable family homes for children of serving military personnel whose parents have separated.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
Defence recognises the needs of separating families and provides specific policy on accommodation to meet the needs of entitled Service personnel and their spouse in these circumstances. The Ministry of Defence remains committed to widening entitlement to family accommodation to support personnel with non-resident children. The Modernised Accommodation Offer remains under review and we expect to be able to communicate future policy changes in the near future.
Asked by: Stephen Gethins (Scottish National Party - Arbroath and Broughty Ferry)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of re-joining the EU Customs Union on economic growth.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
We are not planning to make an assessment as there will be no return to the Customs Union or the Single Market. We have reset our relations with European partners in order to improve our diplomatic, economic, and security cooperation following Brexit. This Government is making the best choices for businesses, workers and citizens across the country from our position outside the European Union, through significant deals with the US and India, and now a new partnership with the EU - each decision taken to support UK growth.Asked by: Stephen Gethins (Scottish National Party - Arbroath and Broughty Ferry)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of leaving the European Union on economic growth.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) is the government’s official forecaster. The OBR have included assessments of the economic impacts of leaving the EU in its forecasts since 2016. In March 2020, the OBR estimated that GDP will be 4 per cent lower in the long run than it would have been had the UK not withdrawn from the EU, an impact which the Chancellor has said is severe and long-lasting, and that imports and exports will eventually both be 15 per cent lower than had we stayed in the EU. As of the Spring Budget 2025, these assumptions are unchanged from its previous assessment.