Angus MacDonald MP: written questions 2025
581 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Broadband: Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shireDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 81204More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the Answer of 23 September 2025 to Question 76224 on Broadband: Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire, whether his Department has made a comparative assessment of the number o
Answer: As stated in answer to question 76224, we estimate 18,540 households (35%) in the Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire constituency are reliant on copper-based broadband. Using data from the same source (Ofcom’s Connected Nations 2025 Spring Update), we es...
Answered 20 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordMobile Phones: Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shireDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 81203More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the Answer of 23 September 2025 to Question 76225 on Mobile Phones: Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire, whether his Department has made a comparative assessment of the numb
Answer: The regulator, Ofcom, publishes data that allows for this comparison to be drawn. In Ofcom’s Connected Nations Spring Update, published on 8 May 2025, it is reported that approximately 24% of the constituency of Inverness, Skye and West Ross-Shire has no ...
Answered 20 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordCyprus and France: Military AlliancesMinistry of DefenceTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 81230More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to improve (a) military and (b) other defence cooperation with (i) Cyprus and (ii) France.
Answer: The UK is committed to deepening our bilateral relationships with both France and the Republic of Cyprus, as outlined in the Strategic Defence Review 2025.The UK continues to share a strong Defence relationship with the Republic of Cyprus, through which w...
Answered 20 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordCyprus: Military AlliancesMinistry of DefenceTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 81202More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to improve (a) military and (b) other defence cooperation with Cyprus.
Answer: The UK continues to share a strong Defence relationship with the Republic of Cyprus, through which we cooperate on matters of shared interest. Bilateral cooperation involves a range of a range of multi-domain activities through training, capability develo...
Answered 20 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordCroatia: Military AlliancesMinistry of DefenceTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 81201More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to improve (a) military and (b) other defence cooperation with Croatia.
Answer: The UK enjoys a strong relationship with Croatia as a regionally important, likeminded NATO Ally. We regularly work together on areas of shared strategy interest, including on support to Ukraine and commitment to NATO standardisation. The depth of this re...
Answered 20 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordBulgaria: Military AlliancesMinistry of DefenceTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 81200More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to improve (a) military and (b) other defence cooperation with Bulgaria.
Answer: The UK continues to share a strong Defence relationship with Bulgaria, and greatly values Bulgaria’s continued leadership in the region as a Black Sea nation. We cooperate deeply on matters of shared interest, undertaking a range of bilateral activities t...
Answered 20 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordPoland: Military AlliancesMinistry of DefenceTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 81199More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to strengthen the UK’s (a) military and (b) defence cooperation with Poland.
Answer: The United Kingdom greatly values Poland as a steadfast ally and a leader on NATO’s eastern flank. Our nations share a proud history of standing together in defence of freedom, and today we face new and complex challenges that demand the same unity of pur...
Answered 20 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordArmed Forces: Career DevelopmentMinistry of DefenceTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 81198More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to support service personnel at the top of their pay scale and unable to be promoted due to medical limitations.
Answer: The issue of Service personnel being unable to promote due to medical limitations is managed within single Service policies. Each case is managed on an individual basis, recognising unique circumstances. In instances where Service personnel are permanentl...
Answered 19 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordArmed Forces: Career DevelopmentMinistry of DefenceTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 81197More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to help support service personnel who are unable to attend the non-commissioned officer course due to a medical condition sustained during their military duties.
Answer: Whilst Defence sets medical employment standards, it is left to the discretion of the single Services how these should be applied to specific professions. Personnel who are medically unable to attend career related courses can receive support specific to ...
Answered 19 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordUkraine: Humanitarian AidForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 81196More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the adequacy of UN mechanisms for monitoring humanitarian needs in Ukraine; and what steps her Department is taking to help improve those me
Answer: The UK has committed up to £5.3 billion in non-military support to Ukraine since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022, including over £477 million in humanitarian assistance to date. The UK's humanitarian strategy for Ukraine aims to...
Answered 20 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordRussia: AviationForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 81195More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking through the UN to respond to reports of Russian airspace violations over NATO member states.
Answer: Recent incursions into Poland, Romania and Estonia were reckless violations of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) airspace. NATO responded to the incidents immediately and decisively, shooting down drones over its airspace for the first time. T...
Answered 20 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordUkraine: Humanitarian AidForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 81194More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to support the provision of humanitarian (a) aid and (b) other assistance to civilians affected by the conflict in Ukraine.
Answer: The UK has committed up to £5.3 billion in non-military support to Ukraine since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022, including over £477 million in humanitarian assistance to date. The UK's humanitarian strategy for Ukraine aims to...
Answered 20 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordUkraine: ChildrenForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 81193More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent steps her Department has taken to support UN investigations into reports of (a) forced re-education, (b) ideological indoctrination and (c) other violations of ch
Answer: We consistently raise awareness of child deportations in our communications and across multilateral fora and have raised this issue at the UN Security Council, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), and the UN Human Rights Counci...
Answered 20 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordVoice over Internet Protocol: Rural AreasDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 81192More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps he is taking to ensure that rural households are offered appropriate mitigation measures before being switched from analogue to digital telephone services.
Answer: The Government is committed to ensuring that any risks arising from the industry-led migration of the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) to Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) are mitigated for all customers across the UK.The Government has publishe...
Answered 20 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordVoice over Internet ProtocolDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 81191More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what estimate she has made of the number of households that will lose the ability to make emergency calls during a power cut following the switch to digital landlines.
Answer: The Government is committed to ensuring any risks arising from the industry-led migration of the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) to Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) are mitigated for all customers. No household should be left without means to ...
Answered 20 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordVoice over Internet ProtocolDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 81190More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps he is taking to ensure that the vulnerability registers maintained by energy providers are shared with telecommunications providers to prioritise additional support for vulne
Answer: The Government is committed to ensuring that vulnerable people are identified and appropriately supported during the Public Switched Telephone Network migration. For legal and data protection reasons, data on vulnerable people from energy providers cannot...
Answered 20 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordMobile Phones: Rural AreasDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 81189More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what discussions she has had with Ofcom on the resilience of mobile masts serving rural communities to prolonged power outages.
Answer: Whilst telecommunications services are generally resilient, they can be disrupted, and we recognise the impact that prolonged power cuts can have, especially on rural communities. In December 2023, Ofcom launched a public Call for Input on the power back-...
Answered 20 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordVoice over Internet Protocol: Rural AreasDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 81188More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps she is taking with telecommunications providers to ensure that battery back-up solutions provided to households during the Public Switched Telephone Network migration are suf
Answer: The Government is committed to ensuring any risks arising from the industry-led migration of the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) to Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) are mitigated for all customers. No household should be left without means to ...
Answered 20 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordVoice over Internet Protocol: Emergency ServicesDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 81187More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of existing contingency arrangements to ensure access to emergency services during prolonged power outages in areas affected by the Public S
Answer: The Government is committed to ensuring any risks arising from the industry-led migration of the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) to Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) are mitigated for all customers. No household should be left without means to ...
Answered 20 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordSeagulls: Pest ControlDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 81186More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of issuing guidance to local authorities on non-lethal deterrents for managing urban gull populations that comply with t
Answer: Natural England has previously issued this guidance on managing wild birds using non-lethal measures. Neither Defra nor Natural England has assessed the merits of developing further targeted guidance for local authorities on this matter but we understand ...
Answered 17 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordSeagulls: Pest ControlDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 81185More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to support local authorities to prevent gulls nesting in urban areas; and whether she has had discussions with her counterparts in the devolved Admi
Answer: There are a range of legal methods that can be used to deter gulls to prevent or at least minimise problems in urban areas. Natural England has issued this guidance on managing wild birds using non-lethal measures. It has also piloted two organisational l...
Answered 17 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordTax AvoidanceTreasuryTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 81184More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has had recent discussions with the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on the potential lessons that could be learned from HMRC’s treatment of professional footballers affected by investment
Answer: HMRC works closely with partners across the football sector to deliver educational messages to support players and their agents in getting things right first time. HMRC recognises the damage caused to the tax system by those that promote tax avoidance sch...
Answered 17 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordSeagulls: Urban AreasDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 9 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 76229More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has made a recent assessment of the potential impact of (a) urban littering and (b) waste management on the behaviour of gull populations.
Answer: This is a devolved matter and the information provided therefore relates to England only. The Government has not made a recent national assessment on the potential impact of urban littering and waste management on the behaviour of gull populations. The ef...
Answered 17 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordSeagulls: Urban AreasDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 9 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 76228More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of trends in the level of urban gull populations on public (a) health and (b) safety.
Answer: The two large gull species frequently seen in urban areas are the lesser black-backed gull and herring gull. There is a long term decline in the breeding population of both, which is most acute in coastal, rural areas. At the same time as this decline, an...
Answered 17 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordFraud: Victim Support SchemesTreasuryTabled 9 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 76227More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of legislative changes to require HMRC to prioritise investigations of (a) promoters and (b) perpetrators of fraudulent schemes over investigations of (i) profe
Answer: HMRC already takes action against those behind tax avoidance schemes by using a variety of legislation and tools to challenge promoters and others in the tax avoidance supply chain. HMRC also regularly publishes information on tax avoidance schemes, those...
Answered 17 Sept 2025
Original Parliament record
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