Scott Arthur MP: written questions
578 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Recreation Spaces: GirlsDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 24 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 48002More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps is he taking to help promote access to green spaces for girls.
Answer: The Government recognises the importance of providing access to the outdoors for people’s health and wellbeing and is working to ensure this is safe and appropriate. This is why we have set out our ambitious manifesto commitments to create nine new nation...
Answered 6 May 2025
Original Parliament recordHigher Education: StandardsDepartment for EducationTabled 22 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 47043More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of higher education (a) funding and (b) governance.
Answer: Education is a devolved matter and as such issues relating to higher education (HE) in the devolved nations is a matter for the relevant government.The HE sector needs a secure financial footing to face the challenges of the next decade, and to ensure tha...
Answered 29 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordHousing: BricksMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 22 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 47042More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans she has to provide urban nesting habitats for small birds within housebuilding targets.
Answer: I refer the hon. Member to the answer to Question UIN 22080 on 15 January 2025.
Answered 30 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordStudents: Income TaxTreasuryTabled 22 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 47041More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has made an assessment of trends in the level of students not reclaiming overpaid income tax.
Answer: The amount of income tax a student pays depends upon their total taxable income, including employment income. The standard income tax personal allowance for the 2025 to 2026 tax year is £12,570, which means that most students do not pay tax on the first £...
Answered 30 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordNHS: TrainingDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 22 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 47040More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that an adequate number of speciality training posts are available to ensure that NHS needs are met.
Answer: We are committed to training the staff we need to ensure patients are cared for by the right professional, when and where they need it.We will ensure that the number of medical specialty training places meets the demands of the National Health Service in ...
Answered 30 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordElectric Vehicles: TaxationTreasuryTabled 22 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 47039More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of increasing the benefit in kind rates for new electric vehicles on sales of new electric vehicles.
Answer: At Autumn Budget, the Government announced new Company Car Tax rates for the years 2028-29 and 2029-30, which increase for both electric vehicles (EVs) and petrol/diesel vehicles, while still maintaining generous incentives to support EV take-up.The Tax I...
Answered 30 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordElectric Vehicles: TaxationTreasuryTabled 22 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 47038More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of increases in benefit in kind rates for used electric vehicle leasing via salary sacrifice schemes on levels of electric vehicle sales.
Answer: At Autumn Budget, the Government announced new Company Car Tax rates for the years 2028-29 and 2029-30, which increase for both electric vehicles (EVs) and petrol/diesel vehicles, while still maintaining generous incentives to support EV take-up.The Tax I...
Answered 30 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordPakistan: Human RightsForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 22 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 47037More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he is having with (a) the Government of Pakistan and (b) other international partners on incidents of Ahmadiyya Muslims being barred from congregational Eid
Answer: Promoting freedom of religion or belief is a core part of the UK's diplomatic engagement overseas. We are concerned by the deteriorating situation for Ahmadi Muslims in Pakistan, including reports they were prevented from offering prayers over Ramadan and...
Answered 8 May 2025
Original Parliament recordBrain Cancer: ResearchDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 17 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 46429More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the Answer of 27 January 2025 to Question 25126, whether his Department has now published a breakdown of spending on brain cancer research in 2023-24 for each UKRI body.
Answer: UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) delivers a substantial portfolio of researcher-led projects and strategic investments, including research investigating the causes for and underpinning the development of treatments for Brain Cancer. The Medical Research ...
Answered 29 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordUniversities: UkraineDepartment for EducationTabled 17 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 46428More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to encourage academic partnerships between UK and Ukrainian universities.
Answer: Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.As part of the government’s unbreakable 100 Year Partnership with Ukraine, the department is working closely with the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine o...
Answered 29 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordPrize MoneyDepartment for Culture, Media and SportTabled 17 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 46427More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she plans to introduce further regulation for prize draws.
Answer: Large scale commercial prize draws are a significant and growing market. Whilst not regulated as a gambling product under the Gambling Act, we want people who participate to be confident that proportionate protections are in place. The department is grate...
Answered 25 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordUniversal Credit: Individual Savings AccountsDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 17 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 46426More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she has considered exempting Lifetime ISAs from Universal Credit capital rules.
Answer: There are no plans to change the way savings held in a Lifetime ISA are treated in the assessment of Universal Credit. It is appropriate that means tested benefits, including Universal Credit, take all forms of savings into account. This includes investme...
Answered 23 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordUniversities: FinanceDepartment for EducationTabled 17 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 46425More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made an assessment of the impact of the Graduate route visa scheme on university finances.
Answer: The UK has a world-class higher education (HE) sector, with four universities in the world university rankings top 10, and 15 in the top 100, alongside a wide array of leading institutions which attract international students from around the world. The gr...
Answered 29 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordVideo GamesDepartment for Culture, Media and SportTabled 17 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 46424More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department has considered reintroducing a skills investment fund dedicated to the games industry to help tackle skills shortages.
Answer: The Government is committed to the long term success of our world class games sector, having identified the creative industries as one of eight priority sectors in the industrial strategy.£5.5 million in funding for the UK Games Fund (UKGF) has been annou...
Answered 28 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordVideo Games: Tax AllowancesTreasuryTabled 17 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 46423More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the economic benefits generated by the (a) Video Games Tax Relief and (b) Video Games Expenditure Credit; and if she will take steps to reform tax incentives.
Answer: Video games companies benefit from the Video Games Expenditure Credit (VGEC), which provides a generous tax credit of 34 per cent on UK video games development costs.A report published by the BFI in 2021 found that VGEC, previously known as the Video Game...
Answered 29 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordVideo GamesDepartment for Culture, Media and SportTabled 17 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 46422More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to ensure the UK video games industry remains a source of economic growth in the context of US tariffs.
Answer: The Government is committed to the long term success of our world class games sector, having identified the creative industries as one of eight priority sectors in the industrial strategy.£5.5 million in funding for the UK Games Fund (UKGF) has been annou...
Answered 28 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordVideo GamesDepartment for Culture, Media and SportTabled 17 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 46421More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to support the (a) long-term growth and (b) international competitiveness of the video game industry.
Answer: The Government is committed to the long term success of our world class games sector, having identified the creative industries as one of eight priority sectors in the industrial strategy.£5.5 million in funding for the UK Games Fund (UKGF) has been annou...
Answered 28 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordVisas: GraduatesHome OfficeTabled 17 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 46420More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what information her Department holds on the proportion of applicants to the Graduate Visa scheme that are fraudulent.
Answer: The specific information requested is not held.
Answered 29 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordBritish International Investment: FinanceForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 17 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 46419More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he will consider reallocating proposed capital financing for British International Investment to aid spending.
Answer: All development funding, including for British International Investment, will be considered as part of the ongoing multi-year spending review and subsequent resource allocation round.
Answered 29 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordDevelopment Aid: Sustainable DevelopmentForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 17 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 46418More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the planned reduction to ODA spending on the UK's commitment to the Agenda 2030 leaving-no-one- behind principle.
Answer: Reducing the overall size of our Official Development Assistance (ODA) budget will necessarily have an impact on the scale and shape of the work we do. Decisions on how the ODA budget will be used are being worked through as part of the ongoing Spending R...
Answered 29 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordInternational Development: ReviewsForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 17 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 46417More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to his Department's press release entitled Foreign Secretary launches expert reviews to strengthen UK’s global impact and expertise, published on 9 September 2
Answer: The reviews' reports take the form of unpublished independent advice to the Foreign Secretary. A decision on how best to communicate the independent reviews' findings will be taken in due course by the Foreign Secretary.
Answered 29 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordBritish Overseas Territories: CompaniesForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 17 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 46416More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the progress made on the introduction of a publicly accessible register on beneficial ownership of businesses registered in their jurisdiction
Answer: At the Overseas Territories Joint Ministerial Council (JMC) in November 2024, the Falkland Islands and Saint Helena committed to implement fully public registers by April 2025. The British Virgin Islands (BVI), Cayman Islands, Bermuda, Anguilla and Turks ...
Answered 29 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordBritish Overseas Territories: CompaniesForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 17 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 46415More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his counterparts in (a) the British Virgin Islands and (b) the Cayman Islands on the introduction of public registers of beneficial ow
Answer: At the Overseas Territories Joint Ministerial Council (JMC) in November 2024, the Falkland Islands and Saint Helena committed to implement fully public registers by April 2025. The British Virgin Islands (BVI), Cayman Islands, Bermuda, Anguilla and Turks ...
Answered 29 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordGraduates: VisasDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 17 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 46414More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the graduate route visa scheme on levels of innovation.
Answer: The Government is committed to making the UK the destination of choice for top international talent, who have an important impact on innovation and entrepreneurship in the UK. Their impact is particularly noticeable in the UK’s leading startup ecosystem; ...
Answered 29 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordGraduates: VisasHome OfficeTabled 17 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 46413More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the graduate route visa scheme on economic growth.
Answer: In May 2024 the Home Office published Analysis of migrants use of the Graduate route - GOV.UK which explores Graduate earnings and employment.This was published alongside The Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) rapid review of the Graduate route: Graduate ...
Answered 29 Apr 2025
Original Parliament record
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