Asked by: Tracy Gilbert (Labour - Edinburgh North and Leith)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what estimate he has made of the number of (a) aid and (b) health workers detained by Israel.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Gaza Ministry of Health reported that at least 330 health care workers from Gaza had been detained by the Israeli authorities as of December 2024, but we do not have current figures for the number of aid or health workers detained by Israel. The UK urges the Government of Israel to clarify the reasons for the detention of aid or health workers, to respect the rights of detainees, and to allow the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) immediate and unfettered access to detention facilities.
Asked by: Tracy Gilbert (Labour - Edinburgh North and Leith)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing zonal pricing on private investment.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government is considering reforms to the electricity market through our Review of Electricity Market Arrangements (REMA). This includes consideration of whether to move to a zonal electricity market, where prices vary depending on local conditions, or to continue with a reformed version of our national pricing arrangements.
Zonal pricing could have significant benefits, including through reducing the cost of energy to businesses. However, it also creates potential new risks to generators that need to be carefully considered.
Any decisions on market reform will be based on a robust analysis of the costs and benefits.
The Government plans to conclude the policy development phase of the REMA programme by mid-2025.
Asked by: Tracy Gilbert (Labour - Edinburgh North and Leith)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, if he will remove corporate crown immunity from the Scottish Prison Service.
Answered by Kirsty McNeill - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Scotland Office)
The Lord Chancellor has received a letter from the Scottish Government Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Home Affairs seeking to discuss a number of issues across the justice system and will respond in due course.
Crown Immunity within the Scottish Prison Service is a complex issue, and any change would interact with both devolved and reserved competencies. It is right therefore that the UK Government fully considers its next steps accordingly.
Asked by: Tracy Gilbert (Labour - Edinburgh North and Leith)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many organisations he has had discussions with on zonal pricing are (a) in favour of and (b) against introducing zonal pricing.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The second REMA consultation sought views on a range of market reforms under consideration by Government, including zonal pricing. The outcomes of the consultation are available at https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/review-of-electricity-market-arrangements-rema-second-consultation
Since coming into office I have also met with stakeholders representing a wide spectrum of views on zonal pricing, with the purpose of considering all positions as we work towards making a decision on market reform.
Asked by: Tracy Gilbert (Labour - Edinburgh North and Leith)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what his planned timetable is for the end of the policy development phase of the review of electricity market arrangements.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
As set out in the Review of Electricity Market Arrangements Autumn Update, the Government plans to conclude the policy development phase of the REMA programme by mid-2025 and announce final decisions before the CfD Allocation Round 7 auctions open.
Asked by: Tracy Gilbert (Labour - Edinburgh North and Leith)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of tariffs applied by the US Government on (a) jobs and (b) exports in (i) Edinburgh North and Leith constituency and (ii) Scotland.
Answered by Douglas Alexander - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
We know that this will be a concerning time for businesses in Scotland; in 2024, 12.3% of goods exported from Scotland were to the US. That is why the government has been focused on negotiating an economic deal with the US and we remain committed to these discussions.
The government is resolute in our support for industry across the whole of the UK, and ministers and officials will continue to engage with businesses to understand the impact of these tariffs.
Asked by: Tracy Gilbert (Labour - Edinburgh North and Leith)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what estimate his Department has made of the number of employees who will benefit from the increase in national minimum wage rates in Edinburgh North and Leith constituency.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Approximately 200,000 employees in Scotland are expected to benefit from a direct pay rise due to the increases in the National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage in April 2025, according to the Government’s Impact Assessment. Constituency-level estimates are not available due to greater data reliability issues arising from low survey response rates.
Asked by: Tracy Gilbert (Labour - Edinburgh North and Leith)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate his Department has made of the proportion of whisky distilled in England that is currently labelled as (a) English Whisky and (b) Single Malt English Whisky.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
From a check of products online, it is estimated that around 20% of English whiskies are labelled as English Whisky, and around 70% are labelled as Single Malt Whisky (not all of which use the term English Whisky).
Use of the English Whisky name is increasing among English whiskies, and if the geographical indication proceeds to registration, this will bring those producers under the HMRC Spirit Drinks Verification Scheme to ensure compliance with the product specification.
Asked by: Tracy Gilbert (Labour - Edinburgh North and Leith)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate his Department has made of the percentage of whisky distilleries in (a) England, (b) Northern Ireland, (c) Scotland and (d) Wales that mash, ferment, and distil on one site.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Accurate figures can only be obtained from those whiskies subject to HMRC verification checks for registered geographical indications, so the figure for English Whisky is an estimate. The percentages are 100% for Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales and approximately 90% for England.
Asked by: Tracy Gilbert (Labour - Edinburgh North and Leith)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what processes are in place for Statutory Nature Conservation Bodies to consider (a) new scientific research and (b) evidence on the impact of offshore wind on the marine environment; and how this evidence is incorporated into the modelling parameters which developers use when assessing the impact of offshore wind projects on (i) ornithology and (ii) benthic ecology.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra’s Statutory Nature Conservation Bodies, Natural England and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee, work closely together on assessing and advising on the impacts of offshore wind on the marine environment. Advice is based on robust scientific methods and all new scientific research is scrutinised before incorporating it into advice. Specialists at Natural England are directly involved in many offshore wind research projects and contribute to the Offshore Wind Environmental Evidence Register to support the knowledge base for the development of new offshore wind farms. New evidence is incorporated into Natural England’s guidance to offshore wind developers on environmental impact assessments. The guidance covers both ornithology and benthic assessments and is updated when new evidence comes to light.