Asked by: Maureen Burke (Labour - Glasgow North East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the trends in the levels of long-term health conditions among working-age adults in lower-income households; and what plans she has to target health improvement resources in lower socio-economic areas to support future economic productivity.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We recognise that long-term ill health is more prevalent in lower-income communities. Through the 10-Year Health Plan, we are targeting health improvement activity and resources towards communities with the greatest need to improve health outcomes and support economic growth.
Asked by: Maureen Burke (Labour - Glasgow North East)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what changes she plans to make to UK procurement rules to support the Government's commitment to increase domestic purchasing.
Answered by Mark Ferguson - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
This Government is committed to fostering a resilient economy that supports British businesses and creates good jobs in communities across the country.
We must ensure that every pound that we spend in procurement goes as far as it can in benefiting the UK and this is why we published a new Social Value Model with a much sharper focus on good quality jobs, skills and opportunities. Supplementary guidance will follow later this autumn and the model will apply to relevant procurements commencing from 1 January 2027.
These reforms will be carefully developed to be consistent with the UK’s international agreements, ensuring non-discriminatory treatment for suppliers and goods from countries who are party to those agreements. This is a two-way street as it gives UK suppliers access to public procurement markets overseas.
Asked by: Maureen Burke (Labour - Glasgow North East)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of potential opportunities the Defence Technical Excellence College programme can provide for apprenticeships and advanced technical training, national security and regional economic development.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Defence Technical Excellence Colleges (DTECs) will be specialist training centres for students aged 16 and above that will equip them with the cutting-edge technical skills required for critical defence roles. The DTECs will help bolster our national security and contribute to regional economic development by providing a skilled workforce to communities across Great Britain.
In April 2026, we announced the five successful DTECs in England: Blackpool and the Fylde College, City College Plymouth, Yeovil College, Lincoln College and Rotherham College (RNN Group).
As part of the Defence Growth Deals, we have also announced our intention to launch a DTEC in Wales and two DTECs in Scotland, one in east and one in west Scotland. We are working with the respective devolved governments and education authorities in those nations to establish these.
Asked by: Maureen Burke (Labour - Glasgow North East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what Barnett consequentials will arise from the decision to cap single bus fares in England at ÂŁ2; and when he expects these consequentials to be available to devolved governments.
Answered by Emma Reynolds - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
The Barnett formula applies when UK Government departmental DEL budgets formally change, not when new policy or funding is announced. Barnett consequentials associated with the ÂŁ2 bus fares cap will therefore be confirmed in the usual way at Budget 2026.
Asked by: Maureen Burke (Labour - Glasgow North East)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what discussions the Department has had with the Scottish Government regarding opportunities for new nuclear power in Scotland.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
UK Ministers work productively with the Scottish Government on a range of energy issues and remain open to discussions on deploying new nuclear technologies in Scotland.
Great British Energy - Nuclear’s recent technical study indicated that Scotland has land areas with potential for new nuclear development, but planning policy is devolved and the Scottish Government currently opposes new nuclear power stations in Scotland.
Asked by: Maureen Burke (Labour - Glasgow North East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential impact on Scottish households of the removal of VAT from electricity bills from October.
Answered by James Murray - Financial Secretary to the Treasury and Paymaster General
The Government’s recent announcement that it will cut VAT on electricity bills will give millions of households breathing space on the cost of living. Around 29 million households in the UK are expected to benefit from this change.
These changes to VAT apply and are funded for this winter (from 1 October 2026 to 31 March 2027).
A Tax Information and Impact Note (TIIN) will be published alongside the legislation, setting out the impacts of the measure.
Asked by: Maureen Burke (Labour - Glasgow North East)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps the Government is taking to encourage Small and Medium Enterprises in Glasgow to register their offers on the official Great British Summer Savings website.
Answered by Chris Ward
The Great British Summer Savings (GBSS) campaign means cheaper family days out this summer across the whole of the UK. The Government is cutting VAT from 20% to 5% on family days out and for young people under 18 years old — from cinema and theatre tickets to attractions, and children's meals out.
The GBSS campaign is backed by the Federation of Small Businesses, the British Chambers of Commerce, UK Hospitality, the Society of London Theatre, UK Theatre and Small Business Britain, who - alongside government colleagues - have been engaging small and medium sized businesses in all parts of the UK.
VAT-eligible businesses can visit greatbritishsummersavings.gov.uk to take part. We have already onboarded thousands of offers with more being added every day.
Asked by: Maureen Burke (Labour - Glasgow North East)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to enforce the National Living Wage within the gig economy and delivery-app sectors.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Minister of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade)
The Government is clear that all workers entitled to the National Minimum Wage should receive it, and all businesses, including those in the gig economy, must meet their legal obligations. This is why we have created the Fair Work Agency to bring enforcement functions together and make employment rights enforcement more effective.
Since 1999, the government has returned over ÂŁ200 million to 1.5 million underpaid workers. In 2024/25, NMW investigations in Scotland returned close to ÂŁ330,000 to nearly 1,000 workers, with employers fined ÂŁ240,000 in total.
Asked by: Maureen Burke (Labour - Glasgow North East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps her Department is taking to (a) help increase the number of banking hubs and (b) protect access to free-to-use cash machines in high-deprivation areas in Glasgow.
Answered by Rachel Blake
The way people across the UK use retail banking services has changed significantly, with many customers now choosing to bank online. In response, banks and building societies have reshaped their branch networks, reflecting changing customer preferences.
However, the Government understands the importance of banking services to communities and high streets and is committed to supporting the financial services industry’s roll-out of 350 banking hubs by the end of this Parliament. Banking hubs are a voluntary service which were developed by the financial services sector in the context of legislation to protect access to cash under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2023.
Over 275 hubs have been announced so far, and more than 235 are already open. The Government continues to engage with industry on ways to improve the consistency and level of services provided through banking hubs.
On 14 May the Government commissioned an independent Review into Access to Banking Services to assess whether changes in access to in-person banking services are causing consumer detriment, the scale of any detriment, and who it affects.
The evidence collected by the Review will inform future decisions on whether further action is needed. Alongside the Review, the Financial Services and Markets Bill includes a power to allow the Government to take action in future to protect access to banking services, should this be necessary. This power ensures the Government can act swiftly and proportionately, including through future regulation, if the evidence from the Review supports intervention.
The Government also recognises that cash continues to be used by millions of people across the UK, including those in vulnerable groups, and is committed to protecting access to cash for individuals and businesses.
Under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2023, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has responsibility and powers to protect access to cash, including free facilities for personal current account holders. The FCA’s most recent data shows that 99.2% of the urban population live within 1 mile of a free to use cash access point offering withdrawals. In rural areas, 98.5% of people live within 3 miles of a free to use cash access point offering withdrawals.
HMT launched the Access to Banking Services Review Call for Evidence on 8 June and will run for 6 weeks, closing on 20 July, inviting input from consumers, businesses, charities, community groups, local authorities and industry across the UK. The evidence will inform recommendations, with findings due in October. Responses can be submitted here: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/access-to-banking-services-review-call-for-evidence.
Asked by: Maureen Burke (Labour - Glasgow North East)
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 expedite the resolution of complaints about decisions on benefits.
Answered by Andrew Western - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department is taking urgent action to reduce complaint backlogs and improve response times, with a clear focus on resolving issues as quickly as possible, including at the earliest point of contact where appropriate.
To support this, we have deployed additional resources to complaints and correspondence teams and prioritised activity to reduce outstanding volumes and strengthen performance monitoring to improve timeliness.
Where a complaint requires formal investigation, the Department’s service standard aims to provide a full response within 15 working days. More complex cases may take longer; however, the Department seeks to keep customers informed of progress and expected timescales.
In recent months, higher complaint volumes and increasingly complex cases have affected our response times. However, the Department is actively addressing these pressures and driving improvements in both timeliness and efficiency.