Asked by: Dave Doogan (Scottish National Party - Angus and Perthshire Glens)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to Written Question UIN 77563, answered on the 13 October 2025, what steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to ensure that Ministers are adequately briefed when they present to Parliament.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
Ministerial briefings are a matter for individual departments. There are a number of resources available to ministers to assist in preparing for parliamentary activity: the Ministerial Code has expectations for Ministers in Parliament, the Cabinet Office Parliamentary Capability Team offers training for Ministers and officials, and the Guide to Parliamentary Work provides broader guidance for officials on working with Parliament.
Asked by: Dave Doogan (Scottish National Party - Angus and Perthshire Glens)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he will discuss with Ukraine their deployment to the Straight of Hormuz with the two former Royal Navy Sandown-class minehunters which were gifted to Ukraine but which been prevented from transiting to the Black Sea owing to the 1936 Montreux Convention.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
Decisions on employment of Ukrainian military assets rests with the Armed Forces of Ukraine. It would therefore not be appropriate for me to comment further on this specific issue.
Asked by: Dave Doogan (Scottish National Party - Angus and Perthshire Glens)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential economic impact on Scottish communities of the estimated £551 million shortfall between the Financial Conduct Authority's proposed motor finance redress scheme pay outs and potential court awards as outlined in the APPG on Fair Banking Report on Car Finance redress published in November 2025.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government wants to see this issue resolved in an efficient and orderly way that provides certainty for consumers and firms.
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), as the independent regulator, has consulted on proposals for a motor finance consumer redress scheme. The FCA has announced that it will set out its final approach to motor finance redress on 30 March: https://www.fca.org.uk/news/statements/timing-fca-motor-finance-announcement.
Asked by: Dave Doogan (Scottish National Party - Angus and Perthshire Glens)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions she has had with the Financial Conduct Authority regarding its proposal to set compensatory interest for motor finance redress at the Bank of England base rate plus one per cent, in the context courts recently awarding eight per cent to compensate vulnerable consumers for consequential financial losses.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government wants to see this issue resolved in an efficient and orderly way that provides certainty for consumers and firms.
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), as the independent regulator, has consulted on proposals for a motor finance consumer redress scheme. The FCA has announced that it will set out its final approach to motor finance redress on 30 March: https://www.fca.org.uk/news/statements/timing-fca-motor-finance-announcement.
Asked by: Dave Doogan (Scottish National Party - Angus and Perthshire Glens)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 9 March 2026 to Question 116959 on Taxation: Overpayments, if she will publish the average processing time for HMRC overpayment relief claims in each of the last 12 months.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
HMRC does not produce an overall average processing time for overpayment relief claims. Processing times vary depending on the type of claim and the checks required to protect public funds.
However, HMRC recognises that payments to customers are important, therefore claims are processed as priority post. HMRC aims to process 80% of priority post received within 15 working days.
Customer correspondence performance is reported monthly and quarterly through HMRC’s published performance updates at: www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmrc-quarterly-performance-updates
Asked by: Dave Doogan (Scottish National Party - Angus and Perthshire Glens)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what support she will introduce to assist people with oil heating through the current kerosine price increases.
Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
The government recognises the pressures facing households who rely on heating oil. This is why we are providing an additional £53 million of targeted support for vulnerable households, largely in rural communities.
Asked by: Dave Doogan (Scottish National Party - Angus and Perthshire Glens)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, (a) what the current average processing time is for HMRC overpayment relief claims; and (b) what steps her Department are taking to reduce times in processing those claims.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
HMRC recognises that payments to customers are important, therefore claims are processed as priority post. HMRC aims to process 80% of priority post received within 15 working days.
Customer correspondence performance is reported monthly and quarterly through HMRC’s published performance updates at: www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmrc-quarterly-performance-updates.
HMRC continues to invest in automation and to review their internal processes to ensure overpayments relief claims are issued in a timely manner.
Asked by: Dave Doogan (Scottish National Party - Angus and Perthshire Glens)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, a) what assessment he has made of the extent to which legacy pension disputes currently being pursued by the Ministry of Defence and Equiniti arise from historical administrative or management errors by the Department or its contractors; and b) what steps he is taking to help support impacted veterans and service personnel.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) seeks to recover overpayments regardless of the reason they occurred because it has a legal and financial obligation to protect public funds. This principle applies universally to ensure consistency, fairness, and accountability in the management of taxpayers' money. Allowing overpayments to remain unrecovered, regardless of the circumstances, could set a precedent that undermines the MOD's duty to manage public resources responsibly and equitably.
The MOD, in collaboration with its contractors, is committed to supporting those affected by incorrectly calculated payments. A dedicated helpline has been established to provide technical and administrative advice, while a bespoke leaflet outlines available support, including repayment options and appeal processes. Veterans Services (VS) also offer free, one-to-one support to veterans, their families, and dependents through a national network of welfare managers across the UK and Republic of Ireland. VS staff, who are fully briefed on members' rights regarding overpayment recovery, can assist with completing Income and Expenditure forms in cases of hardship, provide guidance on submitting defences against recovery and conduct holistic welfare reviews. They can also advise on additional benefits or support available from the MOD, other Government Departments, or the Third Sector.
Asked by: Dave Doogan (Scottish National Party - Angus and Perthshire Glens)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many legacy disputes relating to incorrectly calculated Armed Forces pension entitlements are currently being pursued by Equiniti and the Ministry of Defence; and what the total monetary value of these claims is.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
This information is not held in the format requested. A manual review of all overpayments would be required in order to identify if there is a dispute relating to the pension entitlements being incorrectly calculated which would incur a disproportionate cost to obtain.
Asked by: Dave Doogan (Scottish National Party - Angus and Perthshire Glens)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will immediately release the vetting advice the Prime Minister received prior to the appointment of Matthew Doyle to the House of Lords.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
As a matter of policy, the Government does not publish information relating to individuals' peerage nominations.