Asked by: Susan Murray (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking with the Secretary of State for the Home Department is taking to tackle covert filming in public spaces.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
Everyone deserves to feel safe both in public and online. In addition to existing offences for the sharing of intimate images, we have introduced offences to the Crime and Policing Bill of taking an intimate image and installing equipment with the intent to take intimate images, without consent or reasonable belief of consent. These offences cover images which show the victim in an intimate state, and would capture some content on a public street, such as photographs taken up clothing that show underwear or nudity.
We have also provided funding to intensify Project Vigilant across police forces to keep women safe in public spaces. Project Vigilant involves specially trained plain clothed officers observing individuals in public, mostly in the night-time economy, to identify those exhibiting predatory behaviours. Uniformed officers are then called in to disrupt their behaviour, which could include filming women without their consent.
From 1 April, measures under the Protection from Sex-Based Harassment in Public Act 2023 will come into force. Depending on the facts of the case, this could include where the intent of covert filming is to cause harassment, alarm or distress because of the victim’s sex.
To go further, in Freedom from Violence and Abuse: a cross-government strategy to build a safer society for women and girls we committed to launching a call for evidence on online misogynistic image-based abuse, and the extent to which there are new behaviours which may not be captured by existing criminal offences. This will allow us to consider whether any further change is needed to future proof the law.
Asked by: Susan Murray (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of financial support available to people who lost their businesses during the covid-19 pandemic.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
DBT published an evaluation report of the impact of the Covid-19 Business Support Grant Schemes in England and the British Business Bank has published a three year evaluation of the Covid-19 Loan Guarantee Schemes. These can be found at Evaluation of the Local Authority COVID-19 Business Support Grant Schemes and Evaluation of the COVID-19 Loan Guarantee Schemes (Year 3 Report) | British Business Bank
Asked by: Susan Murray (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much revenue was generated from fees charged under the Child Maintenance Service Collect and Pay scheme in 2024-25; and what estimate she has made of the total annual revenue expected to be generated by the proposed (a) 2% fee on standard Collect and Pay payments and (b) 20% fee on non-compliant payments.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The table below shows collection fees received in financial year 2024-25.
Collection fees | 2024/2025 |
£000 | |
(a) Paying Parent Collection Fees Received | £56,993 |
(b) Receiving Parent Collection Fees Received | £11,141 |
(a+b) Total Collection Fees Received | £68,134 |
The information requested on the total annual revenue expected to be generated by the proposed (a) 2% fee on standard Collect and Pay payments and (b) 20% fee on non-compliant payments is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Susan Murray (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many (a) paying and (b) receiving parents use the Child Maintenance Service Collect and Pay service; and how many (i) paying and (ii) receiving parents will move onto that service as a result of proposed changes.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
As of the end of September 2025, there were 317,100 Receiving Parents and 303,800 Paying Parents using the Collect & Pay service.
It is proposed to reform the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) when Parliamentary time allows to create one streamlined service where the CMS would collect and transfer all maintenance payments.
The precise number of paying and receiving parents who would move into a new streamlined service would depend on a number of factors including the size caseload at the time of implementing the proposed reforms and the choices made by customers.
Asked by: Susan Murray (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the total operating expenditure of the Child Maintenance Service was in the 2024-25 financial year.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The net operating expenditure of the Child Maintenance Service for the financial year 24/25 is £105.7m.
Asked by: Susan Murray (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent assessment he has made with Cabinet colleagues of the potential impact of fuel price volatility on (a) the haulage industry, (b) the downstream construction supply chain, and (c) projected levels of new housebuilding in 2026.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The price of petrol and diesel are influenced by a range of factors, and whilst it generally takes several weeks for both rises and falls in the cost of crude oil to be reflected at the pump, events of this magnitude can generate short term price shocks. Although the UK maintains a diverse range of energy sources to bolster our resilience, oil is a globally traded commodity. This means that disruptions or uncertainty in any region can influence prices in the UK until global markets stabilise. We are engaging daily with refiners, importers and distributors to ensure any emerging risks are identified and managed promptly.
The Department for Business and Transport is also monitoring the situation, and is in regular contact with stakeholders, including through the Construction Leadership Council.
Asked by: Susan Murray (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with (a) Police Scotland and (b) Scottish trading standards bodies on compliance and enforcement activity relating to the sale in Scotland of non-convertible imitation firearms sold as costume, prop and fancy dress items and indistinguishable from real firearms.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office has not had recent discussions with Police Scotland or Scottish trading standards bodies in relation to realistic imitation firearms that are not readily convertible to fire live ammunition. Chief Constables have operational responsibility for enforcing the legislation which applies to realistic imitation firearms.
Section 36 of the Violent Crime Reduction Act 2006 makes it an offence for a person to manufacture, sell, import or cause a realistic imitation firearm to be brought into Great Britain and it also makes it an offence to modify an imitation firearm so that it becomes a realistic imitation firearm. Section 37 of that Act provides for specified defences to this offence which include making the realistic imitation firearm available for theatrical performances, the production of films or television programmes, and the organisation and holding of certain historical re-enactments or skirmishing activities.
In addition, it is an offence under section 19 of the Firearms Act 1968 for a person to have an imitation firearm in their possession in public without lawful authority or reasonable excuse.
Asked by: Susan Murray (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of fuel price volatility on UK construction and haulage firms; and what steps he is taking to protect businesses and consumers from sudden price shocks.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Fuel markets are governed by competition and consumer protection law, overseen by the Competition Market Authority (CMA). The Government and the CMA are closely monitoring petrol and diesel prices in light of instability in the Middle East, and the Chancellor and Secretary of State recently met with fuel retailers to set out a clear message: unfair practices will not be tolerated.
We are also engaging regularly with refiners, importers and distributors to ensure any emerging risks are identified and managed promptly. The UK benefits from strong and diverse security of energy supplies, and there are no issues with fuel supply.
The Department for Business and Transport is also monitoring the situation and is in regular contact with stakeholders.
Asked by: Susan Murray (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations she has made to her Indian counterpart on extrajudicial killings of religious minorities in Punjab, India.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer she was provided on 9 March in response to Question 117992.
Asked by: Susan Murray (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with (a) Police Scotland and (b) relevant Scottish trading standards bodies on compliance and enforcement activity relating to the sale of realistic imitation firearms and imitation firearms.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
There has been action taken by the National Crime Agency and police forces in England and Wales against certain types of imitation firearms that have been found to be readily convertible into lethal firing firearms. Such imitation firearms, depending on their features, are subject to firearms legislation and are illegal. An amnesty was held in February this year to allow owners of the certain types of imitation firearms of concern to hand them into police stations so they can be disposed of safely.
Discussions were held with the authorities in Scotland about the imitation firearms of concern, including Police Scotland, the Scottish Police Authority, the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS), and the Scottish Government, and I also wrote to the Lord Advocate about whether a similar scheme could be introduced in Scotland. We were advised that the operational and legal context in Scotland were different, and a public awareness campaign would be considered to support public safety in respect of these imitation firearms.