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Hello come and a very warm welcome to Westminster for February's | :00:23. | :00:26. | |
Scottish Questions. A mixed bag with questions on the | :00:26. | :00:30. | |
so-called bedroom tax and what is likely to be in the Budget next | :00:30. | :00:35. | |
month, the issue of the Scottish independence referendum is also | :00:35. | :00:39. | |
continuing to weigh on the minds of Scottish MPs. But proceedings began | :00:39. | :00:43. | |
with an inquiry about the importance of nuclear power to the | :00:43. | :00:51. | |
Scottish economy. Question number one, Mr Speaker. | :00:51. | :00:55. | |
There is currently just over two gigawatts of installed and | :00:55. | :01:02. | |
operational nuclear capacity in Scotland, split between two sites. | :01:02. | :01:07. | |
33% of electricity generated in Scotland in 2011 came from these | :01:07. | :01:14. | |
two stations. I am grateful for his response. Is he aware that in | :01:14. | :01:18. | |
Anglesey we are about to benefit from a massive investment in new | :01:18. | :01:22. | |
nuclear power station? Does he share my disappointment in the | :01:22. | :01:26. | |
attitude shown by the Scottish government to reject any new | :01:26. | :01:31. | |
nuclear investment? Can I say to my honourable friend that clearly | :01:31. | :01:35. | |
there is a significant contribution to our current energy mix from | :01:35. | :01:39. | |
nuclear? He will be aware that planning is devolved on these | :01:39. | :01:44. | |
matters to Scotland, it is a matter, rightly, for the Scottish | :01:44. | :01:48. | |
parliament to determine. For my part I am delighted we are seeing | :01:48. | :01:51. | |
an increase in the proportion of renewables in the energy mix as | :01:51. | :01:59. | |
part of a sustainable, affordable energy supply in the UK. | :01:59. | :02:03. | |
Nuclear power stations including the one in my constituency produced | :02:03. | :02:08. | |
their highest output for seven years in 2012. Does he agree with | :02:08. | :02:12. | |
me that there is a continuing long- term role for nuclear in keeping | :02:12. | :02:17. | |
the lights on in Scotland? I don't think anybody can ignore the | :02:17. | :02:22. | |
significant contribution that nuclear makes. Like her I have many | :02:22. | :02:26. | |
constituents employed there, and I think it is an important role they | :02:26. | :02:31. | |
play in our local economies. But I want to see a sustainable mix | :02:31. | :02:36. | |
across the energy supplies and generation sector, and I think with | :02:36. | :02:41. | |
renewables and others in the mix, that is a good thing. | :02:41. | :02:44. | |
Why is it this Government is determined to throw money at an | :02:44. | :02:48. | |
industry which has never be economically viable while refusing | :02:48. | :02:52. | |
to set a decarbonisation target to boost the renewables then it -- | :02:52. | :02:57. | |
industry which is already creating thousands of new jobs in Scotland? | :02:57. | :03:00. | |
Through energy market reform we are underpinning a renewables sector | :03:00. | :03:07. | |
for a very long time. Although I don't -- what I don't understand is | :03:07. | :03:10. | |
how the SNP can propose independence, where Scottish | :03:10. | :03:15. | |
renewables would end up losing the biggest source of consumers who | :03:15. | :03:22. | |
underpinned the economics of that sector. Question number two. | :03:22. | :03:27. | |
In its impact assessments published on the 28th June 1920 12, the | :03:27. | :03:30. | |
Department for Work and Pensions estimates that 80,000 claimants of | :03:30. | :03:34. | |
housing benefit in the social rental sector in Scotland will be | :03:34. | :03:38. | |
affected by the under occupation measure. The Minister knows as well | :03:39. | :03:42. | |
as I do that thousands of people in low-income households in Scotland | :03:42. | :03:47. | |
will lose out because of the bedroom tax, with no realistic | :03:47. | :03:51. | |
prospect of moving to a smaller house. According to that assessment, | :03:51. | :03:54. | |
claimants in Scotland will be disproportionately hit because of | :03:54. | :03:59. | |
the mismatch between available housing stock and the needs of | :03:59. | :04:02. | |
tenants will stop well he distance himself from the shameful attempt | :04:02. | :04:05. | |
by this Government to stigmatise and penalise people living in how's | :04:05. | :04:10. | |
-- council houses who need help with their rent? What is shameful | :04:10. | :04:13. | |
is how the Scottish National Party play party politics with other boar | :04:13. | :04:20. | |
people, pretending they can be no wealthier changes -- pretending | :04:20. | :04:24. | |
there can be no welfare changes but not indicating how welfare would be | :04:24. | :04:30. | |
paid for in an independent Scotland? The bedroom tax and other | :04:30. | :04:32. | |
changes to housing benefit means that millions of pounds will be | :04:32. | :04:36. | |
removed from the Scottish economy and hundreds of jobs lost across | :04:36. | :04:42. | |
the country, according to one institute. Can the Secretary of | :04:42. | :04:45. | |
State tell the House what discussions he has had with the | :04:46. | :04:49. | |
Chancellor about how to mitigate these losses to the Scottish | :04:49. | :04:54. | |
economy? What the honourable member and his colleagues fail to ever | :04:54. | :04:57. | |
mention is the discretionary housing payment funds which will | :04:57. | :05:02. | |
come in place to support people in difficult situations. He and his | :05:02. | :05:06. | |
colleagues should be urging councils in Scotland to make use of | :05:06. | :05:11. | |
that money. Scotland will get a very good share of the �155 million | :05:11. | :05:18. | |
being provided. Does the Minister not recognise, in fact, that there | :05:18. | :05:22. | |
are people crying as a result of being given notices right now that | :05:22. | :05:25. | |
tell them they are in a position where they have to get out their | :05:25. | :05:31. | |
house or lose housing benefit from the 1st April? That is the reality. | :05:31. | :05:37. | |
Can he not waken up to that fact? am surprised that the honourable | :05:37. | :05:45. | |
member and not others -- that the honourable members and others are | :05:45. | :05:47. | |
not working to draw people's attention to the discretionary | :05:47. | :05:51. | |
payment funds and show them that they will be able to support the | :05:51. | :05:56. | |
most vulnerable. As well as the bedroom tax, this Government is | :05:56. | :05:59. | |
preparing to further tighten the worst squeeze in decades on | :05:59. | :06:03. | |
ordinary people's living standards by cutting most benefits and tax | :06:03. | :06:08. | |
credits by 4% in real terms over the next three years in plans | :06:08. | :06:13. | |
hurting the poorest 40% in Scotland 3.5 times harder than the | :06:13. | :06:18. | |
wealthiest. Does he not accept that with 800,000 working-age couples | :06:18. | :06:22. | |
and single people in Scotland losing up to �5 a week, these cuts | :06:22. | :06:27. | |
are not just socially brutal but also disastrous for the Scottish | :06:27. | :06:35. | |
economy? Mr Speaker, what I accept is the party opposite but this | :06:35. | :06:38. | |
country into a financial circumstances that we found at the | :06:38. | :06:42. | |
2010 election. The party opposite said they wanted to reform welfare, | :06:42. | :06:45. | |
they are happy to criticise individual measures but they come | :06:45. | :06:50. | |
up with no proposals at all to fund those measures or to put forward | :06:50. | :06:58. | |
any alternative proposals. Number three. | :06:58. | :07:02. | |
I welcome the recent announcement by Mike honourable friend the | :07:02. | :07:05. | |
Secretary of State for Transport on the planned extension of HS2 to | :07:05. | :07:09. | |
Manchester and Leeds. Journey times between Scotland and London will | :07:09. | :07:14. | |
become -- significantly reduced as a result. Does he agree with me | :07:14. | :07:17. | |
that there is a strange irony in the fact that HS2 will bring our | :07:17. | :07:21. | |
two nations closer together, yet the Scottish government is intent | :07:21. | :07:26. | |
on driving a wedge between them? think the honourable lady is quite | :07:26. | :07:31. | |
right to point out the irony. Most policies pursued by the Scottish | :07:31. | :07:35. | |
National Party are about breaking up Britain, but on this issue they | :07:35. | :07:41. | |
appear to want to bring Britain closer together. The Minister's | :07:41. | :07:44. | |
answers simply won't do. If he was serious about improving transport | :07:44. | :07:49. | |
between Scotland and England, HS2, a massive investment, would not | :07:49. | :07:53. | |
start in London and grind to a halt halfway through England in | :07:53. | :07:57. | |
Manchester or Leeds. It would carry on to Glasgow and Edinburgh on the | :07:57. | :08:02. | |
west and east coast of Scotland. Can I ask the Minister to go one | :08:02. | :08:05. | |
better than the Department of Transport and tell us if this | :08:05. | :08:08. | |
Government even have a timescale for the development of a plan for | :08:08. | :08:16. | |
the completion of HS2 to Scotland? What this Government is doing his | :08:16. | :08:19. | |
engaging with the Scottish governments in a discussion. At | :08:19. | :08:26. | |
this moment we are waiting to hear from them. Does my honourable | :08:26. | :08:29. | |
friend recognise the importance to transport links of during the A1, | :08:29. | :08:33. | |
will he continue to press the case both to Scottish ministers and with | :08:33. | :08:40. | |
colleagues in the UK government? welcome the announcement by the | :08:40. | :08:44. | |
Chancellor that the A1 would become a motorway to Newcastle, and I | :08:44. | :08:49. | |
think in response to the very same honourable member, the Chancellor | :08:49. | :08:52. | |
made it clear that the Department of Transport would look at the | :08:52. | :08:59. | |
possibility of making it a dual- carriageway to the Scottish border. | :08:59. | :09:01. | |
As chair of the all-party West Coast Main Line group, I rode to a | :09:01. | :09:07. | |
Scottish government minister -- and a rota to a Scottish government | :09:07. | :09:11. | |
minister asking about what they would do in terms of investment in | :09:11. | :09:16. | |
that route starting from the north? Is it irresponsible that they will | :09:16. | :09:20. | |
not answer this question, but Edinburgh and Glasgow City | :09:20. | :09:26. | |
Council's will discuss it? I am very disappointed that the | :09:26. | :09:29. | |
honourable member, particularly in his capacity as chairman of that | :09:29. | :09:33. | |
group, has that had a response from the Scottish government. As I | :09:33. | :09:36. | |
indicated earlier, the UK government are waiting for a | :09:36. | :09:39. | |
response from the Scottish government. We have made it | :09:39. | :09:43. | |
absolutely clear we want to work with them to ensure the people of | :09:43. | :09:49. | |
Scotland and throughout the United Kingdom benefit from HS2. | :09:49. | :09:52. | |
Can I agree with earlier questionnaires and the minister | :09:52. | :09:57. | |
that HS2, if it is to go ahead, is exceedingly important for the North | :09:57. | :10:01. | |
of England embers transport links between Scotland and England. Can I | :10:01. | :10:05. | |
have his assurance that he and his right honourable friend the | :10:05. | :10:09. | |
Secretary of State will argue formidably for this in Cabinet and | :10:09. | :10:14. | |
encourage the Government to start HS2, if it goes ahead, in the | :10:14. | :10:20. | |
North? I appreciate the right honourable lady's question. As | :10:20. | :10:26. | |
always she has taken a very keen interest in the Scotland. But she | :10:26. | :10:32. | |
knows as well as I do that the Government position is that HS2 | :10:32. | :10:42. | |
:10:42. | :10:42. | ||
(INAUDIBLE). Can the Minister explain why despite ongoing | :10:42. | :10:46. | |
complications with the UK and Scottish governments, Scots are | :10:46. | :10:52. | |
still in the dark about having NHS to line in Scotland? Scots, I don't | :10:52. | :10:57. | |
expect, are in the Darkin be cut -- in relation to a new line to | :10:57. | :11:05. | |
Scotland. -- are in the dark in relation to wayTo Scotland. We want | :11:05. | :11:11. | |
to work with the Scottish government and look forward to them | :11:11. | :11:17. | |
coming forward with their specific proposals. Number four. I will | :11:17. | :11:21. | |
answer questions four and five together, with permission. I'm in | :11:21. | :11:25. | |
close contact with the Scottish business community and Treasury | :11:25. | :11:28. | |
colleagues and I have discussed a number of measures to support | :11:28. | :11:34. | |
economic growth and fairness. Secretary of State is well | :11:34. | :11:38. | |
respected across this house, but surely as a Liberal Democrat he can | :11:38. | :11:41. | |
see the unfairness in giving millionaires a massive tax cuts in | :11:41. | :11:45. | |
April while introducing the bedroom tax? Can he make urgent | :11:45. | :11:49. | |
representations to the Chancellor to reverse these policies before | :11:49. | :11:53. | |
the draconian bedroom tax not only does damage to the borough boar and | :11:53. | :12:00. | |
disabled but also to councils? -- does damage to the vulnerable and | :12:00. | :12:05. | |
disabled. As the result of measures we have already taken, which as a | :12:05. | :12:10. | |
Liberal Democrat I am happy to champion, 183,000 Scots will be | :12:10. | :12:14. | |
taken out of tax altogether from April, 2 million people in low and | :12:14. | :12:17. | |
middle-income families will be paying less tax and people on the | :12:17. | :12:21. | |
minimum wage are paying half the tax than under the last government. | :12:21. | :12:27. | |
On the issue of taxes, a 45 pence rate in April will be higher than | :12:27. | :12:31. | |
the rate that prevailed under Labour for 12 years and 11 months. | :12:31. | :12:41. | |
:12:41. | :12:52. | ||
New build affordable starts in Scotland have fallen in the last | :12:52. | :12:58. | |
two years from 7,900 to 3,400 because of cuts by the Scottish | :12:58. | :13:04. | |
government. Will the Secretary of State not go to his government in | :13:04. | :13:10. | |
advance of this budget and argue for a U-turn? His government saved | :13:10. | :13:20. | |
:13:20. | :13:20. | ||
the trees, and --, why not save the people? I say politely, she, like | :13:20. | :13:24. | |
many of her colleagues, it routinely forget that terrible | :13:24. | :13:28. | |
financial backdrop against which we have to make terrible and this | :13:28. | :13:33. | |
isn't -- difficult decisions. We continued to emphasise and develop | :13:33. | :13:41. | |
the fairness agenda we have made through cuts in tax to get a | :13:41. | :13:46. | |
stronger and better welfare system. Having the lowest corporation tax | :13:46. | :13:51. | |
in all of the G7 countries make Scotland and incredibly attractive | :13:51. | :13:57. | |
place to invest and that would be endangered in the unlikely event | :13:57. | :14:02. | |
that got learned becomes independent. Would he agree? | :14:02. | :14:07. | |
agree it is essential we have a competitive business environment | :14:07. | :14:14. | |
and the corporation tax goes to the heart of that. We want to rebalance | :14:14. | :14:19. | |
the economy and take us away from the terrible Cliff we had come to. | :14:19. | :14:23. | |
A 1-thank the Secretary for organising the fuel summit in | :14:23. | :14:29. | |
Glasgow. It was revealed that the duty discount could go up to 7p per | :14:29. | :14:33. | |
litre was still in the Treasury buzz it -- budget. Will the | :14:33. | :14:38. | |
honourable gentleman lobby the Chancellor so that the full budget | :14:38. | :14:43. | |
is spent to the benefit of motorists? It was important to have | :14:43. | :14:48. | |
the summit to discuss the key issues and emphasise the importance | :14:48. | :14:52. | |
the fuel discount has provided for Scotland's remote communities. He | :14:52. | :14:56. | |
has made a strong case about the Budget which I'm sure the chance | :14:57. | :15:01. | |
there will have heard. Has the Secretary of State raised the | :15:01. | :15:05. | |
unfairness of the bedroom tax with the Chancellor of the Exchequer? | :15:05. | :15:09. | |
Will he not tell him it is one of the most rancid pieces of | :15:09. | :15:13. | |
legislation to have been rammed through since the poll tax. Will | :15:13. | :15:18. | |
you remind us how many Scottish MPs voted for it in this House? Can I | :15:18. | :15:24. | |
say that for in his -- as long as his party comes forward with lots | :15:24. | :15:27. | |
of promises but no way of paying for them we will not listen to | :15:27. | :15:34. | |
carefully to what he has to say. was not prepared to confirm that | :15:34. | :15:38. | |
82% of the Scottish members in this House they did against the bedroom | :15:38. | :15:44. | |
tax. Just like with the poll tax, an unpopular regressive measure is | :15:44. | :15:49. | |
being imposed on people in Scotland when the overwhelming majority of | :15:49. | :15:53. | |
their public representatives are totally opposed to it. Could he | :15:53. | :15:58. | |
explain how, in a modern democracy, it is possible to impose something | :15:58. | :16:05. | |
like the poll tax in Scotland? want to have a sustainable welfare | :16:05. | :16:09. | |
system that protects of the most vulnerable and supports people into | :16:09. | :16:13. | |
work and makes that pay, which the reforms and the Universal Credit | :16:13. | :16:17. | |
will help to ensure backed up by are fed tax delivery which has | :16:17. | :16:24. | |
meant that over 180,000 Scots are out of tax altogether and 2 million | :16:24. | :16:27. | |
Scottish families on low and middle incomes are paying less tax as a | :16:27. | :16:34. | |
result. Could the Secretary of State making representations on | :16:34. | :16:40. | |
behalf of my constituent, Mrs France's corner, and treatment for | :16:40. | :16:44. | |
her cancer has left her with no feeling in her feet and hands and | :16:44. | :16:48. | |
her any help is from her son who states without two nights a week. | :16:48. | :16:53. | |
The betting tax me she cannot afford the room has sun stays in. | :16:53. | :17:00. | |
It is making it impossible for a son to care for his mother. Can I | :17:00. | :17:06. | |
express my deepest sympathy to her constituent and her family and | :17:06. | :17:10. | |
recognise the challenging personal circumstances under which they live. | :17:10. | :17:14. | |
We look to support some of the most vulnerable in these circumstances | :17:14. | :17:17. | |
with transitional arrangements and there would be happy to discuss | :17:17. | :17:22. | |
that with her. Perhaps in that discussion we could talk about the | :17:22. | :17:27. | |
thousands of others hit by risk edge in attack as well because | :17:27. | :17:32. | |
protections do not helped those people. I wonder if the Secretary | :17:32. | :17:36. | |
of State ever imagined he would be signing of such policies with the | :17:36. | :17:42. | |
Tories. Last year the Secretary of State said, just as high arm other. | :17:42. | :17:46. | |
He is making a salmon unable to care for his mother and making it | :17:46. | :17:52. | |
an affordable what he had in mind? May I just remind her of the scale | :17:52. | :17:57. | |
of the financial challenge that faced this government when it came | :17:57. | :18:02. | |
into office and they need to tackle those serious problems. Also, to | :18:02. | :18:06. | |
remember we have introduced other measures to help families across | :18:07. | :18:13. | |
Scotland. I have to say, as I said earlier, we are not here incredible | :18:13. | :18:17. | |
solutions coming forward from Han and her colleagues. Until such time | :18:17. | :18:24. | |
as we do, we will not take any licence on fairness from her. | :18:24. | :18:28. | |
The United Kingdom government welcomes the reports from the | :18:28. | :18:31. | |
Electoral Commission and we agree with the advice on the question of | :18:31. | :18:36. | |
funding levels for the referendum and on the clarity of the process. | :18:36. | :18:40. | |
When in opposition, the Secretary of State wanted to extend his | :18:40. | :18:46. | |
office and now he is publishing papers that talks about | :18:46. | :18:53. | |
extinguishing Scotland. As an act of repentance, will he ensure this | :18:53. | :18:56. | |
government plays fed with the Electoral Commission and enters | :18:56. | :19:03. | |
into dialogue as the commissioner has asked on Scotland's future? | :19:03. | :19:07. | |
sure he welcomes the publication of this a major contribution to the | :19:07. | :19:13. | |
debate by the UK government and earlier this week. We are re -- | :19:13. | :19:20. | |
agree with the Electoral Commission's recommendations. Of | :19:20. | :19:26. | |
course, over time as the issues are discussed further, we will need | :19:26. | :19:30. | |
with the Scottish government as appropriate. I'm delighted that was | :19:30. | :19:35. | |
good news for the honourable gentleman. We all want a referendum | :19:35. | :19:39. | |
campaign to be fair. Does the Secretary of State agree that it is | :19:39. | :19:43. | |
essential that all parties taking part in the referendum campaign | :19:43. | :19:48. | |
must at here-what the Electoral Commission has said about spending | :19:48. | :19:58. | |
:19:58. | :20:05. | ||
limits? My honourable friend is Can the Secretary of State say what | :20:05. | :20:10. | |
information he will put towards the public debate and the implications | :20:10. | :20:16. | |
of separation for things like pensions, at the welfare system and | :20:17. | :20:19. | |
the economy week of Scotland because people need to know before | :20:19. | :20:25. | |
they passed judgment. honourable lady is entirely right | :20:25. | :20:30. | |
to focus on the need to focus on the issues of substance to families | :20:30. | :20:35. | |
across Scotland. I'm delighted they yesterday in the Privy Council a | :20:35. | :20:39. | |
section 30 order was approved say now we will have a legal, fair and | :20:39. | :20:46. | |
decisive referendum. We need to discuss the issues. There are big | :20:46. | :20:50. | |
questions here than need to be debated and so far no answers from | :20:50. | :20:55. | |
the Scottish National Party. Does my right honourable friend accept | :20:55. | :21:00. | |
that, if the outcome of the referendum campaign is to engage | :21:00. | :21:03. | |
the confidence of the Scottish people, the campaign must be | :21:04. | :21:08. | |
conducted with candour and transparency? This week the | :21:08. | :21:13. | |
government published its view of the legal consequences of | :21:13. | :21:17. | |
independence. Isn't it time that those who argue for independence | :21:17. | :21:24. | |
did exactly the same? It has been a curious week, but might right | :21:24. | :21:27. | |
honourable friend is right to highlight that, at times, the | :21:27. | :21:31. | |
Scottish National Party hasn't been clear whether to embrace the | :21:31. | :21:36. | |
opinions of our legal experts or two lamb past them. The merit of | :21:37. | :21:42. | |
this document is that we have laid out all the key arguments, backed | :21:42. | :21:46. | |
up by their most impressive legal opinions and nothing has come | :21:46. | :21:51. | |
forward from the Scottish government. | :21:51. | :21:53. | |
My right honourable friend the Secretary of State and die are in | :21:53. | :21:57. | |
regular contact with representatives of universities in | :21:57. | :22:03. | |
Scotland on a range of issues. far it so good. He will know how | :22:03. | :22:07. | |
important to an economy foreign students are and he will know how | :22:07. | :22:11. | |
unhappy our universities are with this government and they have every | :22:11. | :22:15. | |
right to be. His Government's obsession with immigration is | :22:15. | :22:22. | |
starting to really hat as. A 26% reduction from India and 25% from | :22:22. | :22:27. | |
Pakistan. Surely he can agree that we can obviously do this much | :22:27. | :22:33. | |
better in Scotland if we had control over these issues? Not for | :22:33. | :22:38. | |
the first time I am confused by the SNP position. Sometimes they say | :22:38. | :22:41. | |
they want to have the same immigration rules as the rest of | :22:41. | :22:46. | |
the UK's there they can be a common travel area. On occasions like this, | :22:46. | :22:51. | |
they say they want uncontrolled mass immigration. Which is it? | :22:51. | :22:58. | |
Scotland is -- Scotland's proud history of innovation, reserves and | :22:59. | :23:03. | |
discovery is bound up with this success of the United Kingdom. Does | :23:03. | :23:09. | |
the Minister agree that the only short, certain and best way to | :23:09. | :23:14. | |
ensure Scotland remains a leader in world class leader is for Scotland | :23:14. | :23:19. | |
to remain in the United Kingdom? absolutely agree with that. Which | :23:19. | :23:23. | |
the honourable member has made and he will be aware that Scottish | :23:23. | :23:30. | |
universities and research institutes give �436 million from a | :23:30. | :23:38. | |
UK councils. There are a lot of noisy private conversations taking | :23:39. | :23:48. | |
:23:49. | :23:52. | ||
place. Let us have a bit of order. My right honourable friend the | :23:52. | :23:55. | |
Secretary of State and I have regular discussions with the | :23:55. | :23:59. | |
Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on a range of | :23:59. | :24:09. | |
:24:09. | :24:24. | ||
issues. On the issue of gambling Order. Order. We will have to | :24:24. | :24:28. | |
extend the session. There is the point about having some courtesy | :24:28. | :24:33. | |
about - might was the member who is asking a question. I am sure | :24:33. | :24:41. | |
members learned that at school. fixed on gambling term us have | :24:41. | :24:46. | |
sacked that millions of pounds in betting shops in Scotland. They are | :24:46. | :24:52. | |
caught the crack cocaine of the gambling industry. Is it not time | :24:52. | :24:57. | |
the Secretary of State lobbied to have the gambolling survey | :24:57. | :25:07. | |
reinstated? I don't agree with the honourable gentleman on the re | :25:07. | :25:10. | |
introduction of the prevalence survey but I commend the Daily | :25:10. | :25:14. | |
Record and the honourable member for highlighting issues with | :25:14. | :25:19. | |
problem gambling. He may be aware that the government is conducting a | :25:20. | :25:24. | |
consultation on the links between problem gambling and these machines | :25:24. | :25:29. | |
and I asked -- edge him and anyone with an interest in this matter to | :25:29. | :25:37. | |
contribute to that consultation. Thank you. My right honourable | :25:37. | :25:41. | |
friend the Secretary of State and I are in regular contact with | :25:41. | :25:48. | |
representatives of local government in Scotland on a range of issues. | :25:48. | :25:52. | |
The Secretary of State has not met pass lower since 12th December last | :25:52. | :25:58. | |
year. The bedroom tax in which you voted for risks making 10,000 | :25:58. | :26:03. | |
people in Scotland homeless. The consequences of this will be dealt | :26:03. | :26:11. | |
with by local authorities. What will he do about this? | :26:11. | :26:19. | |
honourable lady should know that the Secretary of State has made | :26:19. | :26:23. | |
cars lap in the last two weeks and is in regular contact with its | :26:23. | :26:27. | |
leader. He will make them aware of the discretionary payments fund | :26:27. | :26:31. | |
which has been increased in Scotland and how local authorities | :26:31. | :26:39. | |
can utilise that. What impact has the Minister made of the bedroom | :26:39. | :26:42. | |
tax on the credit rating of local authorities and other social | :26:42. | :26:46. | |
landlords which is bound to go down with an impact on house building | :26:46. | :26:50. | |
and maintenance? I am afraid the honourable lady's assumption is | :26:50. | :26:57. | |
wrong. At meetings I have had and the Scottish Federation of Housing | :26:57. | :27:02. | |
Associations and my noble friend, Lord Freud, we discussed this | :27:02. | :27:05. | |
unsatisfied the concerns of housing associations and local authorities. | :27:05. | :27:11. | |
That is all we have time for at the moment because of the parliamentary | :27:11. | :27:16. |