Asked by: Stephen Gethins (Scottish National Party - Arbroath and Broughty Ferry)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she plans to publish an updated International Education Strategy.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department is conducting a review of the UK government’s International Education Strategy alongside the Department for Business and Trade, and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, to ensure that it continues to be an effective tool in increasing the value of education exports and reflects the priorities of education stakeholders, businesses and our global partners. As part of the review process, officials have engaged with devolved government officials and stakeholders to seek feedback on the strategic direction and other aspects of the strategy. We will announce next steps on this shortly.
Asked by: Stephen Gethins (Scottish National Party - Arbroath and Broughty Ferry)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to foster dialogue between India and Pakistan on peace in Kashmir.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer given to question 82344.
Asked by: Stephen Gethins (Scottish National Party - Arbroath and Broughty Ferry)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of support provided for families of serving personnel separating from their spouses.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
Defence recognises the unique challenges faced by families of Serving personnel during separations. Families of Serving personnel are provided with access to a wide range of support, which includes housing assistance and guidance, emotional support, financial and legal signposting to charities and organisations. The support provided is designed to assist families through the emotional and logistical difficulties of relationship breakdowns.
Joint Service Publication (JSP) 770 ‘Armed Forces Welfare Support Policy’ contains a chapter focussing on matters of separation and divorce and which provides a link to an online guide ‘Separation and divorce guide for military personnel spouses and partners’ which contains a wealth of support and guidance. JSP 770 also includes an annex ‘The Welfare HARDFACTS Handrail’ which is used by the chain of command and Service welfare teams to guide how they support affected personnel.
The ‘Separation and divorce guide for military personnel spouses and partners’ can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/separation-and-divorce-guide-for-military-personnel-spouses-and-partners/separation-and-divorce-guide-for-military-personnel-spouses-and-partners
Asked by: Stephen Gethins (Scottish National Party - Arbroath and Broughty Ferry)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to provide stable family homes for children of serving military personnel whose parents have separated.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
Defence recognises the needs of separating families and provides specific policy on accommodation to meet the needs of entitled Service personnel and their spouse in these circumstances. The Ministry of Defence remains committed to widening entitlement to family accommodation to support personnel with non-resident children. The Modernised Accommodation Offer remains under review and we expect to be able to communicate future policy changes in the near future.
Asked by: Stephen Gethins (Scottish National Party - Arbroath and Broughty Ferry)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of re-joining the EU Customs Union on economic growth.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
We are not planning to make an assessment as there will be no return to the Customs Union or the Single Market. We have reset our relations with European partners in order to improve our diplomatic, economic, and security cooperation following Brexit. This Government is making the best choices for businesses, workers and citizens across the country from our position outside the European Union, through significant deals with the US and India, and now a new partnership with the EU - each decision taken to support UK growth.Asked by: Stephen Gethins (Scottish National Party - Arbroath and Broughty Ferry)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of leaving the European Union on economic growth.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) is the government’s official forecaster. The OBR have included assessments of the economic impacts of leaving the EU in its forecasts since 2016. In March 2020, the OBR estimated that GDP will be 4 per cent lower in the long run than it would have been had the UK not withdrawn from the EU, an impact which the Chancellor has said is severe and long-lasting, and that imports and exports will eventually both be 15 per cent lower than had we stayed in the EU. As of the Spring Budget 2025, these assumptions are unchanged from its previous assessment.
Asked by: Stephen Gethins (Scottish National Party - Arbroath and Broughty Ferry)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to support dialogue between India and Pakistan.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
India and Pakistan are both long-standing, important friends of the UK. We continue to encourage both to engage in dialogue and to find lasting political solutions to support regional stability. The UK has engaged extensively with both countries, as have other key states, in order to encourage India and Pakistan to return to diplomacy. I remain concerned by the potential for future escalation, which neither the region nor the wider world could afford.
Asked by: Stephen Gethins (Scottish National Party - Arbroath and Broughty Ferry)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of increases in requirements for (a) visa approvals and (b) course enrolments on the higher education sector.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
An assessment of the potential impact of the increase in the requirements of each Basic Compliance Assessment (BCA) metric can be found at Restoring control over the immigration system: technical annex (accessible) - GOV.UK. This provides an estimate of the number of Higher Education Institutions that could be affected, and offers an initial, illustrative analysis of its impact on migration inflows.
Asked by: Stephen Gethins (Scottish National Party - Arbroath and Broughty Ferry)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of protections for journalists in Gaza.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer given on 3 October 2025 to question 76551.
Asked by: Stephen Gethins (Scottish National Party - Arbroath and Broughty Ferry)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of allowing vehicle tax exemption applications to be made online.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Customers who receive the enhanced rate mobility component of the Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and whose vehicles are already licensed in the disabled taxation class can renew their vehicle excise duty (VED) exemption online.
Those customers who receive the standard rate mobility component of PIP, which entitles them to a 50% reduction in the rate of VED payable, or those who receive the enhanced rate mobility component but are applying to license their vehicle in the disabled tax class for the first time must do so at the Post Office or by sending their application to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA).
Facilitating these applications to be made online requires the electronic exchange of data held by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) with the DVLA. Officials are considering how to improve the ability for customers in receipt of PIP to transact with the DVLA.