To match an exact phrase, use quotation marks around the search term. eg. "Parliamentary Estate". Use "OR" or "AND" as link words to form more complex queries.


Keep yourself up-to-date with the latest developments by exploring our subscription options to receive notifications direct to your inbox

Written Question
McClure Solicitors: Insolvency
Thursday 18th January 2024

Asked by: Carol Monaghan (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North West)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will take steps with Cabinet colleagues to (a) support clients of McClure Solicitors and (b) ensure former clients are aware of the firm’s collapse and the potential consequences for their legal arrangements.

Answered by Mike Freer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

The legal profession in England and Wales operates independently of government. The responsibility for regulating the sector sits with the approved regulators, overseen by the Legal Services Board (LSB). The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) is responsible for regulating the professional conduct of solicitors, as well as most law firms in England and Wales. The SRA’s role involves protecting clients and the public. The different ways in which they can provide support to consumers of legal services can be found on their website: SRA | What you can expect from us | Solicitors Regulation Authority.

For clients based in Scotland, the Law Society of Scotland (TLSS) is the professional body responsible for regulating Scottish solicitors. They have confirmed that they are taking measures to meet their regulatory obligations and assist consumers impacted by the collapse of WW & J McClures. Advice for those affected by the collapse of McClures can be accessed on TLSS’s website: https://www.lawscot.org.uk/news-and-events/law-society-news/mcclures-jones-whyte-faqs/.

The Government is aware of the issues surrounding WW & J McClures collapse, which involve multiple regulators responding to former clients across Scotland, England and Wales. Government officials have spoken to the SRA, which has confirmed that it is aware of the issues at hand and is continuing to investigate them at a senior level. There are several routes in place to ensure consumers have access to support in the event of the collapse of their solicitor’s law firm.

The Legal Ombudsman (LeO) deals with service complaints against regulated legal services providers – including those who are no longer operational. Their website provides information with regards to the different routes available for consumers depending on their personal circumstances: Complaining about closed service providers | Legal Ombudsman.

With regards to the issue of raising awareness among clients of McClures, there are requirements with respect to the advertising and publication of an insolvency so that creditors and other interested parties are made aware. The administration of McClures was advertised as required in the London Gazette. Information for former clients of McClures in Scotland was also published by Law Society of Scotland. In addition, for clients of McClures across Great Britain, Jones Whyte published an extensive list of FAQs, covering the number of clients it had taken on, the steps it was taking to contact those clients, and the procedure for clients to transfer to another legal firm if they wished.


Written Question
Large Goods Vehicles: Driving Tests
Wednesday 13th December 2023

Asked by: Carol Monaghan (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North West)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many publicly-booked Driver CPC part 3b tests were conducted in (a) the UK, (b) Scotland and (c) Bishopbriggs Test Centre in each quarter since April 2021.

Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The table below shows the number of part 3b tests conducted in each quarter since April 2021 in the UK, Scotland and at Bishopbriggs test centre.

UK

Scotland

Bishopbriggs test centre

Apr / May / Jun 2021

18761

1066

0

Jul / Aug / Sep 2021

23595

1491

0

Oct / Nov / Dec 2021

27144

1619

0

Jan / Feb / Mar 2022

26391

1742

0

Apr / May / Jun 2022

28386

2056

39

Jul / Aug / Sep 2022

31128

2181

46

Oct / Nov / Dec 2022

28112

1924

45

Jan / Feb / Mar 2023

26334

1825

73

Apr / May / June 2023

22697

1642

71

July / Aug / Sep 2023

20544

1351

68


Written Question
Driving Tests: Large Goods Vehicles
Wednesday 6th December 2023

Asked by: Carol Monaghan (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North West)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many Driver CPC part 3b tests were available for public booking in each quarter since April 2021 in (a) the UK, (b) Scotland and (c) Bishopbriggs Test Centre.

Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

As the database for part 3b test availability is live and constantly changing, it is not possible to accurately calculate the test availability that was available for booking at each historic point in time since April 2021.


Written Question
Department for Education: Women
Tuesday 21st November 2023

Asked by: Carol Monaghan (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North West)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of SCS2 civil servants on full-time contracts in her Department are women.

Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)

As of the 31 of October 2023, the proportion of officials in the Department that are graded as senior civil servant 2 and are women on full time equivalent contracts is 64.9%. This figure was calculated by dividing the number of women at senior civil servant 2 grade on full time contracts by the total number of staff at senior civil servant 2 grade on full time contracts. This figure includes the Department, as well as its executive agencies – Education and Skills Funding Agency, Teaching Regulation Agency, Standard and Testing Agency.

The official public sector employment statistics published in June 2023 by the Office for National Statistics include data on the proportion of staff on temporary contracts who are women. These figures can be accessed at: https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/publicsectorpersonnel/datasets/publicsectoremploymentreferencetable.

In 2022/23, more than half of new entrants to the civil service were women (54.1%). In 2021/22, 51.6% of new entrants and 53.9% of promotions to the senior civil service were women.


Written Question
Department for Education: Women
Tuesday 21st November 2023

Asked by: Carol Monaghan (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North West)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of civil servants on temporary contracts in her Department are women.

Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)

As of the 31 of October 2023, the proportion of officials in the Department that are graded as senior civil servant 2 and are women on full time equivalent contracts is 64.9%. This figure was calculated by dividing the number of women at senior civil servant 2 grade on full time contracts by the total number of staff at senior civil servant 2 grade on full time contracts. This figure includes the Department, as well as its executive agencies – Education and Skills Funding Agency, Teaching Regulation Agency, Standard and Testing Agency.

The official public sector employment statistics published in June 2023 by the Office for National Statistics include data on the proportion of staff on temporary contracts who are women. These figures can be accessed at: https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/publicsectorpersonnel/datasets/publicsectoremploymentreferencetable.

In 2022/23, more than half of new entrants to the civil service were women (54.1%). In 2021/22, 51.6% of new entrants and 53.9% of promotions to the senior civil service were women.


Written Question
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology: Women
Thursday 26th October 2023

Asked by: Carol Monaghan (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North West)

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what proportion of officials in her Department on temporary contracts are women.

Answered by George Freeman

The proportion of officials in Department for Science, Innovation and Technology on temporary contracts that are women is 50%.


Written Question
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology: Women
Thursday 26th October 2023

Asked by: Carol Monaghan (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North West)

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what proportion of officials in her Department that are (a) graded as senior civil servant 2 and (b) on full-time equivalent contracts are women.

Answered by George Freeman

The proportion of officials in Department for Science, Innovation and Technology that are graded as senior civil servant 2 is 1.4%.

The proportion of officials that are women, on a full-time equivalent basis is 52.5%.


Written Question
Refugees: Ukraine
Wednesday 18th October 2023

Asked by: Carol Monaghan (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North West)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make it his policy to introduce settlement routes for Ukrainian nationals in the UK on temporary visas under the (a) Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme, (b) Ukraine Family Scheme and (c) Ukraine Extension Scheme.

Answered by Felicity Buchan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)

As the first visas issued for the Homes for Ukraine scheme will begin to expire in March 2025, the Home Office is reviewing what may be needed beyond that date, bearing in mind the situation in Ukraine, the wishes of the Ukrainian Government, and the needs of Ukrainians in the UK. Announcements will be made in the usual way.


Written Question
Refugees: Ukraine
Wednesday 18th October 2023

Asked by: Carol Monaghan (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North West)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department plans to extend the duration of the (a) Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme, (b) Ukraine Family Scheme and (c) Ukraine Extension Scheme beyond the initial three-year period.

Answered by Felicity Buchan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)

As the first visas issued for the Homes for Ukraine scheme will begin to expire in March 2025, the Home Office is reviewing what may be needed beyond that date, bearing in mind the situation in Ukraine, the wishes of the Ukrainian Government, and the needs of Ukrainians in the UK. Announcements will be made in the usual way.


Written Question
Electronic equipment: Government Departments
Thursday 14th September 2023

Asked by: Carol Monaghan (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North West)

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if he will take steps to encourage Departments to donate electronic devices that are no longer in use the National Device Bank.

Answered by Paul Scully

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology is committed to closing the digital divide and meeting the government’s commitment that nobody should be left behind in the digital age. Reflecting the four key pillars set out in the government’s Digital Inclusion Strategy, we recognise that access to safe and suitable devices remains a key barrier facing digitally excluded people. Device donation initiatives are a significant and valuable contribution to supporting people to overcome this obstacle and I would encourage all private and public sector organisations to consider the feasibility of doing this.

The Department has noted this particular recommendation in the House of Lords Communications and Digital Committee’s report on digital exclusion and cost of living and will formally respond later this month.