Brian Leishman MP: written questions
49 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Conditions of Employment: Northern IrelandDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 1 Jul 2026AnsweredUIN 15114More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what support his Department has provided to improving workers' rights in Northern Ireland, in the context of the time taken for the Northern Ireland Executive to implement its Good Jobs Bill.
Answer: Employment Rights policy is transferred in Northern Ireland. Officials and Ministers from the Department for Business and Trade engage regularly with counterparts in the Northern Ireland Executive on our respective plans to improve workers’ rights. For ex...
Answered 10 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordConditions of Employment: Northern IrelandDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 1 Jul 2026AnsweredUIN 15112More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what discussions he has had with the Northern Ireland Executive on the Good Jobs Bill.
Answer: Employment Rights policy is transferred in Northern Ireland. Officials and Ministers from the Department for Business and Trade engage regularly with counterparts in the Northern Ireland Executive on our respective plans to improve workers’ rights. The UK...
Answered 10 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordRescue Services: HelicoptersDepartment for TransportTabled 23 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 12338More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency’s policies on the operational limits of Search and Rescue winching systems on helicopters contracted to conduct offshor
Answer: The winching systems on search and rescue (SAR) helicopters have a limit on their load capacity which has been further reduced by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) imposed limit for the carriage of ‘human external cargo’. The Maritime and C...
Answered 1 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordOffshore Industry: HelicoptersDepartment for TransportTabled 23 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 12334More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions she has had with the (a) Maritime and Coastguard Agency, (b) Civil Aviation Authority and (c) Department for Energy Security and Net Zero on oil and gas employers’ proposals on the weigh
Answer: The Maritime and Coastguard Agency responded to the Offshore Energies UK (OEUK) report on the “identification of hazards related to the weight, size, and shape of offshore oil and gas workers in the UK” in September 2024 and March 2025, expressing safety ...
Answered 1 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordRescue Services: HelicoptersDepartment for TransportTabled 23 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 12330More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many merchant seafarers have been winched to safety from commercial vessels in (a) territorial and (b) international waters on the UK Continental Shelf by HM Coastguard Search and Rescue helicopters in each
Answer: The winching systems on search and rescue (SAR) helicopters have a limit on their load capacity which has been further reduced by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) imposed limit for the carriage of ‘human external cargo’. The Maritime and C...
Answered 1 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordRescue Services: HelicoptersDepartment for TransportTabled 23 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 12328More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many offshore energy workers have been winched to safety from (a) fixed offshore oil and gas installations, (b) floating production storage and offloading units and (c) offshore wind farms on the UK Contine
Answer: The winching systems on search and rescue (SAR) helicopters have a limit on their load capacity which has been further reduced by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) imposed limit for the carriage of ‘human external cargo’. The Maritime and C...
Answered 1 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordPalestine: Foreign RelationsForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 9 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 8205More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the Prime Minister’s letter to President Abbas of 21 September 2025, what discussions she has had with her Palestinian counterpart on the UK’s historical ro
Answer: I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 27 April in response to Question 124946.
Answered 15 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordPalestine: Foreign RelationsForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 9 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 8204More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the Prime Minister’s letter to President Abbas of 21 September 2025, whether she has considered issuing a formal apology on behalf of His Majesty’s Governme
Answer: I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 27 April in response to Question 124946.
Answered 15 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordRevenue and Customs: StaffTreasuryTabled 15 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 127622More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, when HMRC will publish full staffing projections for Managed Service Provider and HMRC customer services staff.
Answer: HMRC is currently in an initial proof‑of‑value phase for its use of MSPs, which is helping to inform longer‑term workforce planning. At this stage, HMRC has no plans to publish full staffing projections for either MSPs or HMRC customer services staff.Deci...
Answered 24 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordWestern Sahara: Self-determination of StatesForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 14 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 127407More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will have discussions with her Moroccan counterpart on the suppression of protests and events supporting self-determination in occupied Western Sahara.
Answer: The UK remains firmly committed to the promotion and protection of human rights globally, including in Morocco and Western Sahara, as we regularly make clear to all relevant parties. At the most recent UK-Morocco Human Rights Dialogue in November 2025, se...
Answered 27 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordTrade: Occupied Territories and Western SaharaDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 14 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 127406More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answers of 1 April 2025 to question 41654 on Trade: Occupied Territories and Western Sahara, if he will update that guidance to include the need for consent to comply with international
Answer: The UK keeps its overseas business risk guidance, available on gov.uk, relating to Western Sahara and the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs) under review and will update it as necessary to reflect relevant international law considerations. The UK is ...
Answered 21 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordBowel Cancer: ScreeningDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 26 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 908656More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help tackle inequalities in bowel cancer screening participation.
Answer: While uptake of bowel cancer screening has increased, some groups struggle with barriers to engagement, leaving them at risk. We are providing £200m funding for Cancer Alliances, to reduce inequalities in communities among groups where screening uptake is...
Answered 14 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordRevenue and Customs: StaffTreasuryTabled 26 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 124389More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, when HMRC will publish full staffing projections for Managed Service Provider and HMRC customer services staff.
Answer: Customer demand for HMRC services can fluctuate significantly, both seasonally and in response to external events. HMRC uses Managed Service Providers (MSPs) to provide additional, flexible capacity to help manage these types of variations and support per...
Answered 20 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordRevenue and Customs: StaffTreasuryTabled 26 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 124388More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how HMRC will ensure that workforce planning decisions do not incentivise replacement of permanent staff with externally supplied labour.
Answer: Customer demand for HMRC services can fluctuate significantly, both seasonally and in response to external events. HMRC uses Managed Service Providers (MSPs) to provide additional, flexible capacity to help manage these types of variations and support per...
Answered 20 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordRevenue and Customs: Managed Service CompaniesTreasuryTabled 26 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 124387More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether Managed Service Provider staff and HMRC employees will have differing pay, terms, training and progression.
Answer: Customer demand for HMRC services can fluctuate significantly, both seasonally and in response to external events. HMRC uses Managed Service Providers (MSPs) to provide additional, flexible capacity to help manage these types of variations and support per...
Answered 20 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordIron and Steel: ImportsDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 11 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 120175More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of changes to UK steel safeguarding measures and import quotas on small and medium-sized enterprises that rely on a stable supply of imported steel;
Answer: The UK steel industry faces challenging global conditions due to overcapacity and trade deflection, which threatens the long‑term viability of domestic production. That is why last year the government amended the steel safeguard to ensure the overall effe...
Answered 16 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordMineworkers' Pension SchemeDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 4 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 118021More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will take steps to ensure that all of the future surpluses accrued by the Mineworkers’ Pension Scheme can be used to increase the pensions of members of that Scheme.
Answer: I recently met the Mineworkers’ Pension Scheme Trustees and discussed the proposed changes that Trustees have put forward. Work is underway to assess the benefits and risks of the Trustees’ proposals. We are aiming to implement changes as swiftly as possi...
Answered 13 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordMineworkers' Pension SchemeDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 4 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 118020More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of utilising the undistributed surplus in the Mineworkers’ Pension Scheme to fund a pension bonus to members in 2026-2027 financial year.
Answer: I recently met the Mineworkers’ Pension Scheme Trustees and discussed the proposed changes that Trustees have put forward. Work is underway to assess the benefits and risks of the Trustees’ proposals. We are aiming to implement changes as swiftly as possi...
Answered 13 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordMineworkers' Pension SchemeDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 4 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 118019More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of removing the standstill feature from the Mineworkers’ Pension Scheme.
Answer: I recently met the Mineworkers’ Pension Scheme Trustees and discussed the proposed changes that Trustees have put forward. Work is underway to assess the benefits and risks of the Trustees’ proposals. We are aiming to implement changes as swiftly as possi...
Answered 13 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordWestern Sahara: UN High Commissioner for Human RightsForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 25 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 115922More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has had recent discussions with her Moroccan counterpart on access to Western Sahara for the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.
Answer: The UK remains firmly committed to the promotion and protection of human rights globally, including in Morocco and Western Sahara, as we regularly make clear to all relevant parties. Officials, including up to ambassador level, regularly engage on these i...
Answered 9 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordFood: Western SaharaDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 25 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 115919More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she plans to take steps to help ensure that the labelling of food originating in Western Sahara is not (a) mislabelled and (b) misleading.
Answer: The Government is committed to ensuring that UK consumers are not misled about the origin of the food they purchase. In accordance with assimilated EU Regulation 1169/2011 on the provision of food information to consumers, food labelling must not be misle...
Answered 4 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordRussia: TankersMinistry of DefenceTabled 2 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 110197More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the seizure of the Russian-flagged oil tanker Marinera and the removal of its captain and first officer from UK jurisdiction by United States Coast Guards, what engagement the Government receive
Answer: Permissions to utilise UK military bases by foreign partners are considered on a case-by-case basis. This includes engagement with US partners on the nature and purpose of their activity. All UK support to allies for operational purposes considers the leg...
Answered 29 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordImport Controls: ScotlandDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 27 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 108937More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will outline the differences between the Border Control Post requirements in place for (a) exports and (b) imports at (i) Grangemouth, (ii) Rosyth, (iii) Burntisland and (iv) Me
Answer: Standards set out for Border Control Post (BCPs) are contained within a legislative framework and are dependent on what the BCP is approved to handle in relation to SPS goods, such as plants and plant products, or products or animal origin. A list of what...
Answered 3 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordFreight: ScotlandDepartment for TransportTabled 27 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 108936More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to promote modal shift of freight from road to sea; and when she last discussed this matter with counterparts in the Scottish Government.
Answer: The GB-wide Waterborne Freight Grant encourages new coastal or short sea shipping services and assists a company with the operating costs associated with running waterborne freight transport instead of road, where transport by water is more expensive. The...
Answered 29 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordFerries: Europe and ScotlandDepartment for TransportTabled 27 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 108935More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions she has had with (a) the Scottish Government and (b) ferry operators on the crewing model that will be used on the vessels used to provide Roll-on Roll-off passenger and freight ferry se
Answer: Maritime policy is devolved to Scotland and so it is for the Scottish Government to engage with ferry operators about any services from Scottish ports to mainland Europe. My officials regularly engage with the Scottish Government about maritime matters bu...
Answered 4 Feb 2026
Original Parliament record
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