Oral Answers to Questions

Bambos Charalambous Excerpts

Wednesday 9th September 2020 Commons Chamber

[Iain Stewart]

First, may I extend my sympathy to the hon. Gentleman for his family’s loss? There are so many examples where families are grieving because of the loss of loved ones. He raises a devolved matter, and I know that Scotland’s Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport is looking at what caused this situation and that there will be an inquiry into it. This Government stand ready and we do help the Scottish Government in increasing testing capacity so that these instances are not repeated.

[Bambos Charalambous (Enfield, Southgate) (Lab)]

What steps his Department is taking to assess the effect on the Scottish economy in the event that the UK does not reach a deal with the EU by the end of the transition period.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Scotland (Iain Stewart)]

We left the EU on 31 January, and negotiations for a future trade partnership are ongoing. Over time, the economic benefits of departing from EU law will clearly offset any short-run and often hypothetical problems, and those benefits will be felt both in Scotland and across the UK.

[Bambos Charalambous]

Yesterday’s admission by the Northern Ireland Secretary that the Internal Market Bill would be breaking international law will make many countries question the trustworthiness of the UK’s trade negotiations and the reliability of any deals. What impact does this Minister think that will have on the Scottish economy?

[Iain Stewart]

I simply point the hon. Gentleman to the development today that will help the UK join the trans-Pacific trade partnership, which will benefit companies in Scotland and across the whole UK.