:00:23. > :00:26.Hello, will come to Westminster for the September edition of Scottish
:00:26. > :00:31.Questions, the first since MPs returned after their long summer
:00:31. > :00:37.break. Watch out for one thing, see who was the first MP to invoke the
:00:38. > :00:41.name of Andy Murray! With unemployment in Scotland rising for
:00:41. > :00:46.the first time in six months, the economy was also a major feature of
:00:46. > :00:50.the debate, as was the constitution, and proceedings began with a
:00:50. > :00:54.question from Labour MP Lindsay Roy, who wanted to know what would
:00:54. > :00:58.happen to defence jobs in an independent Scotland. Order.
:00:58. > :01:03.Questions to the Secretary of State for Scotland. Question number one,
:01:03. > :01:06.Mr Speaker. Mr Speaker, I have regular discussions with
:01:06. > :01:10.ministerial colleagues on defence matters relating to Scotland. There
:01:10. > :01:15.is no doubt that there would be far reaching implications for all
:01:15. > :01:20.sectors of the economy, including the defence industry, should
:01:20. > :01:27.Scotland become independent. Can I thank the Minister for his answer?
:01:27. > :01:31.I am very proud of the defence work that has been undertaken in five --
:01:31. > :01:36.Fife, for instance Raytheon in my constituency, and their
:01:36. > :01:39.contribution has been immense. According to the MoD, the new Type
:01:39. > :01:46.26th frigate will be the backbone of the Royal Navy for decades to
:01:46. > :01:50.come. Can the Minister advice, in the light of possible separation,
:01:50. > :01:55.how likely it is that the frigates will be built in Scotland? First of
:01:55. > :01:59.all, may I pay tribute to the hundreds of skilled workers in his
:01:59. > :02:02.constituency who contributes so much to the United Kingdom and
:02:02. > :02:06.international defence through the work they do at Raytheon and
:02:06. > :02:11.elsewhere? I agree with them that this is not the time to be putting
:02:11. > :02:14.that at risk. On the specifics of the Type 26, it is clear that if
:02:14. > :02:18.Scotland were an independent country, the rest of the UK would
:02:18. > :02:22.be applying EU procurement rules which give those contracts for the
:02:22. > :02:25.domestic market. We would be locking ourselves out of the
:02:25. > :02:30.potential of millions of pounds of work involving hundreds of jobs in
:02:30. > :02:33.Scotland, and that is not acceptable. When the Secretary of
:02:33. > :02:38.State agree that Scotland makes a magnificent contribution in terms
:02:38. > :02:41.of manufacturing, but also in terms of bases and recruitment? Would he
:02:41. > :02:45.not welcome the fact that the Secretary of State for Defence has
:02:45. > :02:49.gone to great lengths to keep Scotland in the Union defence terms,
:02:49. > :02:54.and we do not agree that if there were to be independence, that would
:02:54. > :02:57.probably be lost? The honourable gentleman is right to focus on what
:02:57. > :03:02.is at stake, where Scotland to become independent and separate
:03:02. > :03:05.from the rest of the United Kingdom. The Scottish contribution to UK
:03:05. > :03:12.defence is absolutely immense, but Scotland get a huge amount from
:03:12. > :03:17.being part of the UK. We are safe as part of the UK, I do not want to
:03:17. > :03:21.put any of that at risk at all. Angus Robertson. Since his
:03:21. > :03:26.government took office, service personnel numbers are at a record
:03:26. > :03:30.low, commitments have been broken on returning troops from Germany,
:03:30. > :03:33.one facilities and the retention of historic Scottish regiments. Is
:03:33. > :03:37.this totally embarrassing record the reason why the Secretary of
:03:37. > :03:42.State for Defence has never even visited Scotland since taking
:03:42. > :03:45.office? If we are talking about embarrassment on defence policy,
:03:45. > :03:52.the honourable gentleman should look to his own party's policies on
:03:52. > :03:57.these matters. We have got access to a UK defence budget of �34
:03:57. > :04:01.billion, the fourth-largest in the world. We have got 15,500 service
:04:01. > :04:05.personnel in Scotland, 40,000 people working in the defence
:04:05. > :04:11.industry in Scotland, and 800 different companies. I think that
:04:11. > :04:15.is an immense contribution to Scotland and Scotland to UK defence.
:04:15. > :04:19.Service personnel numbers are just over 10,000, I'm sure he would wish
:04:19. > :04:22.to correct the record on that. The Secretary of State is not denying
:04:22. > :04:27.that the Secretary of State for Defence has not been to Scotland
:04:27. > :04:32.since taking office. He was asked for a meeting in November, in March,
:04:32. > :04:35.and nothing came of it. An offer was made of discussion through the
:04:35. > :04:38.Armed forces Minister when I met him and the Joint Chiefs of Staff
:04:38. > :04:42.in June last year, and there has been no formal response from the
:04:42. > :04:46.government since then. Why is it the Ministry of Defence is so bad
:04:46. > :04:52.at dealing with Scotland? completely reject of the honourable
:04:52. > :04:55.gentleman has said. A whole series of ministers, myself and my right
:04:55. > :04:59.honourable friend, have made visits to different installations around
:04:59. > :05:02.Scotland, as we have been doing in the last couple of weeks. I
:05:02. > :05:07.understand why he wants to dodge the serious issue, he does not want
:05:07. > :05:11.to focus on SNP defence policy, or particularly the trick they want to
:05:11. > :05:16.pull on NATO. They know that people in Scotland wants NATO Security,
:05:16. > :05:21.but they want a pick-and-mix approach, take on none of the
:05:21. > :05:27.obligations, it just will not do. Neil Carmichael. Number three, Mr
:05:27. > :05:30.Speaker, please. With permission, I will ask questions 3 and 14
:05:30. > :05:34.together. The Secretary of State and I have frequent discussions
:05:34. > :05:37.with colleagues on Common Agricultural Policy reform. I last
:05:37. > :05:42.met with UK and Scottish Agricultural Ministers during the
:05:42. > :05:45.Royal Highland Show. Thank you very much for that answer, Mr Speaker.
:05:45. > :05:49.With the difficulties in the harvest this year and rising
:05:49. > :05:53.commodity prices and with an interest in increasing productivity
:05:53. > :05:58.and production in the world of agriculture, will those talks focus
:05:58. > :06:03.on the need to actually recalibrate the common agricultural policy
:06:03. > :06:09.towards our production and food costs and prices? Mr Speaker, I
:06:09. > :06:12.think it is a matter on which we are in agreement with the Scottish
:06:12. > :06:16.government, that the Common Agricultural Policy, and indeed
:06:16. > :06:21.policies pursued by both governments, should seek to
:06:21. > :06:25.maximise food production in Scotland. Anne McIntosh. Will the
:06:25. > :06:30.Minister assure us that the Scottish minister will be heavily
:06:30. > :06:34.involved in reforms to the CAP and, once agreed, that they will apply
:06:34. > :06:39.equally in Scotland, England and all parts of the UK, particularly
:06:39. > :06:44.as regards compliance measures? Speaker, the government has shown
:06:44. > :06:49.by its actions that it is committed to involving not just the Scottish
:06:49. > :06:55.government but all the devolved administrations in developing the
:06:55. > :06:58.UK position on the Common Agricultural Policy reforms
:06:58. > :07:03.negotiations, and that will continue to be our position.
:07:03. > :07:07.Margaret Curran. Mr Speaker, I am sure that everyone in a house can
:07:07. > :07:11.agree that the current negotiations in Europe may have a significant
:07:11. > :07:15.impact on food prices, especially at a time when Scottish families
:07:15. > :07:20.are under such pressure from rising food prices. Can I ask the Minister
:07:21. > :07:23.if either he or the Secretary of State can tell us precisely what
:07:23. > :07:29.correspondence and meetings he has had with other ministerial
:07:29. > :07:32.colleagues to address this issue facing Scottish families?
:07:32. > :07:38.Secretary of State and I have had a range of meetings with colleagues
:07:38. > :07:41.across government and within the Scottish government, not just to
:07:41. > :07:45.address the Common Agricultural Policy reforms, but to address
:07:45. > :07:50.issues such as the cost of living and the economic policies being
:07:50. > :07:53.pursued in Scotland. As the honourable lady well knows, our
:07:53. > :07:57.views in relation to the Scottish government and the UK government
:07:57. > :08:01.that we should be working together in relation to economic matters in
:08:01. > :08:03.Scotland, and we would much rather that was the view of the Scottish
:08:03. > :08:08.government, rather than the incessant focus on constitutional
:08:08. > :08:12.matters. Margaret Curran. Can I thank the Minister for that
:08:12. > :08:16.interesting answer? Yesterday in response to a question from myself,
:08:16. > :08:19.the Secretary of State seemed to have no grasp of the impact of
:08:19. > :08:24.rising food prices in Scotland. Last week, Save The Children
:08:24. > :08:28.launched their first appeal to fund work in Scotland, revealing that a
:08:28. > :08:33.quarter of parents have less than �30 per week to spend on food, and
:08:33. > :08:38.Citizens Advice Scotland tell us that applications for support for
:08:38. > :08:42.food and other May 6th has doubled. We all know, just as the minister
:08:42. > :08:47.indicated, that this is a result of the choices that he and his Cabinet
:08:47. > :08:50.colleagues have made. Is he and the Secretary of State proud that food
:08:50. > :08:55.banks are fast becoming the hallmark of his government in
:08:55. > :08:58.Scotland? I think the honourable lady was not present at the
:08:58. > :09:03.reception in Dover House this week when many of the leading
:09:03. > :09:06.stakeholders in relation to child poverty, including Save The
:09:06. > :09:10.Children, were, and there was a very significant discussion of the
:09:10. > :09:17.issues. She can be assured that both the Secretary of State and I
:09:17. > :09:21.take these issues very seriously. Thank you, Mr Speaker. The so-
:09:21. > :09:25.called breeding proposals, measures proposed for the new cap, have
:09:25. > :09:29.caused consternation through the farming community. A recent survey
:09:29. > :09:32.found that almost three-quarters of farmers thought they would have an
:09:32. > :09:35.adverse environmental impact, half thought they would harm
:09:35. > :09:39.biodiversity, and all thought it would cause financial problems of
:09:39. > :09:43.their business. What is the Minister doing to make sure the
:09:43. > :09:47.measures do not form part of the new cap? The Government is very
:09:47. > :09:51.aware of those concerns, not just in Scotland but across the rest of
:09:51. > :09:54.the United Kingdom, and the honourable lady's committee
:09:54. > :09:58.reported to that effect. The Government will seek to do all it
:09:58. > :10:03.can to minimise the impact of such measures if they were adopted.
:10:03. > :10:08.Michael McCann. A question about the impact of the A Olympics and
:10:08. > :10:11.Paralympics. With permission, I will answer questions four and six
:10:11. > :10:14.together. �34 million worth of contracts were awarded to
:10:14. > :10:18.businesses in Scotland, and businesses will have benefited from
:10:18. > :10:22.the hugely popular events that took place in Scotland. The games have
:10:22. > :10:27.been very successful and provided a great springboard for the Glasgow
:10:27. > :10:30.Commonwealth Games in 2014. Speaker, I am grateful for the
:10:30. > :10:34.Secretary of State's answer. The Games show how great sporting
:10:34. > :10:38.events can be used to regenerate large parts of our cities and
:10:38. > :10:42.surrounding areas. Can the Secretary of State ensure that
:10:42. > :10:48.lessons about regeneration and legacy from London 2012 are shared
:10:48. > :10:51.with Glasgow's Commonwealth Games organisers? Can I say that the
:10:51. > :10:56.Honourable gentleman's focus on exactly the right issue of legacy?
:10:56. > :10:59.I think when we congratulate for the Scots and others who have
:10:59. > :11:03.participated in the Olympics and Paralympics, what a great festival
:11:03. > :11:07.of sport we have had this particular summer, fantastic
:11:07. > :11:11.outcomes. Apart from inspiring a generation, which is obviously
:11:11. > :11:14.already under way, what matters is that we get regeneration in the
:11:15. > :11:17.regions around London but also across the UK, but I believe the
:11:18. > :11:22.economic legacy will be very strong, but the lessons from London are
:11:22. > :11:27.ones that I hope will also be seen in Glasgow as well. Tom Greatrex.
:11:27. > :11:32.Thank you, Mr Speaker. During the Olympic Games I was privileged to
:11:32. > :11:35.be a gamesmaker along with a whole range of people. People from
:11:36. > :11:39.different backgrounds volunteered to be involved for the first time.
:11:39. > :11:42.In his discussions with the Scottish government, could he make
:11:42. > :11:45.the point to the organisers of the Commonwealth Games to take the best
:11:45. > :11:51.from that volunteering programme to ensure that people can get involved
:11:51. > :11:55.in Glasgow 2014 in the same way? May I pay tribute to the honourable
:11:55. > :12:00.gentleman, because indeed I saw him in the gamesmaker's uniform, and he
:12:00. > :12:03.was indeed very helpful at Hampden Park when I visited to see the
:12:03. > :12:08.United States versus France, he has clearly got talents for other
:12:08. > :12:11.things as well as politics! But he makes an important point. The
:12:11. > :12:15.legacy of the volunteers is one of the most important parts of the
:12:15. > :12:19.Games, one of the more unexpected parts, and I do hope that in
:12:19. > :12:24.Glasgow in two years' time we will see that legacy shown and that
:12:24. > :12:26.people across the whole of Scotland will take part. Sir Menzies
:12:26. > :12:31.Campbell also up would my right honourable friend like to take the
:12:31. > :12:36.opportunity to congratulate the Scottish gold-medallist Andy Murray
:12:36. > :12:43.on his quite remarkable marathon triumph in the United States? Has
:12:43. > :12:49.he noticed that the term coined by the First Minister is very rapidly
:12:49. > :12:53.to have fallen into disuse? And as he heard of any Scottish competitor
:12:53. > :12:56.selected either for the Olympic Games or the Paralympic Games, or
:12:56. > :13:00.indeed any medallist in either of these games, complaining about the
:13:00. > :13:05.fact that they were representing the United Kingdom and not
:13:05. > :13:11.Scotland? Let me join with my right honourable and learned Friend in
:13:11. > :13:15.congratulating Andy Murray on his and innit gold medal and also on
:13:15. > :13:19.securing his first Grand Slam title. -- and innit. It is an immense
:13:19. > :13:23.achievement being celebrated all over the country. I think we saw
:13:23. > :13:27.the great benefits of working together, both in terms of the
:13:28. > :13:32.financing and of the training, but also in terms of the competition.
:13:32. > :13:35.The very first Olympic gold was won by a Scot and somebody from the
:13:36. > :13:40.south-west of England, and that perhaps make the point that we are
:13:40. > :13:48.better together. Mrs Eleanor Laing. With the Secretary of State like to
:13:48. > :13:52.further clarify that there is no conflict between being Scottish and
:13:52. > :14:02.being British and that millions of reasonable people in the UK and all
:14:02. > :14:09.
:14:09. > :14:14.over the world live very happily as We are absolutely at one on this
:14:14. > :14:20.issue. She is right and I am sure people will accept that being
:14:20. > :14:25.Scottish and British can be done at the same time. Can we take this
:14:25. > :14:34.opportunity as well to congratulate Andy Murray? All of Scotland and
:14:34. > :14:39.the UK are celebrating this magnificent success. All of
:14:39. > :14:46.Scotland was cheering on Team GB. We supported Scottish athletes,
:14:46. > :14:50.athletes from right across the UK. Team GB was Scotland's team. Will
:14:50. > :14:54.the Minister assure me he will work as closely as possible with the
:14:54. > :15:02.Scottish government to ensure we secure the maximum economic
:15:02. > :15:07.benefits of from the Commonwealth Games? I agree that the Honourable
:15:07. > :15:17.Gentleman has consistently supported Scots and other British
:15:17. > :15:18.
:15:18. > :15:23.Olympians and Paralympians. As my right honourable friend was sailing,
:15:23. > :15:27.-- was saying and, his point about legacy is important, but we have
:15:27. > :15:30.already been working very closely with the organisers of the
:15:30. > :15:36.Commonwealth Games to make sure they are a fantastic success and
:15:36. > :15:43.the London Olympics has created a great platform for that. A question
:15:43. > :15:48.about post offices. Colleagues regularly discuss issues about post
:15:48. > :15:51.offices in Scotland and we recognise the importance of
:15:51. > :16:01.maintaining post offices in Scotland, which is why this
:16:01. > :16:04.
:16:04. > :16:09.government has committed �1 billion. The Scottish government's DVLA
:16:09. > :16:15.service has been trusted by the public, and I hope the minister
:16:15. > :16:21.agrees that the DVLA contract should not be handed over to the
:16:21. > :16:27.lowest bidder and. The service the Post Office have provided over the
:16:27. > :16:34.years should be given waiting. ended be compulsory closure
:16:34. > :16:39.programme that we inherited from the party opposite. We saw 5,000
:16:39. > :16:46.post offices close over seven years, 400 of them in Scotland. On the
:16:46. > :16:50.issue of this contract, it has to be conducted by an EU programme at
:16:50. > :16:56.rules, but it is not just cost, there are other important criteria
:16:56. > :17:00.like service and we will make sure they all met. The one in five post
:17:00. > :17:04.offices in Scotland are under pressure of closure because of
:17:04. > :17:07.policies of this government. The nationalists criticise this but
:17:07. > :17:13.they have scrapped the post of this diversification fund, showing them
:17:13. > :17:17.to be no better than the Secretary of State and his friends. If you
:17:17. > :17:23.have a post office that does not accept parcels and cash withdrawals
:17:23. > :17:28.and does not provide DVLA services, do you have a post office? He is he
:17:28. > :17:32.happy to sit idly by while the Tories and the nationalists destroy
:17:32. > :17:37.our post office network? May I welcome the honourable gentleman in
:17:37. > :17:42.his debut at the dispatch box. He has a strong record in Scottish
:17:42. > :17:47.politics and I look forward to the debates people have in the future.
:17:47. > :17:52.It is a bit cheap to lead with that particular question. Not least it
:17:52. > :17:57.was his government that closed down 5,000 post offices across the UK,
:17:57. > :18:01.over 400 in Scotland. We want to see a sustainable network and we
:18:01. > :18:06.are investing in that and we are determined to ensure that services
:18:06. > :18:11.across the country are put through the post office. He is the
:18:11. > :18:17.Secretary of State aware that since 2005, the level of government
:18:17. > :18:22.service through Post Office has fallen from a half down to one
:18:22. > :18:26.fifth? If they DVLA contract is lost, this will have a dramatic
:18:26. > :18:30.effect and lead to possibly the closure of many other post offices.
:18:30. > :18:36.If the government cannot do anything about this, what is the
:18:36. > :18:40.point of making it the front office of government? I share with him the
:18:40. > :18:44.desire to see a sustainable post office network and we have reversed
:18:44. > :18:49.the damaging policies of the previous government already within
:18:49. > :18:53.the last two years and we are committed to significant further
:18:53. > :18:59.investment in that network. I do not see the same level of support
:18:59. > :19:05.coming from his colleagues in the Scottish Parliament. Mr Speaker,
:19:05. > :19:09.alcohol abuse harms individuals and communities throughout the UK.
:19:09. > :19:13.Clearly a range of responses is required to address the problem.
:19:13. > :19:17.The government continues to engage with the Scottish government on the
:19:17. > :19:22.issue of minimum unit pricing. Given that this policy has the
:19:23. > :19:26.potential to affect my constituency of Carlisle, what measures are the
:19:26. > :19:33.government taking to introduce proposals what minimum alcohol
:19:33. > :19:39.pricing in England and Wales? The government continues to
:19:39. > :19:43.consider the position in the rest of the United Kingdom and certainly
:19:43. > :19:48.before any proposals were introduced in England and Wales,
:19:48. > :19:52.there would be an extensive consultation. One of the problems
:19:52. > :19:58.that can arise from alcohol abuse is sadly people getting into
:19:58. > :20:02.trouble in Scotland's coastal waters. There will be a delay of 15
:20:02. > :20:06.months between the Clyde Coastguard being closed and the maritime
:20:06. > :20:13.operations centre being up and running. Is he concerned about the
:20:13. > :20:18.safety implications? As the honourable lady will know, although
:20:18. > :20:23.there are changes to the management arrangements of the Coast Guard
:20:23. > :20:28.operation centres, the same local volunteers, the same local
:20:28. > :20:32.lifeboats, at the same helicopters will apply in the coastal waters of
:20:32. > :20:39.Scotland. There will be no change and it is wrong to suggest
:20:39. > :20:44.otherwise. The East is a specific question about the use of firms
:20:44. > :20:49.that have engaged in blacklisting of trade union. Regulations were
:20:49. > :20:53.introduced in 2010 to outlaw trade union blacklisting in the UK. We
:20:53. > :20:56.welcome the inquiry into blacklisting in employment and
:20:56. > :21:04.encourage all honourable members and interested parties to feed back
:21:04. > :21:09.into that inquiry. Can I also commend the Scottish Affairs Select
:21:09. > :21:14.Committee for what they are doing on this but if there is tangible
:21:14. > :21:17.evidence that government contracts have been awarded to companies
:21:17. > :21:21.engaging in blacklisting Trades Union, can those contracts be
:21:21. > :21:26.reviewed? I know the honourable gentleman is a strong campaign on
:21:26. > :21:30.this issue and I suggest he puts that view forward the Scottish
:21:30. > :21:36.Affairs Select Committee so that it may form part of its report. We
:21:36. > :21:41.will certainly take its report very seriously. The Honourable Gentleman
:21:41. > :21:46.will know that talk is cheap. What would he actually do, he must know
:21:46. > :21:55.these blacklistings are happening today, what is the government going
:21:55. > :21:59.to do if we identify people that are doing it? What will he do?
:21:59. > :22:05.regulations which were introduced in 2010 provide a route for
:22:05. > :22:09.individuals to feel that they have been blacklisted. I feel that the
:22:09. > :22:13.evidence sessions being held by the Scottish Affairs Select Committee
:22:13. > :22:17.is a very good way of reviewing how those regulations and other laws
:22:17. > :22:26.are working in this regard and we will take their report re re-
:22:26. > :22:33.seriously? Mr Peter Bone. The -- very seriously. No new official
:22:33. > :22:37.figures have been published since last February. The most recent
:22:38. > :22:46.estimate in October 2011 shows that the level of public expenditure in
:22:46. > :22:51.Scotland was �10,165 per head for that year. So �10,000 a year is
:22:51. > :22:54.paid by taxpayers on average two people in Scotland. In my
:22:54. > :23:01.constituency and the rest of the East Midlands it is �8,000 per
:23:01. > :23:06.person. Is that fair? The last time my honourable friend raised this
:23:06. > :23:09.was following a discussion with his wife and other members of the
:23:09. > :23:15.family. I appreciate she was distracted getting herself ready
:23:15. > :23:19.for this weekend's charity run, and we wish her all the best. I regret
:23:20. > :23:24.that when she focuses back on the politics, the answer she will he is
:23:24. > :23:27.different very little to the one I gave a few months ago, namely that
:23:27. > :23:32.the priority is to sort out the public finances and the mess that
:23:32. > :23:41.we inherited on the party opposite, and that any future review will
:23:41. > :23:46.have to wait until that is completed. Government spending was
:23:46. > :23:51.higher in both London and Northern Ireland and in Scotland and with
:23:51. > :23:58.8.4% of the UK population, does the Ministry knows that Scotland pays
:23:58. > :24:03.nine when 6% of the UK's taxation - - 9.6%. It is more than paying its
:24:03. > :24:07.own way. Spending around the whole of the UK varies quite considerably
:24:07. > :24:13.and we need to take all of that into account but as for believing
:24:13. > :24:19.the SNP's figures, we will have to continue to agree to differ. The
:24:19. > :24:24.East is a question about the West Lothian question. I am in regular
:24:24. > :24:33.contract -- contact with my neck right honourable friend the Prime
:24:33. > :24:38.Minister about a range of issues are. We should have eight time soon
:24:38. > :24:42.to discuss the findings. Is he confident that the commission will
:24:42. > :24:47.report on time in spring 2013 and when he does so, it will bring
:24:47. > :24:50.forward meaningful proposals and not just another recommendation for
:24:51. > :24:55.another commission to kick this issue further into the long grass?
:24:55. > :24:59.These are very serious issues and that is why we have got this expert
:24:59. > :25:04.commission looking very seriously at them, which has got a cross
:25:04. > :25:11.section of experts representing all parts of the UK. We look forward to
:25:11. > :25:17.its findings and having a debate on what they show. I am glad she
:25:17. > :25:22.caught the member for West Lothian. -- you called. How many questions
:25:22. > :25:28.should be on the referendum in Scotland? I think there should be
:25:28. > :25:33.one. The separate or stake in the UK. Does he agree? There should
:25:33. > :25:41.only be one question on the ballot paper, I completely agree with the
:25:41. > :25:49.honourable gentleman. I refer the honourable gentleman to the answer
:25:49. > :25:52.which the Secretary of State gave to a previews question. After this
:25:52. > :25:59.summer of sporting success, the last thing the people of this
:25:59. > :26:05.country want is to see Team GB torn apart. Does he agree? I couldn't
:26:05. > :26:09.agree more. The success of Team GB at both the Olympics and the
:26:09. > :26:15.Paralympics has been celebrated as much in Scotland as in any other
:26:16. > :26:20.part of the United Kingdom. Would the Minister agree with me that one
:26:20. > :26:25.of the great successes of the Olympic Games was the role played
:26:25. > :26:30.by London's mayor. I wonder what will happen to him in the future!
:26:30. > :26:35.Would he agree that when we come to the Glasgow Games, it is essential
:26:35. > :26:39.they are run by the City of Glasgow and that we do not have nationalist
:26:39. > :26:45.politicians trying to muscle in. The honourable gentleman will know
:26:45. > :26:47.that the mayor of London is a great supporter of Scotland and a great
:26:47. > :26:53.supporter of the Commonwealth Games and ensuring that the legacy from
:26:53. > :26:59.the Olympics is carried on into the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
:26:59. > :27:03.I'm afraid that is all we have got time for at the moment. Because of
:27:03. > :27:08.party political conferences, there will be no Scottish Questions next