Asked by: Brendan O'Hara (Scottish National Party - Argyll, Bute and South Lochaber)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the report by Viginum entitled Rokh Solis: Analysis of an informational modus operandi that targeted the municipal elections of March 2026, published on 11th June 2026; and whether the designation power under the National Security (State Threats) Bill 2026 can be applied to private commercial entities.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government is committed to safeguarding the UK's democratic integrity. The Joint Election Security Preparedness Unit (which sits jointly across the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and the Cabinet Office) is dedicated to electoral security. The designation power under the National Security (State Threats) Bill as currently drafted can be used to designate any body engaged in foreign power threat activity, including private commercial entities. The designation must be necessary to protect the safety or interests of the UK.
Asked by: Brendan O'Hara (Scottish National Party - Argyll, Bute and South Lochaber)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has made recent representations to her Vietnamese counterpart on freedom of religion or belief for independent religious communities in that country.
Answered by Seema Malhotra
The UK regularly raises concerns with the Government of Vietnam about freedom of religion or belief for independent religious communities. Vietnam is a focus country in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's Freedom of Religion and Belief (FoRB) Strategy, launched in July 2025, and we raise the issue on a regular basis with the Government of Vietnam. We will continue to urge Vietnam to meet its international human rights obligations. We continue to highlight FoRB violations and abuses on the international stage, through our position at the UN and as an active member of the Article 18 Alliance, ensuring joint international action on FoRB.
Asked by: Brendan O'Hara (Scottish National Party - Argyll, Bute and South Lochaber)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help reduce the cost of living in Scotland.
Answered by Douglas Alexander - Secretary of State for Scotland
This Government is taking real action to help Scottish families with the cost of living.
We have delivered the biggest upgrade to workers’ rights in a decade, extended the fuel duty freeze, increased the State Pension and Universal Credit, and are delivering cut price summer activities for families. Some 220,000 of the lowest paid Scottish workers got a direct pay rise thanks to an increase in the National Living Wage. And the energy cap is saving households in Scotland an average of £117 a year, with an additional £150 for the most vulnerable household.
And by continuing to grow the economy we will help more Scots access better-paid, good-quality jobs.
Asked by: Brendan O'Hara (Scottish National Party - Argyll, Bute and South Lochaber)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has had discussions with the Home Office and Department for Education on establishing and funding a safe, facilitated departure scheme for the 2026 cohort of students from Gaza with fully funded scholarships to universities in Scotland and across the UK.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Further to my answer of 12 January in response to Question 103313, a total of eight cohorts of students and qualifying dependants have so far been supported to leave Gaza to take up their university places in the UK for the 2025/26 academic year. The future nature of this support will be announced to Parliament in the normal way in due course.