Asked by: Patricia Ferguson (Labour - Glasgow West)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what assessment he has made of the the potential impact of the contract to supply Norway with Type 26 frigates on Scotland's economy.
Answered by Douglas Alexander - Secretary of State for Scotland
The Scotland Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
Asked by: Patricia Ferguson (Labour - Glasgow West)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department is taking steps to discourage people from using third-party platforms to book Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency driving tests.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) main priority is upholding road safety standards while it works hard to reduce car practical driving test waiting times.
As of 6 October in Scotland, there were 7,565 car practical driving tests booked and 26 available in October 25, 9,139 booked and 87 available in November 25,and 7,703 booked and 103 available in December 25.
As of 6 October in Glasgow, there were 1,440 car practical driving tests booked and 1 available in October 25, 1,567 booked and 7 available in November 25, and 1,401 booked and 1 available in December 25.
The average waiting time for Scotland in September 25 was 21 weeks.
DVSA encourages learner drivers to only use the official GOV.UK website to book and manage their driving test. The DVSA has published advice aimed at learner drivers warning them of the risks of using third party services/apps to book a practical driving test. Further information can be found on GOV.UK at: www.gov.uk/government/news/learner-drivers-warned-about-the-risks-of-driving-test-cancellation-finders.
Asked by: Patricia Ferguson (Labour - Glasgow West)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the average waiting time for a car practical driving test in Scotland was on 1 October 2025.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) main priority is upholding road safety standards while it works hard to reduce car practical driving test waiting times.
As of 6 October in Scotland, there were 7,565 car practical driving tests booked and 26 available in October 25, 9,139 booked and 87 available in November 25,and 7,703 booked and 103 available in December 25.
As of 6 October in Glasgow, there were 1,440 car practical driving tests booked and 1 available in October 25, 1,567 booked and 7 available in November 25, and 1,401 booked and 1 available in December 25.
The average waiting time for Scotland in September 25 was 21 weeks.
DVSA encourages learner drivers to only use the official GOV.UK website to book and manage their driving test. The DVSA has published advice aimed at learner drivers warning them of the risks of using third party services/apps to book a practical driving test. Further information can be found on GOV.UK at: www.gov.uk/government/news/learner-drivers-warned-about-the-risks-of-driving-test-cancellation-finders.
Asked by: Patricia Ferguson (Labour - Glasgow West)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many car practical driving test appointments were available in (a) October, (b) November and (c) December 2025 in (i) Scotland and (ii) Glasgow.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) main priority is upholding road safety standards while it works hard to reduce car practical driving test waiting times.
As of 6 October in Scotland, there were 7,565 car practical driving tests booked and 26 available in October 25, 9,139 booked and 87 available in November 25,and 7,703 booked and 103 available in December 25.
As of 6 October in Glasgow, there were 1,440 car practical driving tests booked and 1 available in October 25, 1,567 booked and 7 available in November 25, and 1,401 booked and 1 available in December 25.
The average waiting time for Scotland in September 25 was 21 weeks.
DVSA encourages learner drivers to only use the official GOV.UK website to book and manage their driving test. The DVSA has published advice aimed at learner drivers warning them of the risks of using third party services/apps to book a practical driving test. Further information can be found on GOV.UK at: www.gov.uk/government/news/learner-drivers-warned-about-the-risks-of-driving-test-cancellation-finders.
Asked by: Patricia Ferguson (Labour - Glasgow West)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of adjusting in line with inflation the £30,000 threshold over which advice must be sought before a pension is transferred.
Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government is committed to ensuring that pension savers receive clear and essential information, and that pension transfers are conducted on an informed basis.
To support this principle, individuals with pensions that include a guarantee remain required to take independent financial advice before converting their pension pot, where the value exceeds £30,000. This requirement is intended to ensure savers are made aware of valuable guarantees that could provide a secure income in retirement, before they choose to relinquish those guarantees through a transfer.
The £30,000 threshold aligns to the trivial commutation rules and raising this figure could increase the risk of transfers being made without sufficient understanding.
A review of the regulations conducted in 2023 identified potential concerns regarding the cost and availability of independent financial advice and the Government is keen to explore the extent of these issues. As such, the Department for Work and Pensions is working closely with the Financial Conduct Authority, the pensions industry, and His Majesty’s Treasury . We intend to consult on the outcome of this work in the coming months.
Asked by: Patricia Ferguson (Labour - Glasgow West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to end the use by NHS England of generic drugs manufactured by companies with links to Israel.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department has no plans to end such purchases as the UK Government currently has a trade and partnership agreement in effect with Israel.
Asked by: Patricia Ferguson (Labour - Glasgow West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to end the purchase of Israeli manufactured generic drugs by NHS England.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department has no plans to end such purchases as the UK Government currently has a trade and partnership agreement in effect with Israel.
Asked by: Patricia Ferguson (Labour - Glasgow West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether there is a safe evacuation route that allows Palestinian academics to be evacuated from the Occupied Palestinian Territories to allow them to take up positions at universities in the UK.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are working urgently to support Chevening Scholars and fully-funded scholarship holders in Gaza who have offers from British universities to leave and take up their places in the UK. We are doing everything we can to support their safe exit and onward travel to the UK, but the situation on the ground in Gaza makes this extremely challenging. All individuals who enter the UK are subject to robust security checks and have to submit their biometrics ahead of travel.
Asked by: Patricia Ferguson (Labour - Glasgow West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will take steps with the Secretary of State for the Home Department to establish a scheme to facilitate the evacuation of Palestinian academics to the UK.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are working urgently to support Chevening Scholars and fully-funded scholarship holders in Gaza who have offers from British universities to leave and take up their places in the UK. We are doing everything we can to support their safe exit and onward travel to the UK, but the situation on the ground in Gaza makes this extremely challenging. All individuals who enter the UK are subject to robust security checks and have to submit their biometrics ahead of travel.
Asked by: Patricia Ferguson (Labour - Glasgow West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the report by Amnesty International entitled Amnesty International Investigation in Gaza highlights human toll of Israel’s Apartheid System against Palestinians, published on 13 June 2023.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government has not made an assessment of the 13 June 2023 Amnesty report which was published a year before the current Government entered office.