Written questions by Law.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what her timetable is for making a decision on the future of ODA funding for programmes in Malawi.

The Foreign Secretary was grateful for the First Minister's letter and will respond to the issues raised in due course.Our focus in Malawi remains on supporting resilience to climate and environment shocks, strengthening health systems and education outcomes, and supporting economic growth and improved governance.We are committed to a modern development partnership with Malawi, using UK expertise to support Malawians with their own reforms. Detailed decisions are currently being worked through on how our aid budget will be used from 2026/27 to 2028/29, and we plan to publish indicative allocations in the coming months.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions her officials have had with counterparts in the Scottish Government on the (a) alignment between and (b) potential impact of ODA programmes funded by both Governments in Malawi.

The Foreign Secretary was grateful for the First Minister's letter and will respond to the issues raised in due course.Our focus in Malawi remains on supporting resilience to climate and environment shocks, strengthening health systems and education outcomes, and supporting economic growth and improved governance.We are committed to a modern development partnership with Malawi, using UK expertise to support Malawians with their own reforms. Detailed decisions are currently being worked through on how our aid budget will be used from 2026/27 to 2028/29, and we plan to publish indicative allocations in the coming months.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what criteria she plans to use to determine whether her Department should continue to provide ODA funding for programmes in Malawi.

The Foreign Secretary was grateful for the First Minister's letter and will respond to the issues raised in due course.Our focus in Malawi remains on supporting resilience to climate and environment shocks, strengthening health systems and education outcomes, and supporting economic growth and improved governance.We are committed to a modern development partnership with Malawi, using UK expertise to support Malawians with their own reforms. Detailed decisions are currently being worked through on how our aid budget will be used from 2026/27 to 2028/29, and we plan to publish indicative allocations in the coming months.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will publish a response to the letter addressed to her published by the First Minister of Scotland on 14 December 2025.

The Foreign Secretary was grateful for the First Minister's letter and will respond to the issues raised in due course.Our focus in Malawi remains on supporting resilience to climate and environment shocks, strengthening health systems and education outcomes, and supporting economic growth and improved governance.We are committed to a modern development partnership with Malawi, using UK expertise to support Malawians with their own reforms. Detailed decisions are currently being worked through on how our aid budget will be used from 2026/27 to 2028/29, and we plan to publish indicative allocations in the coming months.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of her Department's ODA programmes in Malawi on helping that country make progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals.

The Foreign Secretary was grateful for the First Minister's letter and will respond to the issues raised in due course.Our focus in Malawi remains on supporting resilience to climate and environment shocks, strengthening health systems and education outcomes, and supporting economic growth and improved governance.We are committed to a modern development partnership with Malawi, using UK expertise to support Malawians with their own reforms. Detailed decisions are currently being worked through on how our aid budget will be used from 2026/27 to 2028/29, and we plan to publish indicative allocations in the coming months.

How many official visits a) to Scotland and b) abroad the Prime Minister has made since 4 July 2024.

Prime Ministerial travel is published on gov.uk and includes both domestic and international visits. The Prime Minister’s first ever official visit as Prime Minister was to Scotland.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, on how many occasions the Prime Minister has met with his Malawian counterpart since 4 July 2024.

Details of UK ministers' bilateral meetings with overseas counterparts are routinely published on GOV.UK, details of ministerial travel overseas are set out in the Government's quarterly transparency releases, and details of funding allocations for individual countries and programmes can be found using the Development Tracker tool on GOV.UK.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, on how many occasions she has met with her Malawian counterpart since 4 July 2024.

Details of UK ministers' bilateral meetings with overseas counterparts are routinely published on GOV.UK, details of ministerial travel overseas are set out in the Government's quarterly transparency releases, and details of funding allocations for individual countries and programmes can be found using the Development Tracker tool on GOV.UK.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much Official Development Assistance was allocated to Malawi in each of the last ten financial years.

Details of UK ministers' bilateral meetings with overseas counterparts are routinely published on GOV.UK, details of ministerial travel overseas are set out in the Government's quarterly transparency releases, and details of funding allocations for individual countries and programmes can be found using the Development Tracker tool on GOV.UK.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, on how many occasions she has visited Malawi since 4 July 2024.

Details of UK ministers' bilateral meetings with overseas counterparts are routinely published on GOV.UK, details of ministerial travel overseas are set out in the Government's quarterly transparency releases, and details of funding allocations for individual countries and programmes can be found using the Development Tracker tool on GOV.UK.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, on how many occasions the Minister of State (International Development and Africa) has visited Malawi since 4 July 2024.

Details of UK ministers' bilateral meetings with overseas counterparts are routinely published on GOV.UK, details of ministerial travel overseas are set out in the Government's quarterly transparency releases, and details of funding allocations for individual countries and programmes can be found using the Development Tracker tool on GOV.UK.

How many private aircraft landed at Leuchars Station between 28 September 2025 and 6th October 2025.

A total of twenty civil private aircraft used Leuchars during that period.

If he will make an assessment of the potential economic impact of foreign government subsidies on the competitiveness of UK natural stone producers; and whether the Government plans to introduce targeted support for UK SMEs in the sector.

The Trade Remedies Authority (TRA) is the UK’s investigatory body that exists to defend the UK against unfair international trade practices, including foreign government subsidies. I encourage UK industry to engage directly with the TRA if they believe they are being injured by unfair trading practices as it will be for the TRA to decide whether evidentiary thresholds to initiate a trade remedies investigation are met. The Department remains vigilant to any reports of potential injury to industries from unfair trading practices and regularly engages with the natural stone sector. We have no specific plans to introduce the specific kind of support he refers to.

What assessment his Department has made of the contribution of natural stone and other low-carbon materials to reducing embodied carbon in the UK construction sector.

The department is currently developing policies that will help grow the market for low carbon industrial products, including green procurement and improved carbon accounting. The initial focus of these policies is steel, cement, and concrete products used in construction. The department recently ran a technical consultation that included questions on whether other industrial sectors should be included in the scope of these policies in future. Although natural stone was not explicitly mentioned in the consultation, it would align with one of the options; to take a strategic approach to expand these policies to other sectors related to construction. The department is currently reviewing the responses to this consultation and will publish a summary and its own response in due course. The government also recognises the role that whole life carbon assessments can play in helping developers to evaluate carbon emissions across all stages of a building or structure’s life. This approach can support decision makers to adopt materials which have a lower overall environmental impact. Whole life carbon assessments are embedded into green procurement approaches being taken by government departments, such as instituting carbon management plans. The department would welcome engagement with any interested stakeholders from the natural stone sector.

Communities and Local Government, whether the forthcoming Planning and Infrastructure Bill will include measures to support the use of low-carbon, natural building materials.

The Planning and Infrastructure Bill contains no measures relating to building materials. The full text of the Bill as introduced, as well as further versions of the Bill as it is reprinted to incorporate amendments made during its passage through Parliament, can be found online here.

Communities and Local Government, what recent discussions he has had with the construction industry on planning barriers and standards affecting the use of natural materials such as stone in new developments.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 92689 on 28 November 2025.

What assessment her Department has made of the impact of energy costs and industrial tariffs on small and medium-sized enterprises in the UK stone and quarrying industry.

The Government continually monitors the UK economy and is bearing down on business energy prices by reducing Great Britain’s reliance on volatile international gas prices, and through a new framework to scrutinise energy levies, ensuring they are affordable and value-for-money. We know that behind taxation, energy prices are the most cited barrier to growth by SMEs (50%). The Government has a variety of schemes, already in place or due to be launched soon, that either directly support businesses by reducing energy costs or support them to reduce costs by making energy efficiencies and decarbonising. Examples include:The Business Energy Advice Service pilot, which runs until March 2026, supporting SMEs in the West Midlands to reduce their energy demand, reduce their energy bills and in turn decarbonise.Providing funding to improve the UK Business Climate Hub (UKBCH), an online resource which will support SMEs to identify and implement changes to their energy use, resulting in decarbonisation and energy bill savings. The UK Global Tariff is tailored to the UK economy, and has been designed to balance the interests of consumers and producers, and our wider strategic trade objectives. As with all policy, the Government welcomes feedback and monitors these requests closely.

If she will review energy support and taxation policy for energy-intensive industries such as quarrying to ensure fair treatment compared with high-carbon sectors like steel and glass.

The government keeps all tax under review as part of the policy making process. The government is bearing down on business energy prices by reducing Great Britain’s reliance on volatile international gas prices, and through a new framework to scrutinise energy levies, ensuring they are affordable and value-for-money.

If he will review public procurement guidance to ensure that locally and sustainably sourced building materials are prioritised in public projects.

The Procurement Act 2023 allows contracting authorities the flexibility to include considerations such as locally and sustainably sourced building materials in contracts. Any criteria adopted must be relevant and proportionate to the contract. We have consulted on procurement reforms to further boost domestic supply chains and create more opportunities for businesses, in particular SMEs, across the UK. We will be publishing the consultation outcome - and legislative proposals - soon.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of heritage skills training to support employment and regeneration in rural and post-industrial areas.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 19 November 2025 to PQ 89153 regarding investment in skills to support technical routes and work-based learning in England, including heritage skills training. At Budget, the Government announced a package of £725 million additional investment to deliver the next phase of the Growth and Skills Levy in England. The Government recognises the importance of skills training to supporting employment, including in rural and post-industrial areas. As set out in the Get Britain Working White Paper, we are reforming Jobcentre Plus and creating a new service across Great Britain that will enable everyone to access support to find good, meaningful work, and support to help them to progress in work, including through an enhanced focus on skills and careers.