Asked by: John Lamont (Conservative - Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with the Scottish Government on the rate of drug related deaths in Scotland.
Answered by Maggie Throup
Discussions on the rate of drug related deaths in Scotland have taken place at two United Kingdom Drugs Ministerial meetings held on 17 September 2020 and 11 October 2021.
Asked by: John Lamont (Conservative - Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps his Department is taking to engage with local communities in Scotland on the Community Ownership Fund.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
The Community Ownership Fund is a £150 million fund over 4 years to support community groups across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland to take ownership of assets which are at risk of being lost to the community.
In the lead up to launching the fund we engaged widely with stakeholders across the United Kingdom. This included webinars and joint promotion of the fund through community infrastructure, membership and networking organisations, who support local voluntary and community sector groups. The same approach to wide stakeholder engagement will be taken in future rounds of the fund.
Asked by: John Lamont (Conservative - Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what comparative assessment he has made of the impact on the Scottish economy of Scotland having (a) one and (b) two freeports.
Answered by Alister Jack - Secretary of State for Scotland
Freeports will create hubs of global trade, support thousands of jobs, regenerate communities and turbocharge Britain’s post-Brexit growth, and is all part of the UK Government’s commitment to boost economic activity, levelling up towns, cities and regions across the UK.
The UK Government remains committed to establishing its freeport programme in Scotland as soon as possible and are confident our model embraces the highest employment and environmental standards.
Asked by: John Lamont (Conservative - Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Answer of 28 April 2021 to Question 187297 on National Savings and Investments, what estimate he has made of the date on which the NS&I Green Savings Bond will be available to customers.
Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The Green Savings Bonds were made available to customers via National Savings and Investments on 22 October and will be on sale for a minimum of three months. The 3-year fixed-term savings product with an interest rate of 0.65% will give UK savers the opportunity to take part in the collective effort to tackle climate change. Customers can invest between £100 and £100,000.
Asked by: John Lamont (Conservative - Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what discussions he has had with the Scottish Government to encourage a UK-wide covid-19 vaccine certification mobile app.
Answered by Alister Jack - Secretary of State for Scotland
I discuss a wide range of issues relating to the Coronavirus pandemic with both Cabinet colleagues and Scottish Government Ministers on a regular basis.
When domestic certification was first identified as a potential strategy to support the Covid-19 response, and in order to respond to other States' requirements for international travel, there were a number of discussions, both at Ministerial and official level with all of the devolved administrations to look at both the possibility of a UK-wide certification solution, but also should this not be feasible to ensure technical interoperability between individual certification solutions where necessary.
As public health is a devolved matter, the Scottish Government decided to develop its own vaccine certification mobile app, and to require its use in certain settings within Scotland. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has promoted the Scottish Government's app with governments internationally so that it is recognised at international borders.
The UK Government Secretary of State for Health and his officials in DHSC and NHSx (which leads on digital health) continue to have weekly discussions with all of the devolved administrations to ensure alignment and interoperability on all elements of the Covid response.
Should the UK Government decide to introduce domestic certification, we will continue to work with the devolved administrations to ensure interoperability, so that no citizen is impacted adversely when they travel across the UK.
Asked by: John Lamont (Conservative - Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what engagement he has had with Scottish local authorities on the On-street Residential Chargepoint Scheme.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
Data on domestic charging devices funded by the Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme (EVHS) are presented in the table. Figures are from 1 July 2021.
| EVHS funded charging devices |
Scottish Borders | 352 |
Scotland | 11,582 |
UK | 157,652 |
The Department holds data on plug-in car grants but this database does not provide the geographic breakdown required.
The table below shows, up to the end of December 2020, the number of plug-in car grant eligible models registered for the first time in the respective geographies. The right hand column provides an estimate of the maximum financial value of the grant support for these vehicles. This was calculated from vehicle registration data by applying amount of available grant for eligible models at the time of registration. This estimate does not mean that every car registered received the grant or that other cars did not receive the grant before the end of December 2020 but had not registered the car yet.
Area of registration | Number of registrations for eligible models | Maximum potential grant support awarded 1 |
Scotland Borders Unitary Authority | 308 | £1.1 million |
Scotland | 17,266 | £61 million |
UK | 301,096 | £1,066 million |
7 Scottish local authorities have been awarded grants totalling £1,065,381 through the On-Street Residential Chargepoint Scheme (ORCS), up to July 2021. The Scheme is administered on the Department’s behalf by Energy Saving Trust, who offer expert advice and support to local authorities throughout the application process. Energy Saving Trust, in partnership with the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles, also hosts a library of webinars and guidance documents focussing on the challenges that authorities face when installing charging infrastructure, while promoting the available funding.
In early 2022, in collaboration with the Institution of Engineering and Technology, we will publish an EV infrastructure guide for local authority EV officers, to assist with the transition to ZEVs. This guide will cover the steps needed to take in order to deploy chargepoints for residents. Scottish local authorities were involved in the scoping of the document and will be asked to comment at consultation stage in due course.
The Government wants to ensure that drivers can benefit from the transition to zero emission vehicles. The On-Street Residential Chargeoint Scheme (ORCS) is available to all UK local authorities to provide public chargepoints for their residents without access to private parking. £20 million is available in 2021-22 to UK local authorities through the On-Street Residential Chargepoint Scheme.
Asked by: John Lamont (Conservative - Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many plug-in car grants have been issued in (a) the Scottish Borders Unitary Authority, (b) Scotland and (c) the UK; and what is the financial value of those grants.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
Data on domestic charging devices funded by the Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme (EVHS) are presented in the table. Figures are from 1 July 2021.
| EVHS funded charging devices |
Scottish Borders | 352 |
Scotland | 11,582 |
UK | 157,652 |
The Department holds data on plug-in car grants but this database does not provide the geographic breakdown required.
The table below shows, up to the end of December 2020, the number of plug-in car grant eligible models registered for the first time in the respective geographies. The right hand column provides an estimate of the maximum financial value of the grant support for these vehicles. This was calculated from vehicle registration data by applying amount of available grant for eligible models at the time of registration. This estimate does not mean that every car registered received the grant or that other cars did not receive the grant before the end of December 2020 but had not registered the car yet.
Area of registration | Number of registrations for eligible models | Maximum potential grant support awarded 1 |
Scotland Borders Unitary Authority | 308 | £1.1 million |
Scotland | 17,266 | £61 million |
UK | 301,096 | £1,066 million |
7 Scottish local authorities have been awarded grants totalling £1,065,381 through the On-Street Residential Chargepoint Scheme (ORCS), up to July 2021. The Scheme is administered on the Department’s behalf by Energy Saving Trust, who offer expert advice and support to local authorities throughout the application process. Energy Saving Trust, in partnership with the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles, also hosts a library of webinars and guidance documents focussing on the challenges that authorities face when installing charging infrastructure, while promoting the available funding.
In early 2022, in collaboration with the Institution of Engineering and Technology, we will publish an EV infrastructure guide for local authority EV officers, to assist with the transition to ZEVs. This guide will cover the steps needed to take in order to deploy chargepoints for residents. Scottish local authorities were involved in the scoping of the document and will be asked to comment at consultation stage in due course.
The Government wants to ensure that drivers can benefit from the transition to zero emission vehicles. The On-Street Residential Chargeoint Scheme (ORCS) is available to all UK local authorities to provide public chargepoints for their residents without access to private parking. £20 million is available in 2021-22 to UK local authorities through the On-Street Residential Chargepoint Scheme.
Asked by: John Lamont (Conservative - Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many installations have been supported by the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles as part of the Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme in (a) the Scottish Borders, (b) Scotland and (c) the UK.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
Data on domestic charging devices funded by the Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme (EVHS) are presented in the table. Figures are from 1 July 2021.
| EVHS funded charging devices |
Scottish Borders | 352 |
Scotland | 11,582 |
UK | 157,652 |
The Department holds data on plug-in car grants but this database does not provide the geographic breakdown required.
The table below shows, up to the end of December 2020, the number of plug-in car grant eligible models registered for the first time in the respective geographies. The right hand column provides an estimate of the maximum financial value of the grant support for these vehicles. This was calculated from vehicle registration data by applying amount of available grant for eligible models at the time of registration. This estimate does not mean that every car registered received the grant or that other cars did not receive the grant before the end of December 2020 but had not registered the car yet.
Area of registration | Number of registrations for eligible models | Maximum potential grant support awarded 1 |
Scotland Borders Unitary Authority | 308 | £1.1 million |
Scotland | 17,266 | £61 million |
UK | 301,096 | £1,066 million |
7 Scottish local authorities have been awarded grants totalling £1,065,381 through the On-Street Residential Chargepoint Scheme (ORCS), up to July 2021. The Scheme is administered on the Department’s behalf by Energy Saving Trust, who offer expert advice and support to local authorities throughout the application process. Energy Saving Trust, in partnership with the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles, also hosts a library of webinars and guidance documents focussing on the challenges that authorities face when installing charging infrastructure, while promoting the available funding.
In early 2022, in collaboration with the Institution of Engineering and Technology, we will publish an EV infrastructure guide for local authority EV officers, to assist with the transition to ZEVs. This guide will cover the steps needed to take in order to deploy chargepoints for residents. Scottish local authorities were involved in the scoping of the document and will be asked to comment at consultation stage in due course.
The Government wants to ensure that drivers can benefit from the transition to zero emission vehicles. The On-Street Residential Chargeoint Scheme (ORCS) is available to all UK local authorities to provide public chargepoints for their residents without access to private parking. £20 million is available in 2021-22 to UK local authorities through the On-Street Residential Chargepoint Scheme.
Asked by: John Lamont (Conservative - Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the financial total of Start Up Loans issued in the Scottish Borders is as at 14 September 2021.
Answered by Paul Scully
Start Up Loans, offered by the Government’s British Business Bank, provide government-backed loans and support for businesses who struggle to access other forms of finance. Since the scheme launched in 2012 to the end of July 2021, the total value of Start Up Loans issued in the Scottish Borders was £796,381, with 95 loans issued.
Asked by: John Lamont (Conservative - Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the IAEA report, Verification and monitoring in the Islamic Republic of Iran in light of United Nations Security Council resolution 2231 (2015), what recent assessment his Department has made of whether Iran's uranium enrichment programme is now at levels only countries seeking to make atomic weapons reach.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
On 19 August, the UK issued a joint statement with France and Germany underlining our grave concern at the latest reports of the IAEA. These reports confirm that Iran has produced uranium metal enriched up to 20% for the first time, and has significantly increased its production capacity of uranium enriched up to 60%.
60% enrichment constitutes an important step towards developing a nuclear weapon. No State without nuclear weapons has ever before produced Highly Enriched Uranium (HEU). We urge Iran to halt all activities in violation of the JCPoA and return to the negotiations in Vienna as soon as possible with a view to bringing them to a swift, successful conclusion.