Written questions by Doogan.

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.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many UK nationals died in Thailand in each of the last three years; and what the causes were of those deaths.

Consular staff have provided support in the following cases where a British national has died in Thailand in each of the last three years.Deaths - Thailand202320242025Assisted death / euthanasia0<50Cause still to be confirmed161180203Infection / disease31172167Injury252526Murder / manslaughter<5<5<5Natural causes154244296Other2297473Suicide / self-harm10127The data is based on the cases that are reported to us by the local authorities, families or others. We record the cause of death based on what we are told, and Consular staff are unable to independently investigate the cause of deaths. There will also be cases where we may not be informed of a death.Where the figures are 5 or fewer (but more than one), we do not publish a breakdown of the numbers, as this risks identifying the individuals involved. To release this data would contravene one of the data protection principles, and sections 40(2) and 40(3) of the Freedom of Information Act apply.

With reference to her oral contribution of 26 November 2025 on Financial Statement and Budget, Official Report, column 388, if she will confirm whether her £820m allocation to Scotland's Block Grant is as a function of Barnett Consequentials following her finalisation of UK Government Expenditure in England.

The £820 million additional funding for the Scottish Government referenced is a result of the operation of the Barnett formula.

With reference to her oral contribution of 26 November 2025 on Financial Statement and Budget, Official Report, column 388, what (a) meetings, (b) correspondence and (c) other discussions did she have with Mr Sarwar to arrive at the £820 million uplift to Scotland's Block Grant prior to the Autumn Budget 2025.

The government listens to a wide range of representations to help shape the Budget, including from Scottish Labour.

Food and Rural Affairs, if his Department will introduce a ban on cages for laying hens in the UK.

The recently published animal welfare strategy sets out that ending the use of cages and crates is a key priority for this Government. As announced on 12 January 2026, a consultation on a proposal to ban the keeping of laying hens, pullets and breeder layers in cages has been launched and will close on 9 March 2026. https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/cage-reform-proposed-ban-on-keeping-laying-hens-pullets-and-breeder-layers-in-cages.

How many foreign Catholic priests have been denied a visa for the UK since July 2024.

The Home Office does not hold data, in a reportable format, on how many foreign Catholic priests have been refused UK visas since July 2024.

With reference to the Companies House identity verification reforms announced on 16th October, what assessment his Department has made on whether a Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) was undertaken for the rollout of these reforms; and whether the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) was consulted.

Companies House carried out Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIAs) regarding Identity Verification, including the use of GOV.UK One Login and Authorised Corporate Service Providers.In accordance with Article 36(4) of the UK GDPR, a formal consultation was undertaken with the Information Commissioner's Officer during the formulation of the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will hold discussions with the hon. Member for Angus and Perthshire Glens on the work of her Department's Murder and Manslaughter Team.

I will always be happy to arrange meetings with the Hon. Member to discuss issues of concern, either with myself or with relevant officials. I am also hosting a drop-in session in Parliament on 10 December with my counterpart from the Ministry of Justice for Members who want to raise relevant cases overseas.

What progress his Department has made on (a) allocating funding and (b) identifying opportunities for investment by the Defence Growth Deal in Scotland.

The Ministry of Defence has been working with the UK Government, the Scottish Government, industry, academia and other key stakeholders to identify opportunities to invest in interventions that support defence priority sub-sectors that align with Scotland’s sub-sector strengths. Work is ongoing to understand how the £250 million Defence Growth Deal fund will be allocated across the five locations, including Scotland.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure that information received from HMRC regarding earnings is accurate and that any errors are identified and corrected swiftly, so that Universal Credit claimants are not left without support as a result of inaccurate data.

HMRC has the responsibility to ensure employers report earnings information accurately and timeously.DWP has a process to ensure any inaccurate data is corrected as soon as is possible.

What steps her Department is taking to ensure that when errors in earnings submissions to HMRC are self-identified and corrected, those corrections are communicated promptly and accurately to the Department for Work and Pensions, so that claimants are not adversely or unfairly affected by inaccurate income data.

Where an error has been identified, employers can submit revised information to HMRC through standard reporting processes. HMRC transmits payroll data to the Department for Work and Pensions on a daily basis.

Pursuant to the Answer of 26 November 2025 to Question 87832 on RAF Brize Norton: Palestine Action, what was the cost of returning the two damaged aero engines to a serviceable condition.

Whilst the engines damaged on 20 June 2025 have since been inspected and returned into service, their reduced cleared life will necessitate a significant overhaul within the next two years.The full financial impact of the incident will not be known until that overhaul is complete and it is known which parts will need to be replaced.

Pursuant to the Answer of 10 October to Question 80377 on Armed Forces: Health, and the Answer of 17 November to Question 89590 on Armed Forces: Health Services, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of collecting these metrics for Wales.

Defence uses a Hospital Referral System (HRS) to make and track referrals to the NHS and private healthcare providers. The HRS was introduced in 2024 to centralise and manage all referrals generated by Defence Primary Healthcare (DPHC) Medical and Dental Centres. Currently not all DPHC Medical Centres in Wales use the HRS in order to make a referral. The Department is working to incorporate this data into the system to ensure there is accurate and consistent reporting across all four nations.

How many members of the armed forces serving in England who are considered not medically deployable are awaiting treatment; and how many have been waiting for longer than six months.

As of 8 November 2025, there were 2,375 UK Armed Forces personnel graded as Medically Not Deployable (MND), awaiting an NHS or private healthcare appointment following a referral from a Defence Medical Centre in England. Of these, 930 have been waiting longer than six months. Information on the number of UK Armed Forces personnel graded as MND awaiting an NHS or private healthcare appointment following a referral from a Defence Medical Centre in Wales or Northern Ireland is not held centrally.

How many members of the armed forces serving in Northern Ireland who are considered not medically deployable are awaiting treatment; and how many have been waiting for longer than six months.

As of 8 November 2025, there were 2,375 UK Armed Forces personnel graded as Medically Not Deployable (MND), awaiting an NHS or private healthcare appointment following a referral from a Defence Medical Centre in England. Of these, 930 have been waiting longer than six months. Information on the number of UK Armed Forces personnel graded as MND awaiting an NHS or private healthcare appointment following a referral from a Defence Medical Centre in Wales or Northern Ireland is not held centrally.

How many members of the armed forces serving in Wales who are considered not medically deployable are awaiting treatment; and how many have been waiting for longer than six months.

As of 8 November 2025, there were 2,375 UK Armed Forces personnel graded as Medically Not Deployable (MND), awaiting an NHS or private healthcare appointment following a referral from a Defence Medical Centre in England. Of these, 930 have been waiting longer than six months. Information on the number of UK Armed Forces personnel graded as MND awaiting an NHS or private healthcare appointment following a referral from a Defence Medical Centre in Wales or Northern Ireland is not held centrally.

What discussions he has had with his Ministerial colleagues on the £9.2 million Scottish Government funding for (a) skills and (b) training in BAE.

I welcome Scottish Government‘s support for this vital investment into skills and training in BAES and the contribution it will make to shipbuilding on the Clyde. The Ministry of Defence announced £182 million of skills funding as part of the Defence Industrial Strategy, which will be used across Scotland and the rest of the UK to support the growth of skills in the defence sector.

Pursuant to the Answer of 29 October 2025 to Question 84339 on RAF Brize Norton: Palestine Action, what delivery forecast is for the return of each engine to serviceability.

The two engines have now arrived at RAF Brize Norton and have been returned into service.

With reference to his Oral Statement of 29 October 2025 on UK-Türkiye Typhoon Export Deal, Official Report, column 338, where the 800 jobs created in Scotland will be located.

The Typhoon programme supports 800 jobs in Scotland, the majority of these are based at Leonardo UK in Edinburgh.

What offset agreements have been signed with Turkiye; and what equipment is included in those agreements in order to conclude the export of 20 Typhoon aircraft from the UK to Turkiye.

There was no offset package as part of the Türkiye Typhoon agreement.