Every parliamentary written question tabled by Dave Doogan this session, with the full answer and department. See how every department answers, or back to the MP page.
Showing 21–40 of 184 · this parliament
What support she will introduce to assist people with oil heating through the current kerosine price increases.
The government recognises the pressures facing households who rely on heating oil. This is why we are providing an additional £53 million of targeted support for vulnerable households, largely in rural communities.
(a) what the current average processing time is for HMRC overpayment relief claims; and (b) what steps her Department are taking to reduce times in processing those claims.
HMRC recognises that payments to customers are important, therefore claims are processed as priority post. HMRC aims to process 80% of priority post received within 15 working days. Customer correspondence performance is reported monthly and quarterly through HMRC’s published performance updates at: www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmrc-quarterly-performance-updates. HMRC continues to invest in automation and to review their internal processes to ensure overpayments relief claims are issued in a timely manner.
With reference to Written Question UIN 77563, answered on the 13 October 2025, what steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to ensure that Ministers are adequately briefed when they present to Parliament.
Ministerial briefings are a matter for individual departments. There are a number of resources available to ministers to assist in preparing for parliamentary activity: the Ministerial Code has expectations for Ministers in Parliament, the Cabinet Office Parliamentary Capability Team offers training for Ministers and officials, and the Guide to Parliamentary Work provides broader guidance for officials on working with Parliament.
A) what assessment he has made of the extent to which legacy pension disputes currently being pursued by the Ministry of Defence and Equiniti arise from historical administrative or management errors by the Department or its contractors; and b) what steps he is taking to help support impacted veterans and service personnel.
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) seeks to recover overpayments regardless of the reason they occurred because it has a legal and financial obligation to protect public funds. This principle applies universally to ensure consistency, fairness, and accountability in the management of taxpayers' money. Allowing overpayments to remain unrecovered, regardless of the circumstances, could set a precedent that undermines the MOD's duty to manage public resources responsibly and equitably. The MOD, in collaboration with its contractors, is committed to supporting those affected by incorrectly calculated payments. A dedicated helpline has been established to provide technical and administrative advice, while a bespoke leaflet outlines available support, including repayment options and appeal processes. Veterans Services (VS) also offer free, one-to-one support to veterans, their families, and dependents through a national network of welfare managers across the UK and Republic of Ireland. VS staff, who are fully briefed on members' rights regarding overpayment recovery, can assist with completing Income and Expenditure forms in cases of hardship, provide guidance on submitting defences against recovery and conduct holistic welfare reviews. They can also advise on additional benefits or support available from the MOD, other Government Departments, or the Third Sector.
How many legacy disputes relating to incorrectly calculated Armed Forces pension entitlements are currently being pursued by Equiniti and the Ministry of Defence; and what the total monetary value of these claims is.
This information is not held in the format requested. A manual review of all overpayments would be required in order to identify if there is a dispute relating to the pension entitlements being incorrectly calculated which would incur a disproportionate cost to obtain.
What discussions he has had with his Norwegian counterpart on finalising the number of Global Combat Ships which BAE will build in Glasgow for that country.
Our Type 26 deal to provide at least five Norwegian frigates is a significant economic boost which will deliver jobs and drive growth in Scotland. We are working closely and meeting regularly with our Norwegian allies to progress the new partnership, with the Defence Secretary most recently meeting with his counterpart this month and agreeing to step up our security commitment. Our bilateral strategic partnership is more important than ever to the security of the Arctic and High North. We are safer and more prosperous together.
If he will immediately release the vetting advice the Prime Minister received prior to the appointment of Matthew Doyle to the House of Lords.
As a matter of policy, the Government does not publish information relating to individuals' peerage nominations.
What assessment she has made of the potential impact of increases in employer National Insurance contributions on the recruitment of young workers in Scotland.
A detailed assessment of the policy has been published by HMRC in their Tax Information and Impact Note. The TIIN sets out the impact of the policy on the exchequer, the economic impacts of the policy, and the impacts on individuals, businesses, and civil society organisations, as well as an overview of the equality impacts. The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) also published the Economic and Fiscal Outlook (EFO), which sets out a detailed forecast of the economy and public finances. Accounting for policies that will materially affect the forecast, the OBR expect that employment levels will rise in every year of the forecast, and that they will be higher in every year compared to March, reaching 35.5m in 2030-31. The UK Government is committed to providing young people with the best start to their working lives. That is why we have committed to a Youth Guarantee to support young people across Great Britain to earn or learn. This includes a Jobs Guarantee, which will provide a six-month paid work placement for every eligible 18- to 21-year-old who has been on Universal Credit and looking for work for 18 months.
What procurement priority has been awarded to the replacement of the Royal Air Forces Hawk T1 and T2 aircraft.
Flying training will continue to be a sovereign priority. All future platform procurements will be made as part of the forthcoming Defence Investment Plan.
What assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of consumer redress mechanisms for when installers do not engage with households following defective insulation installations.
The consumer can escalate issues to the installer’s certification body, and TrustMark provide access to a Dispute Resolution Ombudsman. All measures installed under our current schemes have a guarantee against which a claim can be made. The Government recognises that the system of quality assurance and consumer redress that we inherited needs reform. We will change the current, failed protections system to one that can command public confidence and consult this year on options for bringing the oversight of energy efficiency and microgeneration installations for government schemes under closer government control and on the role of the Warm Homes Agency.
What assessment his Department has made of trends in (a) pensioner poverty and (b) child poverty across the UK.
Statistics on the number of pensioners living in absolute and relative poverty in the UK are published annually in the “Households Below Average Income” publication, the latest available being Households below average income: for financial years ending 1995 to 2024 - GOV.UK. The table showing the percentage of pensioners in relative poverty over time by region is published as “table 6.10ts” of “pensioners- hbai-timeseries-1994-95-2023-24-tables”. Statistics on the number of children living in absolute and relative poverty in the UK are pub-lished annually in the “Households Below Average Income” publication, the latest available being Households below average income: for financial years ending 1995 to 2024 - GOV.UK. The table showing the percentage of children in relative poverty over time is published as “table 4.1tr” of “children-trends-hbai-1994-95-2023-24-tables”. Statistics on the number of children living in absolute and relative poverty on a before housing costs basis at local level are published annually in the “Children in low income families: local area statistics” publication, the latest available being Children in low income families: local area statistics 2014 to 2024 - GOV.UK. The latest statistics published on 27 March 2025 are up to and including 2023/24. The latest available data can also be found on https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/. Guidance on how to use it can be found here: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/User-Guide.html.
What regulatory mechanisms exist to require installers to carry out corrective works where insulation products installed under publicly funded energy efficiency schemes are found to be (a) defective and (b) improperly installed.
Insulation installations under energy efficiency schemes must be carried out by TrustMark registered and PAS 2030 certified businesses, in accordance with PAS 2035. A guarantee must be purchased for each installation. Solid wall insulation installations attract a 25 year guarantee up to a value of £20k. In the event that installers do not remediate work, TrustMark and PAS 2030 certification bodies have the ability to suspend a business until works are rectified. TrustMark’s complaint handling process offers access to a Dispute Resolution Ombudsman which offers registered businesses and customers an impartial and flexible way of reaching a resolution. Where an installer business ceases to trade, a claim can be made on the guarantee.
What the youth unemployment rate was in the most recent period for which data is available in (a) Scotland, (b) England and (c) Wales.
The information requested is published and available at:https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/default.asp Guidance for users can be found at:https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/home/newuser.aspThe estimated youth unemployment rates can be found by selecting “Query data” on the NOMIS home page and selecting “Annual Population Survey/Labour Force Survey” and then “annual population survey (Dec 2004 to Jun 2025)” in the lists of data sources. The Geography will need to be set for the relevant countries/regions. The Variable will need to be set to “Unemployment rate - aged 16-24”. The latest date is automatically selected.
What the minimum number of available warships is that the Royal Navy requires to meet basic operational requirements.
To avoid compromising operational security, the Ministry of Defence does not routinely disclose elements of the Fleet's long-term schedule and readiness profiles.The Royal Navy continues to meet its operational objectives and to work closely with the Government to ensure our maritime environment remains safe amid a changing threat environment.
How many Royal Navy surface warships are (a) available for deployment and (b) deployed.
To avoid compromising operational security, the Ministry of Defence does not routinely disclose elements of the Fleet's long-term schedule and readiness profiles.The Royal Navy continues to meet its operational objectives and to work closely with the Government to ensure our maritime environment remains safe amid a changing threat environment.
What estimate his Department has made of the cost of constraint payments and balancing actions in each year since 2020; and what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of this on domestic energy bills.
The breakdown of curtailment and balancing action costs borne by domestic consumers and other data relating to constraints is provided in the National Energy System Operator (NESO) Annual Balancing Report. The most recent of these reports was published in June 2025 which can be found via this link: neso.energy/document/362561/download. We recognise that actions are needed to reduce system constraints. The current extent of grid constraints reflects years of underinvestment, with new network infrastructure development having lagged the expansion of new generation. We are already taking action to reduce constraints with the biggest upgrade to Great Britain’s electricity network in decades.
What assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of implementing measures similar to those adopted in other European countries to help reduce electricity prices for (a) consumers and (b) industry.
Tackling the affordability crisis is Government’s number one priority. At the last Budget, we took an average of £150 of costs off household energy bills from this coming April. The main driver of high energy bills is gas, and we are taking action to reduce electricity prices for consumers and industry by taking back control with homegrown clean power. In designing and implementing energy policy, we take account of approaches adopted successfully in other countries.
What progress he has made on the Scottish allocation of the New Defence Growth Deals announced in September 2025.
The Defence Industrial Strategy committed £250 million to fund all five Defence Growth Deals across the UK. Work is ongoing to understand how the £250 million Defence Growth Deal fund will be allocated across the five locations. We continue to work with key stakeholders, including government, industry and academia, to identify opportunities for Scotland Defence Growth Deal investment.
What discussions his Department has had with the Scottish Government on establishing a Defence Technical Excellence College in Scotland.
As part of the Defence Industrial Strategy, £20 million was allocated to skills initiatives in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Through the Scottish Defence Growth Deal framework, we are currently engaging with a wide range of stakeholders including government, industry and academia to understand the key skills gaps for Scotland’s defence sector and how this funding should best be used to address them. This includes exploring the concept of a Scottish Defence Technical Excellence College.
How many projects have been (a) funded by the UKDI Defence and security accelerator and (b) of these how many were based in Scotland.
As of the end of January 2026, a total of 1,715 Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA) projects had been funded, with 146 of these awarded to businesses or projects in Scotland, amounting to a total value of £30.6 million.Please note that, as of 2 February 2026, the DASA brand has been retired. All responsibilities and activities previously undertaken by DASA now fall under the remit of UK Defence Innovation (UKDI).