18/01/2017 Scottish Questions

Hello and a very warm welcome

to a sunny but, let me tell you, a chilly Westminster

for January's Scottish Questions, the first one of the New Year,

and, like last year, it looks as though 2017

is going to be dominated by Brexit

and the knock-on constitutional implications for Scotland,

including the possibility of a second independence referendum.

More on that later,

but first of all, this is how Scottish Questions got underway.

Order. Order.

Questions to the Secretary of State for Scotland. Mr Roberts Courts.

Thank you, Mr Speaker. Number one, please.

The Secretary of State for Scotland, Secretary David Mundell.

Mr Speaker, as this is the Scottish Questions

that immediately precede Burns Night next Wednesday, 25 January,

can I wish all those organising Burns Suppers or other events

in Scotland, across the UK,

including here in this House of Commons,

and around the world, the very best?

Robert Burns' legacy is as relevant today as ever.

Mr Speaker, the UK government is committed

to a safe and secure transfer of the remaining welfare powers.

The majority of welfare powers commenced in 2016

and the transfer of the remaining powers

will be overseen by

the joint ministerial working group on welfare,

which will meet again next month.

-Robert Courts.

-Thank you, Mr Speaker.

The Scotland Act gives the Scottish Government

powers over benefits in Scotland.

Does the Secretary of State agree

that it is...the Scottish Government must now set out the detail

of how they plan to use these powers

to shape Scotland's welfare system?

CHATTER AND CHEERS

Mr Speaker, my honourable friend is absolutely right.

The power for the Scottish Parliament

to create new benefits in devolved areas came into force in Autumn,

and they now have the power to shape that welfare system as they choose.

Some modest measures have already been announced,

but it is time that we hear more about the proposals

for a new welfare system.

A consultation has been held, and I look forward

to hearing the Scottish Government's response to that.

-Margaret Ferrier.

-Thank you, Mr Speaker.

The fact that the UK Government

plan to close half of the Glasgow Jobcentres

without even knowing the number of affected people

is a dereliction of duty.

Will the Secretary of State commit to having a word

with his Cabinet colleagues in getting these plans dropped?

Mr Speaker, I do understand the concerns that have been raised

in relation to Jobcentre closures in Glasgow,

and it is the Government's determination

and I have spoken directly with my colleague, the Secretary of State,

to ensure that there will be no change

to the level of service offered to the people of Glasgow.

As the honourable lady and other members in Glasgow will know,

there's a public consultation

for people who have to travel more than three miles,

or more than 20 minutes in time.

That's open until 31 January.

I encourage all those affected,

and all honourable members with constituents affected,

to take part in that consultation.

-Whately.

-Thank you, Mr Speaker.

The transfer of significant powers over welfare decisions

clearly raises complicated issues,

as we have seen over the last few months.

Could my right honourable friend update the House on the recent work

of the Joint Ministerial Working Group On Welfare,

and give his assessment of progress?

Mr Speaker, the Joint Ministerial Group On Welfare

has played a very important part

in establishing the links between the DWP and the Scottish Government.

I've been in regular recent contact with Angela Constance,

the minister in the Scottish Government,

in relation to the Scottish Government's latest proposals

in relation to Universal Credit.

Inevitably, because of the complexity of this area,

as the transfer takes place,

new issues arise which need to be dealt with

and the Joint Ministerial Working Group

is the ideal place to do that.

Mr David Anderson.

Thank you very much, Mr Speaker...

'And David Anderson is of course the Shadow Scottish Secretary.'

We send our condolences to the family of Canon Kenyon Wright,

who sadly passed away last week.

He was a principled man

whose legacy should serve as a reminder to all of us

that, when we work together, it is possible to deliver the impossible.

Mr Speaker, this Tory Government is currently moving disabled people

from Disability Living Allowance to Personal Independence Payments.

It's estimated the people of Scotland will lose out

on £190 million a year as a result.

If that wasn't bad enough, Mr Speaker,

a year ago, the Government did this,

but the Government withdrew the timetable

and haven't issued a new one.

So, can the Secretary of State please inform the House,

and indeed the people of Scotland,

when can they expect to lose out on this £190 million a year?

Mr Speaker, firstly, can I welcome the honourable gentleman back?

He was missed at our last Scottish Questions,

although his honourable friend entertained the House.

At least I think I can say that!

In relation to Canon Kenyon Wright, I knew Canon Wright

and he was indeed a very principled man

with very, very strong personal conviction,

and obviously played a very important part

in the constitutional convention

which led to the establishment of the Scottish Parliament.

And as we have seen in the media, he is widely, widely mourned.

In relation to disability benefits,

the honourable gentleman will know

that these are to be fully devolved to the Scottish Parliament.

The funding of those benefits were put...

was dealt with in the negotiations for the fiscal framework.

It's now for the Scottish Government to come forward

with their proposals for disability benefits in Scotland.

-Mike Freer.

-Thanks, Mr Speaker.

Does my right honourable friend agree with me

that we need to hear less from the Scottish Government

about the powers they want

and more about how they're going to use the powers we've given them?

Hear, hear, hear.

Mr Speaker, my honourable friend makes a very relevant point.

The honourable gentleman opposite

referred to Personal Independence Payments.

I know that the Scottish Government

are opposed to Personal Independence Payments,

but what I have no idea about

is what they intend to replace Personal Independence Payments with

and what timetable they intend to do that.

-Mr Angus Robertson.

-CHEERING

Thank you, Mr Speaker. May I begin by joining colleagues

in paying tribute to Canon Kenyon Wright,

somebody not only who played a significant role

in helping to deliver devolution to Scotland,

but of course, in 2014,

supported a yes vote for Scottish independence.

-Sensible man.

-Mr Speaker, the UK Government is planning

to close half of the Jobcentres in Glasgow

without even knowing the number of people

that will be affected by such a radical change.

Was the Secretary of State consulted in advance of the closures,

and when did he show enough interest

to find out which specific locations would face closure?

Mr Speaker, I have taken a very close interest in this issue

and I have worked closely

with both my colleagues in the Department of Work and Pensions

and the Scottish Government in that regard.

The government and myself have never suggested

that the procedures followed in relation to this process

had been perfect, but what we have...

-SHOUTING

-What we have put forward

is a public consultation

in relation to those people affected

who have to travel more than three miles or 20 minutes,

and I encourage everyone involved to take part in that consultation.

Mr Angus Robertson.

Mr Speaker, the devolution of powers hangs very much together

with the hard Brexit plans of this current government.

The Secretary of State has said that his role is, and I quote,

"to ensure that Scotland gets the best possible deal

"and that deal clearly involves being part of the single market."

Does he still believes this,

or has he changed his mind after being told what he should say

by his Tory bosses in London? CHEERING

Thank you, Mr Speaker.

I don't recognise the Prime Minister's speech yesterday as

-a hard Brexit.

-INCREDULOUS SHOUTING

I don't think, Mr Speaker...

Mr Speaker, that the 500,000 SNP voters who voted for Brexit will

take kindly to being referred to as right-wing Tory Brexiteers.

They were independently-minded people in Scotland who voted

for what they thought was the right thing for Scotland.

As is absolutely clear, the Prime Minister said yesterday,

we want to have access to the single market and that's what...

That is what the quote that he just read out from me made clear.

Membership of the single market, on the other hand,

is a quite different thing.

-As Mike Russell and privately the Scottish Government accept.

-Order.

I say gently to colleagues - order! - progress is far too slow,

we need to hasten the pace. Some reduction in the decibel level,

not least from the Chair

of the International Trade Select Committee would be heartily

welcomed across the House. Mr Calum Kerr.

This is a question about Scottish agriculture.

Mr Speaker, I regularly meet with Cabinet colleagues to discuss

a wide range of matters.

I recently met with the Secretary of State for the Environment,

Food and Rural Affairs to discuss a number of issues relating to

the Scottish agricultural sector and will continue to do so.

Last year, the Farming Minister told us there would be

an £18 billion Brexit dividend and

he said that farmers would continue to get, and I quote,

"as much or perhaps even more support after Brexit."

So does the Secretary of State agree with me that it would be

unacceptable if funding to Scottish agriculture was cut after 2020?

Hear, hear!

Mr Speaker, there is no suggestion that funding to Scottish

agriculture is going to be cut.

What there is is the opportunity to move forward

from the constraints of the Common Agricultural Policy, which have

been often complained about by farmers throughout Scotland.

I believe that we need to seize this opportunity to reshape the

support that we have for farming, to make it more effective,

but to continue to sustain those areas of Scottish farming

-that need sustaining.

-Sir Gerald Howarth.

My right honourable friend is aware that my family are extensive

farmers in the Scottish Borders.

Would he not agree with me that Brexit presents the

United Kingdom with a magnificent opportunity to fashion an

agricultural policy not required by French farmers,

but required by British farmers?

And will he assure the House that hill farmers in Scotland and

elsewhere in the United Kingdom will be given proper consideration?

Sir Gerald Howarth is the Conservative MP for Aldershot

-in Hampshire.

-I can absolutely give that undertaking

and I hope that we can move forward.

Actually working in conjunction with the Scottish government to

shape a new basis of support for Scottish agriculture,

particularly for those who farm in less favoured areas.

There are multiple and have been multiple complaints about the

operation of the Common Agricultural Policy and its need to take

into account farming practices across the Continent.

We now have the opportunity to have our own support mechanism and

-we need to work to shape it.

-Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh.

Mr Speaker, can the Secretary of State for Scotland confirm

what he said to the Sunday Times in November that the

Scottish Parliament will retain full responsibility over

agriculture and fisheries following Brexit?

And to quote him,

that "no powers will be re-reserved to Westminster."

-Yes or no?

-Hear, hear!

Yes.

-Mr David Anderson.

-Thank you, Mr Speaker.

Almost two-thirds of the UK's agricultural exports are to the EU.

After what we heard from the Prime Minister yesterday,

there is an increasing possibility we could revert to WTO trade

rules on exit from the EU.

Does he agree with the NFU Scotland who say the potential

for 20% tariffs as a result of WTO trade rules will be increasingly

damaging for the profitability of Scottish agriculture?

Mr Speaker, what the Prime Minister made clear yesterday is that

her objective is to achieve the best possible access to the

Single Market, with the minimum of barriers and tariffs.

That will be to the benefit of Scottish agriculture.

Scottish farmers see the opportunity that leaving the EU...

that leaving the EU provides to them and I am sure they will seize

them and I am sure we will be able to provide the environment in

which they will succeed.

This is a question about tax powers going to Holyrood.

The Scottish Government will take on its first major new tax power

from the Scotland Act 2016 in April of this year,

enabling it to set rates and thresholds of income tax.

The Chief Secretary to the Treasury attended a joint exchequer committee

with the Scottish Government's Cabinet Secretary for Finance

in November. They discussed ongoing work....

I'm grateful for all this.

We are deeply grateful but I think...

The question is being answered by the Treasury Minister Simon Kirby.

My apologies, Mr Speaker.

With your permission,

-I would like to group this question with number four.

-Very good indeed.

Mr Nigel Evans.

Mr Speaker, as the Prime Minister wants to see income tax rates

as low as possible on hard-working British people,

should Nicola Sturgeon be sufficiently brave or bonkers

to increase the rate of taxation on hard-working Scottish people,

what economic impact would that have on Scotland?

-ANGUS ROBERTSON:

-I think you'll find taxes are lower.

Can I thank my honourable friend for his important question?

In taking over income tax powers,

the Scottish Government now need to account for how they use them,

particularly if they plan to make Scotland the highest taxed part

-of the UK.

-Mark Menzies.

-Thank you, Mr Speaker.

Does my right honourable friend agree with

me that the SNP's plans to tax middle income families more

in Scotland for doing the same job as families in England would

bode very badly for the Scottish economy?

INCREDULOUS SHOUTING

The UK government is doing everything it can to support

our economy and boost jobs and growth.

Where the Scottish Government now make choices that have a different

impact, they will need to explain it to the people of Scotland.

-Neil Gray.

-We often hear, and we've heard it again, erroneous claims

that somehow Scotland is the highest taxed part of the United Kingdom

when in actual fact the average cost of a band D

council tax property in Scotland is lower than that of England.

Will the government minister now welcome the

Scottish Government's approach to council tax policy in Scotland?

Hear, hear!

What I will say is that the SNP should focus on making

a success of its few powers for the benefit of the Scottish people.

You are a very curious denizen of the House, Mr Docherty-Hughes.

I had you down as a cerebral and academic type.

You are becoming increasingly hysterical. Very curious behaviour.

-Mr Michael Gove.

-Thank you very much, Mr Speaker.

The SNP want to levy the highest level of income tax anywhere

in the United Kingdom.

They already receive more in per capita funding than

England and yet Scotland's schools are conspicuously worse than

those in the rest of the United Kingdom.

Does the Minister put this down to the incompetence of the

Scottish Government... UPROAR

..or their posturing over proper administration?

Mr Speaker, I may not like their plans to make Scotland

a higher taxed nation but that is up to them.

But what they will have to do is to explain to the people of

Scotland why they're having to pay more tax than their friends and

-families south of the border with the same jobs.

-David Anderson.

Thank you, Mr Speaker.

In a week where the chairman of the British Medical Association

in Scotland has warned that the NHS is in Scotland - and I quote -

"at breaking point",

is the minister as surprised as I am

that the so-called "progressive" SNP Government

in Holyrood consistently refuse

to use the powers afforded to them to protect the NHS in Scotland?

Scotland's new devolution settlement delivers one of the most

powerful and accountable devolved parliaments in the world,

giving them unprecedented power

to shape the future economy of Scotland.

Stuart C McDonald.

-Mr Speaker...

-And this is also an economy-related question.

Mr Speaker, migrants from outside the UK and within the UK

make a significant contribution to Scotland,

to its economy of course, but also to its society and wellbeing.

The government will always welcome the brightest and the best

who have come here to work.

..C McDonald.

Mr Speaker, we know around 180,000 EU nationals make

a hugely valuable contribution to the Scottish economy,

and we also know that countries like Canada and Australia

successfully apply different immigration rules

to different parts of their countries.

So, going beyond warm words,

will the Secretary of State listen carefully to proposals

for a different arrangement for Scotland, allowing EU citizens

freedom to continue to come and live and work there, benefitting us all?

-SOME:

-Hear-hear.

Mr Speaker, I'll always look at evidence-based proposals

that come forward, and that's our commitment, for example, in relation

to the Scottish Government's paper produced just before Christmas.

But it was quite clear within the settlement agreed

in the Smith Commission that immigration

would remain a reserved power.

-..Blackman.

-Thank you, My Speaker.

Would my right honourable friend not agree with me

that one of the problems that Scotland will face

with the SNP government is the flight of individuals fleeing

the high taxes and therefore...

JEERS AND LAUGHTER

..having to replace with further immigrants,

as well as the businesses that will fly down to London

rather than being in Scotland?

Bob Blackman is the Conservative MP for Harrow East.

Mr Speaker, what I do find surprising is that

the Scottish Government always fail to acknowledge that they have

very, very significant powers to attract people to come to Scotland.

At the moment, about 4% of migrants

who come to the United Kingdom come to Scotland.

Clearly, there is more that needs to be done to encourage people

to come to Scotland,

and the Scottish Government need to address that.

Making Scotland the highest taxed part of the UK is not,

in my view, the way to do it.

Alistair Carmichael.

Mr Speaker, can I associate myself and my party with the expressions

of condolence with regards to the late Canon Kenyon Wright.

A truly lovely man for whom it was once my privilege to act

as election agent, albeit unsuccessfully.

Will the Secretary of State explain to the Home Secretary

the importance of non-EU nationals to making up the crews

for many fishing boats, especially in the whitefish sector,

operating out of Scottish ports?

Mr Speaker, I certainly will take that issue forward

for the right honourable gentleman, I'm very, very aware

of the concerns that have been raised and I would be

more than happy to meet directly with him to discuss it further.

Question six, Mr Speaker.

And this is a question about city deals in Scotland.

The UK Government has spearheaded these deals and they will be

transformative for the cities of Scotland.

The city regions are the engines of economic growth, so they will

drive forward Scotland's economy,

which means more jobs and a secure future.

That's why I'm so pleased the government has now committed

to a city deal for every one of Scotland's seven city regions.

-Iain Stewart.

-Thank you, Mr Speaker.

In the autumn statement,

the Chancellor gave welcome support to city deals.

Can the Secretary of State assure me that he will be supporting

the Borderlands Initiative as part of this programme?

Mr Speaker, the Borderlands Initiative is

a very innovative proposal which seeks to bring together

Dumfries and Galloway Council,

Scottish Borders Council, Carlisle City Council

and other councils in the north of England,

recognising the significant economic area that crosses the border.

I'm delighted to give my support to that proposal.

-Alan Brown.

-Thank you, Mr Speaker.

As well as city deals, the Secretary of State will be aware

there's the Ayrshire Growth Deal that's been submitted

and backed by the Scottish Government.

Yesterday at Treasury Questions, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury

wrongly said it's for the Scottish Government to advance that deal.

What discussions has he had with his Treasury colleagues about

supporting the Ayrshire Growth Deal?

-SOME:

-Hear-hear.

Mr Speaker, can I firstly...

JEERING

..welcome...

THUMPING ON BENCHES

..the fact that...

Welcome the fact that his colleague from North Ayrshire

has secured an adjournment debate tomorrow in this house

which will specifically focus on the Ayrshire Regional Growth Deal.

I've obviously met with the councils and I want to see that deal

receive support from the UK Government

in the way that is most appropriate to make it happen.

At this Scottish Office Questions, I'm pleased to inform the house

that I've just been notified Andy Murray

has won his second round match in Melbourne.

-CHEERING

-David TC Davies.

Mr Speaker...

Mr Speaker, I noted in congratulating Andy Murray

that you didn't display your usual exuberance

which you've demonstrated at the Davis Cup matches

in support of him and the rest of the British team.

Mr Speaker, the UK Government has taken

a number of measures to support Scotland's economy,

including committing to city deals for each of Scotland's cities,

as I've just said, and providing an additional £800 million

for the Scottish Government's capital budget through to 2021.

Leaving the EU opens up real opportunities for Scotland,

we must always remember that the UK market is worth

over four times as much to Scotland as the EU single market.

David TC Davies.

Mr Speaker, Adam Smith gave us the theory

of modern capitalist economics,

William Gladstone put them into practice,

wouldn't these two fine Scotsmen be delighted with

the opportunity that Brexit offers to ditch

the socialist protectionism

of the Scottish Government and implement the free trade

and free markets that made it such a powerhouse in the 19th century?

SUPPORTIVE MURMURS

Mr Speaker, my honourable friend, as ever,

makes a robust case for the benefits of leaving the European Union,

but perhaps to his list of posthumously highlighted figures

from Scottish history I could add David Hume,

whose essay "Of the Balance of Trade" predates

The Wealth of Nations and provides

the effective rebuttal to the so-called "jealous fear"

of free trade in merchants at the time.

Kirsten Oswald.

A hard Brexit outside the single market threatens to cost

Scotland 80,000 jobs over a decade and cost people

an average of £2,000 in wages.

Can the Secretary of State tell us what action

he will personally take to keep Scotland in the single market

even if the rest of the UK leaves?

Mr Speaker, it's absolutely clear that Scotland cannot be

a member of the single market if it is not a member of the EU,

and the United Kingdom will not be a member of the EU.

The Scottish Government accept that proposition.

What is important is access to the single market, and as

my right honourable friend the Prime Minister set out yesterday,

we aim to achieve the best possible access to that market.

David Amess.

Has my right honourable friend considered the effect

on the Scottish economy

if a further independence referendum is held?

David Amess is the Conservative MP for Southend in Essex.

Mr Speaker, my right honourable friend may be aware that today,

in relation to labour market statistics,

unemployment is up in Scotland, employment is down

and economic activity is down, too,

and I am in no doubt that the uncertainty caused by

the constant reference to an independence referendum

is having an impact on the Scottish economy.

Angus Brendan MacNeil.

Thank you very much, Mr Speaker.

An important part of the Scottish economy is the rural economy,

particularly crofting.

Yesterday I asked the Defra Secretary of State,

after careful thinking and planning,

what exactly would be happening to crofting after 2020.

The Secretary of State said there'd be no cuts to funding,

he didn't think. Is this the case, we will see

no cuts at all to agricultural support in Scotland post-2020?

Will he confirm what he alluded to earlier?

Mr Speaker, the honourable gentleman has already heard me

answer that question and also set out that leaving

the Common Agricultural Policy is an opportunity.

The Common Agricultural Policy has not suited Scotland,

particularly those farming in less favoured areas.

We now have an opportunity

to do something different and we should seize it.

Well, I'm afraid that's all we've got time for.

We will be back with the next Scottish Questions

on Wednesday the 1st of March, so do join us then if you can.

But for now, from all of us here at Westminster, goodbye.