Asked by: Imogen Walker (Labour - Hamilton and Clyde Valley)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what support and training pathways are available to help service leavers access job opportunities in Scotland’s renewable energy industry.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Career Transition Partnership (CTP) provides Service leavers with tailored career support, training and access to employers, including opportunities within Scotland’s renewable energy sector.
Service leavers can work with a CTP Career Consultant to develop a personal resettlement plan and access relevant vocational training. This includes Global Wind Organisation Basic Safety and Basic Technical Training to support routes into the wind energy sector.
CTP also works with employers and industry partners to create employment pathways and delivers annual employment fairs in Edinburgh and Elgin, connecting Service leavers directly with recruiting employers.
Asked by: Imogen Walker (Labour - Hamilton and Clyde Valley)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of age-assurance requirements in protecting children online.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
The government is clear that children should have strong protections from harmful online content. Ofcom published a report on the use of age assurance on 15 July 2026 that indicates that age assurance is having a meaningful impact on children’s online experiences, including by helping to prevent them from accessing harmful content. We will continue to work with Ofcom to ensure that the age assurance requirements continue to deliver effective protections for children online.
Asked by: Imogen Walker (Labour - Hamilton and Clyde Valley)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what recent discussions he has had with Royal Mail on postal deliveries in Scotland.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Minister of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade)
Ministers and officials regularly meet with Royal Mail in its capacity as the universal service provider.
I have been frank in my conversations with Royal Mail’s leadership that its service has been unacceptable for too long, and that the pace of improvement must increase. I will continue to raise issues relating to service performance directly with Royal Mail, including the impact of delays on communities.
Asked by: Imogen Walker (Labour - Hamilton and Clyde Valley)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what support his Department provides to co-operatives wishing to scale up in central Scotland.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade) (Jointly with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government is committed to helping co-operatives grow and sustain, including in central Scotland.
Eligible co-operatives can access programmes including Help to Grow: Management for leadership training, mentoring and support, which BIST has updated so that there is now more information on co-operatives and mutuals, as well as The British Business Bank’s Growth Guarantee Scheme for finance to invest and grow.
Government will continue working closely with the devolved government in Scotland, including Scottish Enterprise and sector partners
Our forthcoming response to the BIST call for evidence on business support for co-operatives and non-financial mutuals will also set out further government action.
Asked by: Imogen Walker (Labour - Hamilton and Clyde Valley)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what estimate she has made of the number of homes in Hamilton and Clyde Valley constituency dependent on heating oil and LPG.
Answered by Polly Billington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government has not made an estimate. According to the Scottish Census data, 5.1% of all households in Scotland rely on heating oil as their primary source of central.
Heating policy is devolved to the Scottish Government. The Government allocated £53 million of financial support across the nations of the UK to support those on low income with the rising cost of heating oil and LPG. Government is regulating the heat oil sector for the first time
This includes £4.6 million allocated to the Scottish Government.
Asked by: Imogen Walker (Labour - Hamilton and Clyde Valley)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what discussions he has had with the Lanarkshire AI Growth Zone on opportunities for local people to access jobs and training.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Technology)
The Government is working closely with the Lanarkshire AI Growth Zone partners to maximise local jobs, skills, and training opportunities. This includes bringing together North Lanarkshire Council, Scottish Government, DataVita, and local skills and education partners to build on skills, training, employment, and community benefit opportunities associated with the Lanarkshire AI Growth Zone.
Apprentices are already working on site alongside a growing local workforce, while industry partners are supporting Scottish AI start-ups and widening access to AI careers. The AIGZ is also creating wider economic opportunities, with Dell Technologies recently announcing the relocation of its Scottish headquarters to Lanarkshire because of the AIGZ.
The Government continues to work with North Lanarkshire Council, the Scottish Government, and local partners to ensure that the benefits of AI investment support local communities and skills development.
Asked by: Imogen Walker (Labour - Hamilton and Clyde Valley)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of current waiting times for employment tribunal cases in Scotland.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The Government has not made a specific assessment of the adequacy of current waiting times for Employment Tribunal (ET) cases in Scotland. However, we continue to monitor Employment Tribunal performance through regular engagement with HM Courts and Tribunal Service (HMCTS) and the judiciary.
Asked by: Imogen Walker (Labour - Hamilton and Clyde Valley)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to help protect residents in Hamilton and Clyde Valley constituency who rely on telecare devices during the digital landline switchover.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government is committed to ensuring that any risks from the industry-led migration from the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) to Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) are mitigated for everyone. Over 95% of customers have already been migrated.
In November 2024 and March 2026, the industry agreed safeguards with Government to protect consumers, in particular vulnerable people and telecare users, during the PSTN migration to modern digital networks. These include providing vulnerable, including telecare, customers with the offer of a free engineer visit as well as a battery back-up solution for use in the event of a power outage.
Asked by: Imogen Walker (Labour - Hamilton and Clyde Valley)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to improve access to specialist employment support for disabled veterans in South Lanarkshire.
Answered by Andrew Western - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department for Work and Pensions supports disabled veterans in South Lanarkshire through a dedicated Armed Forces Champion (AFC) covering the local Jobcentre Plus district. The AFC provides tailored employment and health-related support, benefits advice, and assistance in overcoming barriers to work, helping disabled veterans access the support and services available to them.
Disabled veterans may be eligible for a range of support, including disability and health-related benefits, income-related benefits and compensation schemes for injuries or illnesses attributable to military service. The AFC also supports veterans by connecting them with local partners and specialist organisations. By developing strong links with services such as Defence Medical Welfare Services, Veterans First Point and Lanarkshire Armed Services Advice, we are better able to support veterans through coordinated referrals, helping them access the specialist assistance they need and reducing barriers to support.
The AFC also participates in the Lanarkshire Firm Base, led by North and South Lanarkshire local authorities, which brings together local government, the Armed Forces, NHS services, charities, and employers to promote the aims of the Armed Forces Covenant and support serving personnel, veterans, and their families. Participation in this network enables us to raise awareness of the Armed Forces Champion role, strengthen relationships with key partners, identify additional sources of support for veterans, and develop collaborative opportunities that enhance the range and quality of services available to the Armed Forces community.
Through attendance at these meetings, we have identified a newly launched Veterans Hub run by an Armed Forces charity supporting members of the Armed Forces community with their mental health. We are exploring opportunities for future partnership working, including the potential to deliver support and engagement activities within the Hub and strengthen referral pathways for veterans.
Asked by: Imogen Walker (Labour - Hamilton and Clyde Valley)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people in Hamilton and Clyde Valley constituency receive Carer’s Allowance.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government) (Equalities)
In Scotland, Carer's Allowance has been replaced by Carer Support Payment.
Carer’s Allowance is devolved to the Scottish Parliament. Social Security Scotland publishes Carer Support Payment statistics, but the published dataset does not provide a Westminster parliamentary constituency breakdown.