Live Scotland Questions House of Commons

Hello and welcome to BBC

Parliament's live coverage of the

House of Commons. In half an hour,

Theresa May will face the Labor

leader Jeremy Corbyn and

backbenchers for B&Q. Then there is

an urgent question tabled by the

Labour MP Jess Phillips on the role

of David Meller, a nonexecutive for

the Department for Education who

chairs the charitable trust that

holds a charity dinner for men only

whether Financial Times alleges at

the after party female hostesses

were propositioned. Is there now two

debates on human rights and the

sustainability of public sector

outsourcing following the

liquidation of construction giant

Carillion. Join me for a round-up of

the day on both Houses of Parliament

at 11pm tonight, first there is

question to the Scottish secretary

David Mundell.

This order, order.

Questions to the Secretary of State

to Scotland. Mike Amesbury.

Question

number one. It will be remiss of me

not to point out that tomorrow marks

the anniversary of the birth of

Robert Burns, I'm sure the whole

house will like me to join me in

wishing well not just to those who

are those organising around the

world and participating that

everybody who celebrates the life

and legacy of Scotland's great bard.

Mr Speaker, as my right honourable

friend the Prime Minister made, we

intensify our discussions with the

devolved administrations on powers

returning from the EU, I had a

useful discussion with Michael

Russell earlier in the New Year and

I'm confident discussions will

continue to be productive.

The

honourable member for East

Renfrewshire had said during the

committee stage, "I will not support

a Bill that undermines the deletion

and does not respect the integrity

of the union. If that was the

position of the Scottish

Conservatives why did they invoke

against the Labour amendment that

would safeguard devolution?

Mr

Speaker, it's quite easy in

opposition to pursue stance and

gimmicks. That is what the Labour

amendment was. What this government

have made quite clear is we agree

with the Scottish and Welsh Assembly

government 's an amendment to be

brought forward to the Bill, that is

what we are doing.

Thank you, Mr Speaker. Figures

published today show that trade with

Scotland and the rest of the UK is

four times more important to

Scotland than with the EU. Does my

right honourable friend agree that

as powers returned to Scotland, we

protect the UK internal market so

businesses in Scotland continued to

flourish?

I absolutely agree with my

honourable friend. I would point out

these figures produced by the

Scottish themselves. Trade within

the UK is worth four times as much

to Scotland as with the EU,

therefore when Scotland's place in

Europe was published last week it

disappointed me that that fact was

not recognised.

Did the Secretary of

State tell the House what is wrong

with the devolution powers of the EU

Withdrawal Bill and what he would

like to see to get he just great

pudding of Chieftain race?

The

honourable gentleman always has an

interesting take on events. But I am

very clear that we want to work with

the Scottish Government, with the

Welsh Assembly government, with the

Scottish parliament would be

financed and Constitution committee,

has set out their views in relation

to clauses ten and 11 of the Bill

and I want to read agreement with

them said the government will

recommend an LCM.

Does my right

honourable friend agree with me that

Brexit presents an enormous

opportunity for the Scottish bar and

to gain even further powers? --

Scottish Parliament to gain.

Is it

not only represents that opportunity

but it represents one to use those

powers. But that is one of the

issues we never hear the Scottish

National Party talking about. How

power is devolved to Scotland after

leaving the EU, will actually be

used. That is the debate we should

be having now.

Mr Speaker, first of

all can I cook the sentiments

expressed on behalf of the lassies

to wish a happy then stay. I was

comforted to hear the Secretary of

State committed to bring forward

amendments to the EU Withdrawal Bill

at the amendment state. But the

Secretary of State did not keep that

commitment. Please now tell us all

why.

The answer is very simple, we

could not meet the timescale that we

have aspired to. I take

responsibility for that, I gave a

commitment at the dispatch box, we

will bring forward amendments at the

book will report stage, but we could

not reach agreement with the

Scottish Government Welsh

Government, on these important

amendments within the timescale.

Very significant work is currently

ongoing in that regard. The

commitment to amend the Bill is

unchanged but it will be an

amendment that can command the

support of the Scottish Parliament,

not a gimmick amendment.

That lack

of planning is extremely

disappointing. Because in failing to

keep his commitment for the

Secretary of State has now

single-handedly put the future of

the devolution settlement in the

hands of the other place. Given his

lack of judgment in his previous

commitments, how confident is the

Secretary of State that an amendment

will come back to this place, that

all parties will find acceptable?

Mr

Speaker, I know that the honourable

lady is relatively new to this House

but she will now that this amendment

will be capable of being discussed

in this chamber and that it will

always telling

by the Scottish Government where

Weise seeks -- we seek the

legislative consent. It has been all

over the place in the EU, I don't

know how they will vote when it

comes to the Scottish parliament but

I hope that it will be a guess. --

a.

Mr Speaker, with permission and

later answer questions two, five,

13, 14 together. And my answer: Mr

Speaker, is many.

And yet the Secretary of State can't

name one. The Secretary of State

failed in his promise to amend

clause 11 in this House, to avoid

undermining the principle of

devolution to Scotland and Wales. As

not to Scotland governing party but

all Scottish MPs will be excluded

from the next stage of the debate,

can he tell us now what proposals

will be brought forward in the

Lords?

Mr Speaker, I very much

echoes the remarks that Michael

Russell made yesterday in the debate

in Holyrood, the Scottish Government

is aiming to reach an agreement on

amendments to the Bill would beat UK

Government that would allow

legislative consent to join telling

The Welsh Assembly has not given a

running commentary on those

negotiations and I don't intend to

do so either.

Holyrood's financial

Constitution stated that clause 11

as Khaled

-- as currently drafted is

incompatible, does he agree?

I agree

and my commitment remains that I

will amend the Bill to meet the

concerns of the committee, set out

in the report, and the majority of

members of the Scottish Parliament

can vote for a legislative motion in

respect of the Bill.

The reality

that the Secretary of State with

glee this morning when the secretary

step made a promise he couldn't

keep. Isn't the reality that all the

talk on the Tories about giving back

to the Scotland is just a power

grab?

Mr Speaker, the pantomime

season is over. But the honourable

gentleman's theatrical time strikes

a discordant note with the tone that

Michael Russell, the Minister in the

Scottish Government responsible for

these matters, said yesterday. There

was no suggestion of a power grab,

there was a suggestion that both

governments are engaged in intensive

negotiations to agree an amendment

to the clause.

I want to state that

I appreciate the Minister's honestly

saying he ran out of time to get the

amendments there but unfortunately

that's not good enough. I'd like the

Minister to justify how it can be OK

that Michelle moan and hours ago

will have more of an impact on this

Bill than the members some of what

on his own side -- Michelle and Alan

Sugar.

Everything I say and read in

Scotland, the honourable lady has a

considerable impact on events in

Scotland and I'm sure that her views

on this Bill will be well recorded.

The Bill will be debated, it in the

House of Lords, I regret it's in the

House of Lords being brought forward

but we didn't meet this timescale we

have aspired to, there'll be another

opportunity to debate that the

moment in this House, and the

Scottish parliament which is what

the members opposite say all the

time they are concerned about, they

will have extensive debate and vote

on that clause.

Will his colleagues

in the House of lords make the

changes he promised us, he would

make to the Brexit Bill, and will he

sit down with the Scottish

Government thereafter to discuss

what further powers need to be

devolved?

I am intending to sit down with the

scarf -- Scottish Government next

week to discuss clause 11 in

relation to further devolution, the

Smiths... This government does not

support changes to the devolution

arrangements as agreed in the Smith

commission.

The secretary has failed

to answer for his failed promise for

close 11 to this House and his Tory

colleagues in Scotland. That means

that 26 bishops have more say over

the state of Scotland than their own

MPs. Will he apologise for that sad

state of affairs?

I am sure his

views and mine are probably closer

than he would anticipate. But I have

taken full responsibility for not

meeting the timescale originally set

out. We are committed to amend the

bill and amend the bill in agreement

with the Scottish Government and the

Welsh assembly government. I would

have thought that that is something

that even members of the cert would

recognise.

In a rear lucid moment,

the government made a clear

commitment with regards to close 11.

As a conservative member I do not

want to get a point where I cannot

take... Will he apologise to the

colleagues, this House and the

people of Scotland for letting is

all down?

Mr Speaker, the honourable

gentleman seeks to conflate two

issues. The commitment to amend the

bill remains unchanged. The bill

will be amended in agreement with

the Scottish Government and the

Welsh assembly government. That we

fail to meet the timescale that I

had aspired to, I take full

responsibility for that.

Resistance

to further devolution of powers

comes from many quarters such as the

constitutional research Council led

by the Secretary of State's friend,

at prominent Scottish Tory, who

funded the UUP's hard Brexit in the

campaign. It is time for full

disclosure of those funds. If he

does not, it undermines the

principles of democracy that he says

he stands for.

Matters and entirely

separate issue. As you recognise, Mr

Speaker, there are a range of

procedures in place for people who

have issues and concerns about

funding of political activity.

Will

he confirm when the United Kingdom

leaves the European Union, the fact

-- flag of this nation will remain

the union flag.

As my honourable

friend knows, in September 2014, the

people of Scotland voted

overwhelmingly to remain in the UK.

The United kingdom flag is the flag

of the entire United Kingdom. When

educational standards are falling

and police Scotland is in chaos, the

priority of the First Minister of

Scotland is flags.

The Secretary of

State talks a good game but delivery

does not appear to be her strong

point. Speaking of old acquaintance,

it turns out as key adviser tasked

with increasing awareness of

devolution across government is no

other than the chief executive of

Correlli on. Given the shambolic

handling of clause 11 last week, how

does he think it is going?

First of

all, it is not correct to suggest

that a nonexecutive director of take

policy decisions in relation to

government departments. Keith

Cochrane has done an excellent job

as a nonexecutive director of the

Scotland Office and I pay tribute to

him as one of Scotland's most

respected businessmen. However, he

has decided himself, in order not to

become a distraction at a time of

important work for the Scotland

Office, that he will step aside from

his responsibilities until the

investigation into Carillion and any

such enquiries are complete.

I wish

you a happy Burns season. Can we now

believe another word he says in this

House?

Mr Speaker, I know that the

honourable gentleman does not have

necessarily the best of relations

with some people in the Scottish

Government, but perhaps he could

have a word with them about the

publication of the frameworks. I am

keen that we do publish what has

been agreed in relation to

frameworks, but the current position

of the Scottish Government is that

that should not be published.

He is

personally responsible for a

breakdown between the relationship

between this House and the Scottish

Government, and all members of the

size. The bags at secretary has

suggested that he is the blockage to

progress. -- Brexit secretary. Is he

now at about about thinking of its

own position?

Mr Speaker, again, the

honourable gentleman strikes a

completely different tone from my --

Mike Russell, who has pursued a

professional approach to these

matters. They are complicated and

difficult matters. It is important

that they are thoroughly debated,

discussed and agreed. The reason

that the government did not bring

forward an amendment at that stage

was there was not an agreed

amendment with the Scottish

Government. But we are committed to

delivering that. Today's figures

from the Scottish Government again

show that Scotland's trade with the

rest of the UK is worth nearly four

times than with the EU. We know that

more than half a million Scottish

jobs depend on the vital UK internal

market and that people in Scotland

want a UK wide approach to trade. As

the UK prepares to leave the EU, it

is essential that we ensure that the

important UK internal market can

continue unimpeded.

My right

honourable friend may be aware that

the First Minister of Scotland

recently said independence must be

an option. Highlighting once again

some people's interest in

separation, not governing. Does he

agree separating on the table will

allow over opportunities to

disappear for Scotland and the UK?

I

agree with my honourable friend. It

has become absolutely clear that

when Nicola Sturgeon and the SNP are

asked what do they want from Brexit,

the answer is another independence

referendum.

Brexit poses the biggest

risk to Scotland's a condiment. Does

the Secretary of State believe that

the reports that are available in

this place should also be made

available to MSP 's?

I had

understood that they had been made

available to MSP 's. If that is not

the case, I will ensure that it is.

Moray Council discussed the project

is to be included in the growth

deal. The Secretary of State knows

my support for this made. Will he

join me to meet the people involved

in this deal to show the

government's commitment to making

sure these projects are delivered.

These city deals and growth deals

across Scotland are important to the

economy as we prepare to leave the

EU. I am excited about the proposals

being brought forward by

stakeholders and Moray, I would be

delighted to visit with my

honourable friend.

Does the

Secretary of State for Scotland

agree with me that today's export

statistics show the importance to

Scotland remaining within the EU and

the UK, despite the SNP pours Mac

latest attempt to break that link by

breaking down -- taking down the

flag.

She would expect me to agree

with part of what she has said. Of

course, as the people of Scotland

voted, Scotland must remain in the

UK and benefit from the UK internal

market. But the people of the United

Kingdom have voted to leave the EU

and we are leaving the EU.

Thanks to

the investment that we have all made

in the future of renewables and the

government policy framework,

Scotland's renewable energy is

thriving. A quarter of the capacity

is placed in Scotland because of the

geography and climate there. That

capacity has more than doubled since

the Conservatives led government

came into power in 2010. We will be

going further into bringing forward

energy from remote offshore wind

projects in the next...

That is not

what Scottish renewables would say.

Growth against, in all other

technologies is stagnant. What

funding will be available to

Scotland under the strategy, and

will she assess the impact it will

have in Scotland?

We will be making

almost £560 million available up to

2025 to support all forms of

renewable energy. As we have set

out, we will be enabling offshore

wind projects, to be bidding into

that next option. We want to keep

this going, Scotland is doing

incredibly well. Last year renewable

energy across the UK contributed to

a third of our energy. I spoke to

the Scottish Government for the

economy jobs last week and will meet

shortly to discuss a joint approach,

including how we can deliver my

honourable friend in sterling on

their deal.

I thank the Secretary of

State for that answer. Will he

confirm to the House now that the UK

Government is committing new money

to the deal, not rebranding existing

money. When he next meets with the

Scottish Government, will he secured

a commitment from the Scottish

Government that they will put new

money into the deal and not re-patch

existing funding?

The UK Government

will definitely be putting new money

into the sterling and

Clackmannanshire deal. That has been

approach to these deals and that is

why they have such a transporter to

have effect. I will speak to Keith

Brown on the issue that he raises,

but I know he takes a particular

issue in that deal.

All the city

region cash that has gone to

Inverness is most welcome to

resonance of Inverness. But other

communities struggle to see the

benefit it is supposed to be a city

region deal. Could he look into why

this is not working into the way it

should?

Mr Speaker, I will, of

course, look into the point that the

honourable gentleman races. The same

point was raised with me when I was

in sky. Can I be but the fake news

that sky is real and not open for

business to two lists. It is open

for business and it is a great

destination.

It is always a pleasure

to speak to Scottish businesses. We

have had over 100 conversations in

my department. I am looking forward

to meeting many more businesses on

Friday when I travel to Aberdeen,

including a visit to the oil and

energy sector.

I am grateful for the

minister for that answer. I am aware

that Scotland produces some of the

UK's best-known products including

Scotch whiskey. What steps is being

taken to ensure these new

opportunities as we leave the

European Union are taken to the

benefit of the whole United Kingdom

economy?

I have told that Corby is a

great place. Whiskey, as we know it

is one of the UK's greatest exports,

employing 40,000 people, experts

over £40 billion. This business

stands to benefit from the post

Brexit trade of.

Order! It is

discourteous, the Minister is giving

us a detailed answer that the House

should here.

I am sure whiskey

drinkers everywhere will be grateful

for that intervention. It sets out

opportunities with other industries

across the UK to improve their

experts and create high-value jobs.

We're working very closely with the

Scottish Government to implement the

strategy.

To mitigate against the...

To mitigate against extreme hard

Tory Brexit and create more job

opportunities in Scotland, will he

admit to speaking to onshore wind

developers and allow them to bed for

offshore options?

We are keen to

bring forward renewable technology

at the right price for British bill

payers and key consumers across the

UK. We will continue to offer

opportunities for all sorts of

businesses to get involved in our

options going forward.

Mr Speaker,

the UK's Scottish and Welsh

governments agreed the principles

that will guide how we approach

common frameworks in future and the

GMC N on 16th October. These

principles have facilitated

constructive discussion and we

expect to make progress.

During

those discussions, has he received

any indication how they will use the

new powers they will be receiving?

In response to a previous question,

we have heard nothing from the SNP

Scottish Government about how they

intend to use the new powers that

will be available after we leave the

EU. Let's have a debate about using

powers for the benefit of Scotland,

not about process.

12, serve --

sour. I have not had discussions

with the Scottish Government

regarding hospital car parking

charges. It falls with the area of

devolved competence.

The vast

majority of their -- Nass national

health service hospitals do not

charge for parking. Will he explore

options for this to be extended to

England?

Mr Speaker, I am sure my

colleague, the Secretary of