Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when her Department will confirm allocations for the £900 million Shared Prosperity Funding announced in the Autumn budget.

Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Allocations for the UK Shared Prosperity Fund in 2025-26 were published on GOV.UK on 13 December and can be found here.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of suspending export licences for F-35 components to Israel.

Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

On day one in office, the Foreign Secretary commissioned a thorough review into Israel's compliance with International Humanitarian Law (IHL), given the grave concerns about the conduct and consequences of the war in Gaza for civilians. The UK's robust export licensing criteria state that the Government will not issue export licences if there is a clear risk that the items might be used to commit or facilitate serious violations of IHL. Given the conclusions of the review, on 2 September the Government suspended around 30 export licences to Israel, effectively covering all arms exports for use in the current conflict in Gaza, exempting components for F-35 aircraft which, for reasons outlined in the Foreign Secretary's Statement and the Business and Trade Secretary's Written Ministerial Statement, have been excluded from the suspension.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what funding from ending the VAT exemption on private schools she plans to provide to the Scottish Government.

Answered by Darren Jones - Chief Secretary to the Treasury

Ending tax breaks for private schools will raise revenue that can help fund priorities in the state education sector in England. The Barnett formula will be applied in the usual way to any resulting additional funding for UK Government departments provided in devolved areas.

The Scottish Government’s block grant funding is growing in real terms in 2025-26 and its spending review settlement for 2025-26 is the largest in real terms of any settlement since devolution. The Scottish Government will receive over 20% more per person than equivalent UK Government spending in the rest of the UK in 2025-26 which translates into over £8.5 billion more.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the banning of windows overlooking places used by women in Afghanistan.

Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

We condemn the appalling erosion of human rights in Afghanistan, particularly for women and girls, including the most recent ridiculous ban on windows overlooking spaces used by women. As the Foreign Secretary has said, the exclusion of women from all aspects of public life is another tragic setback for Afghanistan. FCDO officials regularly press the Taliban to reverse their inhuman restrictions, including during a visit to Kabul in December. We also condemned the Taliban's actions against women and girls in a joint statement with the G7+ in December. We are discussing with international partners ways to hold the Taliban accountable for their actions.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what estimate his Department has made of when the satellite sites for Great British Energy in Edinburgh will (a) be announced and (b) open.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

This Government is focused on establishing Great British Energy at its Headquarters in Aberdeen. Additional sites in Glasgow and Edinburgh will follow in the longer term to ensure the company can tap into expertise across Scotland. Estimates for these additional sites will depend upon the detailed workforce plans for the new company, which are being developed.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what remit the Great British Energy satellite sites in (a) Edinburgh and (b) Glasgow will have.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

This Government has been clear that Great British Energy (GBE) will be operationally independent, and decisions such as these will ultimately sit with the company itself. These additional sites in Glasgow and Edinburgh will allow GBE to tap into other expertise across Scotland, and workforce planning is ongoing to ensure the company secures the right skills in the right locations. The work GBE delivers across all of its locations will be in accordance with the strategic priorities, which will be set by the Secretary of State.

Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty

Certificate of Common Sponsorship

Right to protest outside the BBC

25th Anniversary of the reopening of the Forth & Clyde Canal

Found: Kelly Foy (Labour, City of Durham) Gill Furniss (Labour, Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough) Tracy Gilbert

Found: provided by the Ministry of Housing, Communities, and Local Government, with the consent of Tracy Gilbert

Found: been provided by the Ministry of Housing, Communities, and Local Government, with the consent of Tracy Gilbert

Found: , prepared by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, with the consent of Tracy Gilbert

Found: Bill, prepared by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, with the consent of Tracy Gilbert