Asked by: Angus MacDonald (Liberal Democrat - Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what role Ministers and officials had in setting the scope and terms of reference for the review of Loan Charge settlement arrangements conducted by Ray McCann.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Review’s Terms of Reference were drafted by the independent reviewer and then agreed with Ministers.
Ministers received advice from officials in line with normal processes. This ensured that the Terms of Reference met legal requirements and the objectives agreed between Ministers and the reviewer.
Asked by: Angus MacDonald (Liberal Democrat - Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to increase defence manufacturing capabilities.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The UK has a world class production and manufacturing eco-system, providing high-quality, cutting-edge armaments, components, and technologies for our Armed Forces and our allies. The Defence Industrial Strategy (DIS) 2025 sets out how we will deliver a defence sector that is more competitive, integrated, innovative and resilient, including by boosting UK manufacturing. Our new alliance with the High Value Manufacturing Catapult, launched in the DIS, will lever world-leading research and development capabilities, and further accelerate industrial transformation. This builds on the strategic use of Advance Manufacturing in the development, delivery and sustainment of Defence capabilities.
We are committed to ensuring the Defence industry is a engine for economic growth through strengthened industrial relationships and domestic investment. We have committed £6 billion this Parliament towards munitions, as outlined in the Strategic Defence Review 2025, which supports defence capacity whilst generating local jobs and economic prosperity. This investment includes £1.5 billion for building six new energetics and munitions factories in the UK to deliver an ‘always on’ pipeline, locations and arrangements of which are being assessed through ongoing work.
Asked by: Angus MacDonald (Liberal Democrat - Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the regulatory framework governing the operation of foreign-flagged passenger vessels within UK territorial waters.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
No recent assessment has been made of the potential merits of limiting access for foreign-flagged passenger vessels to UK territorial waters. Vessels in UK territorial waters are subject to a number of controls, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), and inspection at UK ports to ensure compliance with their obligations under international maritime regulations. The UK relies on both foreign-flagged and UK-registered vessels for key imports and passenger services.
Asked by: Angus MacDonald (Liberal Democrat - Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of limiting access for foreign-flagged passenger vessels to designated areas of UK territorial waters.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
No recent assessment has been made of the potential merits of limiting access for foreign-flagged passenger vessels to UK territorial waters. Vessels in UK territorial waters are subject to a number of controls, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), and inspection at UK ports to ensure compliance with their obligations under international maritime regulations. The UK relies on both foreign-flagged and UK-registered vessels for key imports and passenger services.
Asked by: Angus MacDonald (Liberal Democrat - Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions she has had with the Scottish Government on managing cruise ship traffic in sensitive coastal and marine environments.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Department for Transport Ministers have not discussed with the Scottish Government limiting cruise ship activity. Nor have they undertaken any assessment of the levels of such activity.
Cruise visits bring jobs and growth to coastal communities. That’s why the Government, in partnership with the industry, published the UK Cruise Growth Plan in September 2025.
That plan offers a blueprint for future collaboration on connected priorities, such as further progress towards net zero and increasing environmental protection. It sits alongside the UK Government’s Maritime Decarbonisation Strategy, which sets out our pathway and key policies to decarbonise the maritime sector.
Asked by: Angus MacDonald (Liberal Democrat - Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the levels of cruise vessel activity in environmentally sensitive coastal areas of the west of Scotland.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Department for Transport Ministers have not discussed with the Scottish Government limiting cruise ship activity. Nor have they undertaken any assessment of the levels of such activity.
Cruise visits bring jobs and growth to coastal communities. That’s why the Government, in partnership with the industry, published the UK Cruise Growth Plan in September 2025.
That plan offers a blueprint for future collaboration on connected priorities, such as further progress towards net zero and increasing environmental protection. It sits alongside the UK Government’s Maritime Decarbonisation Strategy, which sets out our pathway and key policies to decarbonise the maritime sector.
Asked by: Angus MacDonald (Liberal Democrat - Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has made an assessment of the potential environmental impacts of restricting the use of heavy fuel oil within the UK Exclusive Economic Zone.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government is committed to working through the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to reduce the global environmental impact of the maritime sector. We are a leading voice in supporting the adoption of the Net-Zero Framework to reduce global shipping’s greenhouse gas emissions, and remain committed to working with others to progress adoption of the Net-Zero Framework in 2026. Additional global measures, such as the introduction of stricter international sulphur regulations in 2020, have already reduced the use of traditional high sulphur Heavy Fuel Oil.
We are also taking action domestically through policies set out in the Maritime Decarbonisation Strategy. This presents a range of fuel scenarios, underpinned by our maritime emissions model, illustrating the varying ways in which the UK domestic maritime sector could transition from traditional fuels, such as heavy fuel oil, to zero, and near-zero, emission fuels. This is also informed by a wide range of other evidence including from industry, non-governmental organisations and academia.
Asked by: Angus MacDonald (Liberal Democrat - Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment she has made of the use of heavy fuel oil by vessels operating in UK waters.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government is committed to working through the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to reduce the global environmental impact of the maritime sector. We are a leading voice in supporting the adoption of the Net-Zero Framework to reduce global shipping’s greenhouse gas emissions, and remain committed to working with others to progress adoption of the Net-Zero Framework in 2026. Additional global measures, such as the introduction of stricter international sulphur regulations in 2020, have already reduced the use of traditional high sulphur Heavy Fuel Oil.
We are also taking action domestically through policies set out in the Maritime Decarbonisation Strategy. This presents a range of fuel scenarios, underpinned by our maritime emissions model, illustrating the varying ways in which the UK domestic maritime sector could transition from traditional fuels, such as heavy fuel oil, to zero, and near-zero, emission fuels. This is also informed by a wide range of other evidence including from industry, non-governmental organisations and academia.
Asked by: Angus MacDonald (Liberal Democrat - Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing restrictions on the proximity of large passenger vessels to the UK coastline, other than when entering or leaving port.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
We recognise the impact in terms of noise, environmental damage, and air quality that large vessels can have in proximity to coastlines. Whilst we have made no recent assessment of this impact for the purpose of placing restrictions, we have taken significant steps to improve our evidence base on the emissions from shipping by developing a new Maritime Emissions Model.
The UK continues to push for the adoption of the Net Zero Framework at the International Maritime Organization, which will place global regulation on the maritime sector to incentivise the transition to zero, and near-zero, emission fuels.
Asked by: Angus MacDonald (Liberal Democrat - Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions his Department has had with the International Maritime Organisation on the designation of additional Emission Control Areas adjacent to the west coast of the United Kingdom.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
We, alongside EU partners, are leading work at the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to bring in a new Emission Control Area (ECA) in the North-East Atlantic Ocean. This is a key measure, which covers over 5 million km2 of ocean, to reduce air pollutant emissions of vessels across the whole of the North East Atlantic and the west coast of the UK. We will continue to support and press for adoption of this vital measure at the 84th IMO Marine Environment Protection Committee in April 2026.