Asked by: Andrew Bowie (Conservative - West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he plans to enable UK Government support of local authorities in Scotland under the provisions of the UK internal market Bill.
Answered by Chloe Smith
The UK Internal Market Bill includes a power that will enable the UK Government to spend on infrastructure, economic development, culture, sport, and to support educational and training activities and exchanges both within the UK and internationally. Much of this was previously done at EU level.
The power means that we can provide funding to organisations to deliver investments for these purposes, including local authorities. But responsibilities for delivering public services in areas of devolved competence remain with devolved administrations.
Asked by: Andrew Bowie (Conservative - West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what financial support his Department has allocated to the Scottish Government to support local authorities with local covid-19 lockdowns.
Answered by Steve Barclay - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
To help the Scottish Government manage their coronavirus response, the UK government made an unprecedented upfront funding guarantee on 24 July. This guarantees the Scottish Government will receive at least £6.5bn in additional resource funding this year on top of the funding set out at the Spring Budget.
Since matters of local government are a devolved responsibility, it is for the Scottish Government to decide how much of this funding they use to support Scottish local authorities.
Asked by: Andrew Bowie (Conservative - West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the cost to the public purse of full surveillance of a convicted terrorist after release from prison.
Answered by James Brokenshire
For security reasons we do not disclose the breakdown of counter-terrorism police funding for specific capabilities.
The Government is committed to supporting our superb police, security and intelligence agencies, who work round the clock to keep us safe.
That is why the Government increased resources to the intelligence community in the 2015 Spending Review. By 2021, the security and intelligence agencies will have invested an additional £2.5bn in their capability to deliver against national security priorities.
Asked by: Andrew Bowie (Conservative - West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what mechanisms are in place to prevent the UN conventional arms embargo on Iran from expiring in October 2020.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
The UK remains committed to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPoA), a reciprocal deal that lifts sanctions in exchange for tough nuclear limits. Iran has broken the nuclear limits in the JCPoA and we are working to bring Iran back into compliance through the deal's Dispute Resolution Mechanism.
UNSCR 2231, which underpins the JCPoA, includes a number of clauses designed to allow sanctions to expire on fixed dates: the UN conventional arms embargo is due to expire in October 2020. We are consulting partners on the implications of the expiry of the UN arms embargo for Iran and wider regional security. We note that other sanctions regimes will remain in force, such as UNSCRs 1540, 1701, and 2216 which prohibit the proliferation of weapons to Lebanese Hizballah and the Houthis. The UK encourages all states to implement national export control best practice in support of these regimes. The EU arms embargo and UN ballistic missile restrictions on Iran will also remain in place until 2023.
Asked by: Andrew Bowie (Conservative - West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
What steps his Department is taking to support the oil and gas sector.
Answered by Kwasi Kwarteng
I have been in almost daily contact with the sector to support them through this crisis. Last week I attended the Oil and Gas Authority’s Maximising Economic Recovery Forum with industry leaders to discuss the challenges posed by COVID-19, and the sector’s recovery.
We have also committed to delivering an oil and gas Sector Deal during this Parliament.
Asked by: Andrew Bowie (Conservative - West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what steps his Department has taken with other Government Departments to develop UK fishing policy for when the transition period ends.
Answered by David Duguid
Under the devolution settlement, fisheries policy is largely a devolved matter, however, I and my Department are in regular contact with Defra and other government departments to ensure that Scottish fishing interests have been and continue to be clearly represented. The Transition Period will not be extended. At the end of this year, for the first time in 40 years, we will be free to decide who can access our waters and on what terms.
Asked by: Andrew Bowie (Conservative - West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what steps officials in his Department have taken with officials in (a) other Government departments and (b) the Scottish Government to ensure that Fisheries Protection Scotland is fully prepared to prevent illegal incursions into UK waters around Scotland after the UK has left the Common Fisheries Policy.
Answered by David Duguid
Fisheries protection and enforcement is a devolved matter in Scotland but the UK Government is very aware that its effectiveness is dependent upon close cooperation between the fisheries protection and other maritime security functions of the UK Government, the Scottish Government, the Welsh Government and the NI Executive. Officials in the Office of the Secretary of State for Scotland have helped facilitate that close cooperation.
Asked by: Andrew Bowie (Conservative - West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what discussions his Department has had with the Ministry of Defence on ensuring there is no further reduction of the military footprint in Scotland.
Answered by Alister Jack - Secretary of State for Scotland
I and my officials are in regular contact with the Ministry of Defence to discuss the military footprint in Scotland. I am pleased that RAF Lossiemouth and Faslane are collectively receiving around £1.5bn of investment which demonstrates the UK Government’s long term commitment to having a significant military presence in Scotland.
Asked by: Andrew Bowie (Conservative - West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of including directors of small and medium limited companies who draw their income through dividends in eligibility for the Self Employment Income Support Scheme.
Answered by Jesse Norman
Those who pay themselves a salary through their own company are eligible for the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS). The CJRS is available to employers, including owner-managers, and individuals paying themselves a salary through a PAYE scheme are eligible. Where furloughed directors, including companies with a sole director, need to carry out particular duties to fulfil their statutory obligations, they may do so provided it is no more than would reasonably be judged necessary for that purpose.
Dividends are not covered by the CJRS or the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS). Income from dividends is a return on investment in the company, rather than wages. Under current reporting mechanisms it is not possible for HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) to distinguish between dividends derived from an individual’s own company and dividends from other sources, and between dividends in lieu of employment income and as returns from other corporate activity.
The Government has worked with stakeholders and carefully considered the case for providing a new system for those who pay themselves through dividends. However, targeting additional support for those who pay their wages via dividends is much more complex than existing income support schemes. Unlike announced support schemes, which use information HMRC already holds, it would require owner-managers to make a claim and submit information that HMRC could not efficiently or consistently verify to ensure payments were made to eligible companies, for eligible activity.
The Government has heard the suggestion made that HMRC could adopt a ‘pay now, claw back later’ approach. However, such an approach would be highly resource-intensive to ensure appropriate compliance, and there is a high risk that incorrect or fraudulent payments could not be recovered, ultimately at the cost of UK taxpayers.
The Chancellor of the Exchequer has said there will be no further extension or changes to the SEISS or CJRS. However, other support is available. The CJRS and SEISS continue to be just two elements of a comprehensive package of support for individuals and businesses. This package includes Bounce Back loans, tax deferrals, rental support,?increased levels of Universal Credit, mortgage holidays, and other business support grants. More information about the full range of business support measures is available at www.gov.uk/government/collections/financial-support-for-businesses-during-coronavirus-covid-19.
Asked by: Andrew Bowie (Conservative - West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what steps his Department has taken with the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy to progress the Oil and Gas Sector Deal.
Answered by Alister Jack - Secretary of State for Scotland
My Department works closely with the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy on a range of issues in support of the oil and gas sector in Scotland.
The oil and gas industry is important to our economy, energy security and jobs. That is reflected in the Conservative Manifesto commitment of 2019 to work with the sector on a transformational sector deal.
Discussions around an offshore oil and gas industry Sector Deal are ongoing and will build on Government’s existing extensive engagement with the sector.
While there is no formal timescale for concluding a sector deal we recognise the challenges facing the sector from the collapse of the oil price and the operational challenges posed by COVID-19. The sector deal has the potential to play an important role in the recovery of the sector.
This is a whole of Government approach and my Department will be appropriately involved in the process.