Asked by: Angus MacDonald (Liberal Democrat - Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what discussions his Department has had with the Scottish Government on the difference in the (a) process and (b) cost of completing a Power of Attorney in Scotland compared to England and Wales.
Answered by Kirsty McNeill - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Scotland Office)
The process and costs associated with Power of Attorney vary between legal jurisdictions within the UK due to the distinct legal frameworks in place. The processes and costs are a matter for the Scottish Government.
Asked by: Angus MacDonald (Liberal Democrat - Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to introduce universal dyslexia screening within the first two years of primary school to help ensure (a) early identification and (b) support for dyslexic children.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
I refer the hon. Member for Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire to the answer of 31 March 2025 to Question 40829.
Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.
Asked by: Angus MacDonald (Liberal Democrat - Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to make dyslexia training mandatory for (a) classroom educators and (b) on-going continued professional development.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
I refer the hon. Member for Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire to the answer of 31 March 2025 to Question 40829.
Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.
Asked by: Angus MacDonald (Liberal Democrat - Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to help ensure that Ofsted assessments include a requirement for schools to provide SEND training for all teachers.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
This is a matter for His Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Sir Martyn Oliver. I have asked him to write to the hon. Member for Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire directly and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
Asked by: Angus MacDonald (Liberal Democrat - Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of pre-configured smart meters on radio teleswitch service customers who are unable to switch to a smart meter.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Ofgem and the Department have been clear that they expect suppliers to arrange a suitable replacement metering solution for their RTS customers in a timely manner ahead of the switch off.
In the few circumstances where a Wide Area Network (WAN) connection cannot currently be established, pre-configured smart meters can be installed in households with RTS meters. A pre-configured smart meter operates in a similar way to an analogue meter, recording energy usage accurately, and can provide a similar service to what former RTS customers are used to, including delivering electricity tariffs such as Economy 7 or Economy 10.
Asked by: Angus MacDonald (Liberal Democrat - Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking to support the Data Communications Company expand smart meter network coverage in the context of the Radio Teleswitch switch off.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Department and Ofgem have been clear that they expect energy suppliers to promptly arrange suitable replacement metering solutions for their remaining RTS customers.
The Data Communications Company (DCC) is examining options for premises not currently able to get smart metering network coverage as part of its Future Connectivity strategy, which includes a range of technical solutions.
Where an RTS household does not currently receive coverage, energy suppliers can provide pre-configured smart meters, which operate like analogue meters, until a WAN connection can be established.
Asked by: Angus MacDonald (Liberal Democrat - Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what discussions his Department has had with (a) Ofgem and (b) energy suppliers on (i) providing additional financial support and (ii) targeted protection for vulnerable households with increased costs associated with the replacement of radio teleswitch service meters.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Department attends the Industry Taskforce on the Radio Teleswitch Service, which was convened by Ofgem last year and is led by Energy UK. The Taskforce’s Call to Action in October 2024 highlighted that energy suppliers should fast-track meter upgrades to RTS customers, particularly prioritising vulnerable customers, ahead of the switch-off.
Ofgem has also consulted on plans to introduce new RTS specific licence conditions for energy suppliers. These propose that suppliers must take all reasonable steps to provide an energy tariff that leaves all their customers ‘no worse off’ than before once their RTS meter is replaced.
Asked by: Angus MacDonald (Liberal Democrat - Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the transition from the radio teleswitch service on households in (a) rural and (b) remote areas; and what steps he is taking to ensure that these households are not disproportionately affected.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Department and Ofgem have been clear that they expect energy suppliers to promptly arrange suitable replacement metering solutions for their remaining RTS customers.
Suppliers should sufficiently resource themselves to ensure they have installer workforce capacity to replace RTS meters in rural and remote areas. This could involve measures such as deploying roaming teams of installers in areas with low installer capacity.
Ofgem has consulted on new licence conditions which will seek to ensure consumers are treated fairly and have an alternative metering arrangement following the cessation of RTS.
Asked by: Angus MacDonald (Liberal Democrat - Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of developing a National Brain Tumour Strategy.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
My Rt. Hon friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, has announced that a National Cancer Plan for England will be published this year. The National Cancer Plan will have patients at its heart and will cover the entirety of the cancer pathway, from referral and diagnosis to treatment and ongoing care. It will seek to improve every aspect of cancer care to improve the experience and outcomes for people with cancer, including brain tumour patients. Research is also a key focus of the plan, and we will work closely with partners including the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) on this.
We realise that there are currently limited treatment options available for people who have been diagnosed with brain tumours, and we recognise the significant impact this rare cancer can have on patients, carers and their families. The government is invested in driving new lifesaving and life-improving research, supporting those diagnosed and living with brain tumours.
Furthermore, the Department, NHS England and NIHR are taking several steps to help improve outcomes for brain tumour patients to ensure the most promising research opportunities are made available to adult and child patients.
Asked by: Angus MacDonald (Liberal Democrat - Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department has set a financial target for the reduction of energy bills by 2030.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government is determined to cut bills as far and as fast as we can.
In October 2023, independent experts modelled the effect of a clean power system on electricity bills. Based on the latest renewable generation costs available at the time, they found electricity bills could be up to £300 cheaper by 2030 when compared with the cost of electricity in July-September 2023, which was higher than today’s levels.
The independent NESO set out pathways to a clean power system in 2030, and confirmed it was deliverable, more secure, and could see a lower cost of electricity, and lower bills.