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Secretary of State... All, we must deal with motions of an unopposed | :00:00. | :00:00. | |
return, indeed. Requiring the knot of a quip. Questions to the | :00:00. | :00:10. | |
Secretary of State for Scotland Question about one. I would like to | :00:11. | :00:18. | |
add to questions one and six together, Scottish economy faces a | :00:19. | :00:20. | |
number of challenges as a rdsult of the vote to leave the EU. Ydsterday | :00:21. | :00:25. | |
I began the process of direct engagement with Scottish business | :00:26. | :00:28. | |
leaders to ensure that their voices heard in the forthcoming | :00:29. | :00:32. | |
negotiations. I thank the Secretary of St`te. Does | :00:33. | :00:37. | |
he think it will make it easier to, for the Scottish and UK govdrnments | :00:38. | :00:41. | |
to support the Scottish stedl industry now that this decision has | :00:42. | :00:44. | |
been made in terms of tacklhng things like energy costs, | :00:45. | :00:50. | |
procurement and business rates? What I think is regardless of thd vote, | :00:51. | :00:56. | |
the two governments must continue to work together to support thd | :00:57. | :01:02. | |
industry. The Scottish Government has taken forward steps in relation | :01:03. | :01:06. | |
to the two plans in Scotland, which very much had the support of myself | :01:07. | :01:10. | |
in the Scotland Office and the UK Government. We will continud to do | :01:11. | :01:14. | |
that. The Scottish Government will play a part in the steel cans all | :01:15. | :01:24. | |
that has been established. Standard life one of the largest private | :01:25. | :01:26. | |
employers in Scotland ceased trading in the UK property fund this week | :01:27. | :01:31. | |
while the governor of the B`nk of England said that the consepuences | :01:32. | :01:35. | |
of Brexit were beginning to crystallise. Given financial | :01:36. | :01:39. | |
services are 7% of Scotland's GDP and employs tens of thousands of my | :01:40. | :01:41. | |
constituents, reassurances was he able to give those constitudnts | :01:42. | :01:47. | |
yesterday that not one job will be lost given the conservative gamble | :01:48. | :01:52. | |
with this country? Can I begin by commending the honourable gdntleman | :01:53. | :01:55. | |
on his service as shadow Scottish secretary? Nobody knows better than | :01:56. | :02:01. | |
me how difficult it is to bd your party's sole representative in this | :02:02. | :02:08. | |
house from Scotland and the shadow Scottish secretary had heeddd the | :02:09. | :02:11. | |
role with rates distinction and I'm grateful for the Iraqi list to | :02:12. | :02:13. | |
ensure the passage of Scotl`nd act in this place. -- grateful for the | :02:14. | :02:19. | |
work that he did. When high net worth business leaders | :02:20. | :02:25. | |
yesterday standard life was indeed represented as one of the points | :02:26. | :02:27. | |
that is important in these discussions on the future of the | :02:28. | :02:30. | |
Scottish economy is how important the market had with Europe hs to | :02:31. | :02:36. | |
then as well. -- as well as the market within Europe. They did not | :02:37. | :02:41. | |
wish us to lose focus on thd many business opportunities they pursue, | :02:42. | :02:44. | |
particularly in North America. When will my right honourable frhend | :02:45. | :02:50. | |
noticed the exciting opporttnities there are for Scotland as the result | :02:51. | :02:53. | |
of leaving the EU for the whder world? Mr Speaker, obviouslx when I | :02:54. | :03:00. | |
met with Scottish businesses I wanted them to address the hssues of | :03:01. | :03:07. | |
the opportunities for busindss, and I just referred to a leading | :03:08. | :03:13. | |
Scottish company who has significant interests outwith the EU, btt | :03:14. | :03:18. | |
naturally businesses in Scotland are concerned to understand the | :03:19. | :03:22. | |
arrangements that will be ptt in place for our future relationship | :03:23. | :03:28. | |
with the EU. In Scotland, more than 60% of voters afforded to rdmain in | :03:29. | :03:35. | |
the European Union, and since then the Scottish Parliament has voted | :03:36. | :03:37. | |
overwhelmingly to support Fhrst Minister Nicola Sturgeon in her | :03:38. | :03:43. | |
efforts to protect Scotland's place in Europe. That was voted for by the | :03:44. | :03:47. | |
Scottish National party, thd Labour Party, the Liberal Democrats and the | :03:48. | :03:50. | |
Scottish Green party, the Tories abstained. Will the Secretary of | :03:51. | :03:57. | |
State finally join the cross-party consensus to protect our economy and | :03:58. | :04:01. | |
place in Europe or will he `bstain from that like his colleaguds? Mr | :04:02. | :04:08. | |
Speaker, I think the honour`ble gentleman on this one fact. Which | :04:09. | :04:13. | |
was why my colleagues were tnable to support his party's motion. And that | :04:14. | :04:19. | |
was because they would not take the toxic and divisive issue of a second | :04:20. | :04:22. | |
independence referendum off the table. Anybody who wants to unify | :04:23. | :04:33. | |
opinion in Scotland does not start clocking about a second Scottish | :04:34. | :04:38. | |
independence referendum. I hope the First Minister was listening | :04:39. | :04:42. | |
yesterday to Scottish busindss when they set decisively that in relation | :04:43. | :04:46. | |
to discussions about the EU, they did not want to hear about Scottish | :04:47. | :04:52. | |
independence. Mr Speaker tens of thousands of European union citizens | :04:53. | :04:58. | |
play a massive role in our dconomy and in our society. We on these | :04:59. | :05:04. | |
benches want to do more than just pay tribute to them. We want them to | :05:05. | :05:08. | |
have guarantees that they c`n stay in Scotland. Willie Secretary of | :05:09. | :05:13. | |
State act in the Scottish and European interest and guarantee the | :05:14. | :05:17. | |
rights of fellow EU citizens to remain in Scotland and end the | :05:18. | :05:22. | |
intolerable worry and concern that the being confronted with? Lr | :05:23. | :05:29. | |
Speaker, I share the honour`ble gentleman's view of the importance | :05:30. | :05:34. | |
that EU citizens play in Scotland and I share his view that wd want | :05:35. | :05:39. | |
them to stay in Scotland and we want them to be able to be guaranteed | :05:40. | :05:44. | |
their position in Scotland. We also want British citizens in thd rest of | :05:45. | :05:49. | |
Europe to be guaranteed the right to stay there. And I hope that be | :05:50. | :05:56. | |
possible to issue both guar`ntees. Thank you. Can I start out with the | :05:57. | :06:04. | |
confluence paid by my predecessor, I guarantee you will be a hard act to | :06:05. | :06:09. | |
follow. The right honourabld member reminds me of the many times I have | :06:10. | :06:12. | |
spent in his constituency in the great town of Moffat. Indeed I have | :06:13. | :06:16. | |
been asked to raise a questhon by friends of mine from office, John | :06:17. | :06:21. | |
and Heather, who live in thd old Carlisle Road. They have a small | :06:22. | :06:24. | |
family fight in the business. They want to know what guarantees will be | :06:25. | :06:27. | |
given about the future of p`yments they receive from the Common | :06:28. | :06:31. | |
agricultural policy, and wh`t they can expect to see from the ?350 | :06:32. | :06:37. | |
million to the senior members of his government promised we would get | :06:38. | :06:39. | |
back from the European Union to fund the NHS. How much of that c`n be | :06:40. | :06:45. | |
expected to go to Scotland, and crucially when can we expect to see | :06:46. | :06:50. | |
it? Firstly can I start by welcoming the honourable gentleman to his | :06:51. | :06:53. | |
position, and welcoming him any time that he wants to come to Moffat Of | :06:54. | :07:00. | |
course I have performed his role in the past, the difference was there | :07:01. | :07:03. | |
were 41 Scottish MPs oppositely when I did that, and 15 months l`ter it | :07:04. | :07:12. | |
has come to this. On his qudstion, obviously, the issues around CEOP | :07:13. | :07:17. | |
payments are one of the things that will be subject to negotiathons As | :07:18. | :07:24. | |
someone who argued for a relain vote, I made very clear to farmers | :07:25. | :07:27. | |
in Scotland that there would be a degree of uncertainty if thdre was a | :07:28. | :07:32. | |
vote to leave. One of the things that will happen as a result of the | :07:33. | :07:39. | |
withdrawal from the EU is that responsibility for agriculttral | :07:40. | :07:41. | |
matters will rest directly with the Scottish parliament. I do not think | :07:42. | :07:50. | |
John and Heather will be be assured and I notice he did not answer the | :07:51. | :07:54. | |
question about the NHS. The chairman of the Foreign Affairs Commhttee was | :07:55. | :07:57. | |
right yesterday to accuse otr hapless minister of being gtilty of | :07:58. | :08:00. | |
a dereliction of duty, for failing to set up the withdrawal pl`n for | :08:01. | :08:06. | |
after the referendum. Will someone please tell the premise of the worst | :08:07. | :08:09. | |
of the song are not when thd going gets tough the tough do a rtnner? | :08:10. | :08:16. | |
With that in mind, can I ask the Secretary of State if he believes | :08:17. | :08:19. | |
that the Prime Minister's policy of placating fruitcakes and loonies has | :08:20. | :08:23. | |
been a price worth paying for the economic crisis that has bedn put | :08:24. | :08:27. | |
upon as in the risk of the break-up of the United Kingdom? Mr Speaker | :08:28. | :08:35. | |
and I respect the democratic decision of the people of the United | :08:36. | :08:39. | |
Kingdom, and that's decision will be permitted. Question two. Mr Speaker | :08:40. | :08:50. | |
with permission I will answdr this question with questions the, four, | :08:51. | :08:57. | |
five and nine. Since the outcome of the EU referendum, but the premise | :08:58. | :09:01. | |
and I have had discussions with Scottish Government ministers and we | :09:02. | :09:04. | |
continue to do so over the coming weeks and months. As the Prhme | :09:05. | :09:08. | |
Minister has made very clear, we will fully involve the Scottish | :09:09. | :09:12. | |
Government and other devolvdd administrations as we prepare for | :09:13. | :09:14. | |
negotiations with the Europdan Union. Does my right honour`ble | :09:15. | :09:21. | |
friend agree that we should respect the outcome of the democrathc | :09:22. | :09:24. | |
process, even if some did not agree with the results? Mr Speaker I am | :09:25. | :09:30. | |
quite clear that the majority of people across the United Kingdom | :09:31. | :09:34. | |
voted for the United Kingdol to leave the European Union and that's | :09:35. | :09:40. | |
decision must be fermented. But in doing so, we must secure thd best | :09:41. | :09:45. | |
possible deal for Scotland `nd indeed the rest of the Unitdd | :09:46. | :09:52. | |
Kingdom. Candy Secretary of State confirm that as the UK Government's | :09:53. | :09:55. | |
intention to invite the Scottish Government to participate dhrectly | :09:56. | :10:02. | |
in the negotiations with thd EU I can confirm that the Scottish | :10:03. | :10:06. | |
Government are going to be `t the heart of these negotiations, and I | :10:07. | :10:13. | |
can also confirm today that myself and my Cabinet colleagues, the | :10:14. | :10:15. | |
member from West bustards, or responsible for the European unit | :10:16. | :10:19. | |
within the government, will be meeting with the First Minister to | :10:20. | :10:29. | |
discuss how that might be achieved. The Secretary of State says he is a | :10:30. | :10:32. | |
Democrat, will he support the long established position in Scotland | :10:33. | :10:35. | |
that sovereignty rests with the people? And now that the Palace has | :10:36. | :10:38. | |
said that we wish to negoti`te Scotland's remaining within the | :10:39. | :10:41. | |
single market, but these ard not for those rights? Is the Scotland man in | :10:42. | :10:46. | |
the Cabinet or is the Cabindt 's man in Scotland? Mrs Speaker I do expect | :10:47. | :10:53. | |
slightly more original lines from the honourable gentleman. The | :10:54. | :10:59. | |
position, my position is quhte clear. I very much welcome `ny | :11:00. | :11:04. | |
initiative pursued by the Fhrst Minister or by the Scottish | :11:05. | :11:08. | |
Government that can be to the benefit of Scotland without being to | :11:09. | :11:12. | |
the detriment of the rest of the United Kingdom, and I look forward | :11:13. | :11:15. | |
to hearing from her when I leet with her next week. We want to work | :11:16. | :11:23. | |
together, as business yesterday made very clear in Scotland, the Wadi | :11:24. | :11:27. | |
team UK approach. The Scotthsh Government UK Government, working in | :11:28. | :11:32. | |
tandem for the best interest of Scotland. Does my right honourable | :11:33. | :11:39. | |
friend agree that just as the Scottish referendum was binding for | :11:40. | :11:44. | |
a generation that so too is the United Kingdom's decision on the EU | :11:45. | :11:48. | |
and isn't it incumbent now for all politicians including those in the | :11:49. | :11:52. | |
devolved administrations to come together to make this work? Mr | :11:53. | :12:00. | |
Speaker I very much hope th`t this will be the case. Within hotrs of | :12:01. | :12:08. | |
the EU referendum result behng made an effort has for the minister | :12:09. | :12:12. | |
responsible in the Scottish Catholic, by calling the Minister | :12:13. | :12:17. | |
for Europe and I are meeting with US tomorrow. I meeting with thd first | :12:18. | :12:23. | |
Mr next week, I want to work as closely as you can with the devolved | :12:24. | :12:29. | |
ministration to get the best results we can. I would point out that | :12:30. | :12:33. | |
Scotland voted by a large m`jority to remain in the EU. Therefore as a | :12:34. | :12:40. | |
self professed Democrat, Willie Secretary of State confirm that he | :12:41. | :12:42. | |
will support the Scottish Government's efforts to find a | :12:43. | :12:47. | |
mechanism to keep Scotland hn the EU? Mr Speaker the honourable | :12:48. | :12:49. | |
gentleman may not have read the ballot paper but the question on the | :12:50. | :12:53. | |
ballot paper was not about Scottish independence, it was about whether | :12:54. | :12:58. | |
voters in Scotland wanted the United Kingdom to remain in the EU. I was | :12:59. | :13:07. | |
part of the 1.6 million people in Scotland who voted to remain in the | :13:08. | :13:11. | |
EU, but I didn't do it on the basis that Scotland would then be dragged | :13:12. | :13:20. | |
out of the United Kingdom. Thank you Mr Speaker. With over 1 million | :13:21. | :13:25. | |
people in Scotland voting to leave the European Union last month, what | :13:26. | :13:32. | |
is my rate will find's assessment of the rush for a second indepdndence | :13:33. | :13:38. | |
referendum on the union? Mr Speaker I do think it is important. It is | :13:39. | :13:43. | |
important that we respect the views of people that we don't agrde with, | :13:44. | :13:48. | |
and what has become evident in relation to the Scottish National | :13:49. | :13:51. | |
party is that they cannot rdspect the views of the 2 million people | :13:52. | :13:58. | |
who voted to remain within the UK. As they do not respect the people | :13:59. | :14:03. | |
who voted to leave. I do not agree with the people who voted to leave | :14:04. | :14:08. | |
but the viewers do need to be respected. In light of statdments | :14:09. | :14:16. | |
made by the Secretary of St`te for Justice and the new Shadow Secretary | :14:17. | :14:19. | |
of State for Scotland over the weekend, and the Secretary of State | :14:20. | :14:22. | |
for Scotland give us an unepuivocal confirmation that the Barnett | :14:23. | :14:26. | |
formula will not be changed or affected as a result of the EU | :14:27. | :14:29. | |
referendum and the Scotland's budget will be protected? Mr Speakdr, the | :14:30. | :14:37. | |
government was elected on a manifesto clear that there would be | :14:38. | :14:43. | |
no changes to the Barnett formula. But Mr Speaker the honourable lady | :14:44. | :14:47. | |
has been in several politic`l parties over her political career. | :14:48. | :14:51. | |
As in earlier this week she may have noticed that there is a vac`ncy at | :14:52. | :14:55. | |
the head of Ukip and that this might be her next destination. Cotld my | :14:56. | :15:05. | |
honourable friend tell us what discussions he has had with regard | :15:06. | :15:10. | |
to the possibility of Scotl`nd having to accept using the TS as | :15:11. | :15:17. | |
they claim they want to stax in the European Union? What I think in | :15:18. | :15:24. | |
response the honourable ladx's question is that clearly thd | :15:25. | :15:31. | |
parameters have changed and that any proposition was put forward for | :15:32. | :15:38. | |
independence in any prospective further independence referendum that | :15:39. | :15:41. | |
would be quite a different basis from the 2014 and clearly it would | :15:42. | :15:46. | |
require -- clearly require membership of the euro could be part | :15:47. | :15:52. | |
of that. A cultural issues between Scotland and the EU is based in the | :15:53. | :15:56. | |
best interests of Scotland. As the Secretary of State in a specific | :15:57. | :15:58. | |
suggestions about how that relationship might be made real in | :15:59. | :16:04. | |
the future? Mr Speaker, I think I have set out clearly that I see the | :16:05. | :16:10. | |
way forward on these matters to be very clearly with the Scotthsh | :16:11. | :16:14. | |
Government and the UK Government working as closely as they possibly | :16:15. | :16:18. | |
can together. That is the w`y in which we are going to get the best | :16:19. | :16:21. | |
possible arrangements for Scotland. That is the message from business | :16:22. | :16:27. | |
leaders that I met yesterdax, that we need a team UK approach to get | :16:28. | :16:37. | |
the deal for Scotland. This Speaker I am committed to working whth the | :16:38. | :16:40. | |
Scottish Government to ensure a safe and secure transfer of welf`re | :16:41. | :16:44. | |
powers. I met with Scottish ministers and the joint list of your | :16:45. | :16:47. | |
working group on welfare on the 16th of June. We had a constructhve | :16:48. | :16:52. | |
meeting and issued a joint team UK about our discussions. What | :16:53. | :16:58. | |
assurances can the Secretarx of State give that Scotland will be no | :16:59. | :17:01. | |
worse off with the devolution of new social security powers? I cdrtainly | :17:02. | :17:10. | |
hope that individuals within Scotland will be no worse off but | :17:11. | :17:14. | |
inevitably what the devoluthon of these powers means is that very | :17:15. | :17:19. | |
specific decisions about thdir use will be made by the Scottish | :17:20. | :17:24. | |
parliament and Scottish Govdrnment, and at the amount of certain | :17:25. | :17:27. | |
payments, the shape and nattre of certain payments will be matters for | :17:28. | :17:34. | |
them. Candy Secretary of St`te give an update on discussions regarding | :17:35. | :17:38. | |
the devolution of the social fund funeral payments? Mr Speaker what I | :17:39. | :17:46. | |
can say is that I am hoping to move forward with a commencement order in | :17:47. | :17:52. | |
relation to those powers before this Parliament goes into recess, which | :17:53. | :17:59. | |
would effectively mean the transfer of the arrangements to the Scottish | :18:00. | :18:04. | |
Government. I have asked thd Scottish Secretary twice now by | :18:05. | :18:09. | |
written question when he last visited a food bank. The answer has | :18:10. | :18:13. | |
been the same on both occashons He has not visited a food bank in his | :18:14. | :18:17. | |
capacity as Secretary of St`te for Scotland. Today will he agrded to | :18:18. | :18:22. | |
visit a food bank with me in my constituency so that he can see | :18:23. | :18:25. | |
first hand the devastating dffects of Tory sanctions and welfare | :18:26. | :18:34. | |
policy? Mr Speaker, the honourable lady is very well aware that I have | :18:35. | :18:40. | |
visited a food bank, and now the issues that surround them. The | :18:41. | :18:49. | |
agreement between the United Kingdom and Scottish Government set out | :18:50. | :18:53. | |
exactly how the new Scottish welfare budget would be agreed. Candy | :18:54. | :18:57. | |
Secretary of State explain what would happen in the event of the UK | :18:58. | :19:01. | |
Government abolishing the specific benefits would have been devolved to | :19:02. | :19:06. | |
Scotland? In that circumstance will be Scottish Government retahn the | :19:07. | :19:07. | |
budget or will they lose it? The financial arrangements for the | :19:08. | :19:19. | |
transfer of powers were dealt with in the fiscal framework in which | :19:20. | :19:24. | |
that circumstance was contelplated. There are two sets of benefhts which | :19:25. | :19:30. | |
are subject to transfer. Ond of benefits for which the Scottish | :19:31. | :19:32. | |
judgment will have full responsibility, and therefore can | :19:33. | :19:36. | |
shape and make a new benefit, or change the benefit. Other bdnefits, | :19:37. | :19:41. | |
other powers relate to top tps of existing UK benefits. Clearly if a | :19:42. | :19:46. | |
existing UK benefit did not exist, then the power to top it up would | :19:47. | :19:49. | |
not exist, but the power to create an equivalent might well do. Number | :19:50. | :19:58. | |
eight, Mr Speaker. Can I thank my right honour`ble | :19:59. | :20:04. | |
friend, who originally commhssioned the report. The governance has | :20:05. | :20:07. | |
published its response. What I can say is that a new ministeri`l group, | :20:08. | :20:12. | |
now that we have had the eldctions in May, is being put togethdr from | :20:13. | :20:15. | |
all the various administrathons across the United Kingdom the | :20:16. | :20:19. | |
equalities Minister, might honourable friend the member for | :20:20. | :20:25. | |
Gosport, so we can make progress. The gender pay gap is diminhshing to | :20:26. | :20:31. | |
an all-time record low. I thank the Minister for th`t | :20:32. | :20:36. | |
answer. As we tackle the economic challenges facing Scotland `s a | :20:37. | :20:40. | |
result of Brexit, removing barriers to the full economic contribution of | :20:41. | :20:44. | |
women to Scotland's economy becomes more important than ever. The report | :20:45. | :20:50. | |
offers the government a road map for that. Will she ensure that somebody | :20:51. | :20:54. | |
in big Scotland Office blows the dust off it and increment some of | :20:55. | :20:59. | |
the good, solid recommendathons contained within it? It is ` very | :21:00. | :21:04. | |
good report. What is critic`l is that everybody works togethdr on and | :21:05. | :21:09. | |
of course we now have a sittation where the Scottish Parliament | :21:10. | :21:14. | |
actually has more devolved powers, specifically to look at and address | :21:15. | :21:17. | |
the problems of gender equality which of course includes anx | :21:18. | :21:24. | |
disadvantage for women. Question ten come Mr Speaker. I was | :21:25. | :21:34. | |
delighted in April two attend the plant at DL for the handover from | :21:35. | :21:38. | |
Tata to the Liberty group, `nd I think on the prospect that we | :21:39. | :21:42. | |
continue with the excellent work, working together, that the prospects | :21:43. | :21:45. | |
for the steel industry in Scotland must be good and I am posithve about | :21:46. | :21:48. | |
its future. I thank the Minister for th`t | :21:49. | :21:53. | |
encouraging answer. What discussions is she having with both the First | :21:54. | :21:56. | |
Minister and the other government departments to make sure th`t the | :21:57. | :21:59. | |
Scottish steel industry recdives all the help and support it needs? | :22:00. | :22:05. | |
Of course we do work togethdr and in glove and that is important. It is | :22:06. | :22:10. | |
also important to realise that the steel Council has more than one | :22:11. | :22:15. | |
member, a number of representatives from the Scottish and Welsh | :22:16. | :22:18. | |
governments, which is part `nd parcel of it so together we can make | :22:19. | :22:23. | |
sure that throughout the Unhted Kingdom we have a strong and | :22:24. | :22:28. | |
sustainable steel industry. With welcomed the fact that now we | :22:29. | :22:33. | |
have Brexit that it would bd better and helpful for the British steel | :22:34. | :22:37. | |
industry, including the stedl industry in Scotland, it is a good | :22:38. | :22:41. | |
day we have come out and wotld be Minister welcome it? What I would | :22:42. | :22:47. | |
say is theirs. I think we now all of us have to work together however we | :22:48. | :22:52. | |
voted, whatever our views are, come together to make sure that we now do | :22:53. | :22:55. | |
the very best for our country. But we should be under no illushons | :22:56. | :23:01. | |
whatsoever, we are facing some very big challenges, some very dhfficult | :23:02. | :23:07. | |
and not just days, months and years, but coming together, putting the | :23:08. | :23:10. | |
past behind us, that is what is important now. | :23:11. | :23:19. | |
Procurement has been an important part of the government's work, and I | :23:20. | :23:24. | |
can say that we are determined to deliver our target of centr`l | :23:25. | :23:29. | |
departments pending, 33% of budgets with SMEs by 2020, and the last set | :23:30. | :23:33. | |
of results showed we were increasing it to 27.1%. | :23:34. | :23:38. | |
I am grateful to the Ministdr for that reply. Does she agree with me | :23:39. | :23:44. | |
that, rather than setting specific percentage targets for proctrement, | :23:45. | :23:47. | |
the Scottish Government shotld follow best practices in cotntries | :23:48. | :23:54. | |
like Norfolk and working close corporation with the UK Govdrnment. | :23:55. | :24:06. | |
The short answer is an emph`tic yes. Question 15. | :24:07. | :24:18. | |
Mr Speaker, the 2015 budget the government introduced a ?1.3 billion | :24:19. | :24:27. | |
package of tax measures to help our oil and gas industry, and today I am | :24:28. | :24:33. | |
launching a group and oil and gas workforce plan to work out how we | :24:34. | :24:40. | |
can retain talent in this sdctor, opportunities for workers in other | :24:41. | :24:48. | |
sectors. North Sea Oil and gas supports a supply chain partnership | :24:49. | :24:50. | |
including business is on thd south coast. We'll be Minister continue to | :24:51. | :24:54. | |
support those businesses as they diversify? In short, yes, bdcause we | :24:55. | :24:59. | |
understand the difficulties in the oil and gas sector at the moment, | :25:00. | :25:03. | |
and that is why we have dond this report. Again, by working together | :25:04. | :25:08. | |
we can improve a lot, but these are difficult times for the oil and gas | :25:09. | :25:15. | |
sector. I am grateful to thd Minister and the honourable | :25:16. | :25:17. | |
gentleman who posed the question six today but copperhead civillx -- on | :25:18. | :25:24. | |
Prensa three. It is now timd for prime ministers questions. | :25:25. | :25:38. | |
I know the whole house will want to join me in wishing Wales lock this | :25:39. | :25:42. | |
evening. Chloe Smith. Mr Speaker, I `m a | :25:43. | :26:04. | |
Conservative because I belidve it is not where you are coming from, it is | :26:05. | :26:08. | |
where you are going to. Does my right honourable friend agrde? Does | :26:09. | :26:13. | |
my right honourable friend `gree that the opportunities to stcceed no | :26:14. | :26:17. | |
matter what your background is what we want for | :26:18. | :26:18. |