Business of the House

Debate between Andrew Bowie and Penny Mordaunt

Thursday 22nd September 2022 Commons Chamber

[Penny Mordaunt]

I thank the hon. Lady for raising this important issue. It is a matter for the Department for Work and Pensions, and also for the Department of Health and Social Care. The Secretary of State for the latter Department will be in the House shortly, and the hon. Lady should raise that with her, or in the usual way. However, I shall certainly make sure that both Departments are aware of her concerns.

[Andrew Bowie (West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine) (Con)]

I agree with my right hon. and hon. Friends who have spoken in praise of the extraordinary scenes we have seen over the past two weeks—nowhere more so, of course, than in my constituency of West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine when the world saw the community of Royal Deeside pay tribute to Her late Majesty as she was taken from Balmoral on her final journey. A lot of the ceremony of those two weeks was organised by lords lieutenant across the country, who remain unpaid, so would my right hon. Friend agree to a debate in Government time on the Scottish National party Government’s austerity agenda? It is slashing not only millions of pounds from education in Scotland and from local government in Scotland, but tens of millions pounds from the budgets of the lords lieutenant who play such a crucial role in our national life, as has been proven over the past two weeks.

[Penny Mordaunt]

The Scottish National party is clearly obsessed with issues that are of little concern to the people of Scotland—public services, their ability to access healthcare or get their bins emptied, or any of the other things on which the party is dropping the ball. However, I do think that the services provided—focal points for communities and the link to our royal family—are incredibly important and should be preserved and cherished.