Oral Answers to Questions

Drew Hendry Excerpts

Wednesday 6th June 2018 Commons Chamber

[Stephen Gethins (North East Fife) (SNP)]

2. What assessment the Government have made of the effect of the UK leaving the EU on the level of growth in the Scottish economy.

[Drew Hendry (Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey) (SNP)]

10. What assessment the Government have made of the effect of the UK leaving the EU on the level of growth in the Scottish economy.

[The Secretary of State for Scotland (David Mundell)]

The Government are undertaking a wide range of ongoing analysis in support of our EU negotiations and preparations. We want our future relationship with the EU to be a deep and special partnership, taking in both economic and security co-operation.

[David Mundell]

The Government have already acknowledged that there will be an ongoing need for a seasonal workers scheme that will support the constituents of the hon. Gentleman, but I thought that he might focus on other constituents, given the report yesterday by the Scottish Government which said that, with Brexit, there will be a huge increase in the number of potential jobs in the fishing industry, which impacts on his constituency, with a £540 million potential boost to the Scottish economy.

[Drew Hendry]

Non-UK EU nationals in Scotland contribute around £4.5 billion annually to the Scottish economy. Both the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and the Prime Minister have failed to rule out an immigration skills charge on companies employing EU nationals in future. Will the Secretary of State oppose any such charge applying in Scotland after the UK leaves the EU—yes or no?

[David Mundell]

The hon. Gentleman knows very clearly that I oppose there being a separate immigration system in Scotland. Scotland has specific issues in relation to immigration, but those issues also arise in other parts of the United Kingdom. When the Government announce their new immigration policy in relation to leaving the EU, I want to see a policy that takes into account the concerns of Scotland and the whole of the United Kingdom.