Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between John Lamont and Allan Dorans

Wednesday 16th November 2022 Commons Chamber

[Richard Thomson (Gordon) (SNP)]

4. If he will make an assessment with Cabinet colleagues of trends in the level of trust in the UK Government in Scotland.

[Allan Dorans (Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock) (SNP)]

5. If he will make an assessment with Cabinet colleagues of trends in the level of trust in the UK Government in Scotland.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Scotland (John Lamont)]

There are no current plans to do so. However, trust is important, and I hope that Members opposite share my concerns at the use of inaccurate or misleading statistics covering energy and health by the SNP Government in Edinburgh.

[John Lamont]

The Prime Minister has been clear about the need to rebuild trust and to put the public above politics. We will act with integrity, professionalism and accountability at every level of Government. The hon. Member refers to the social attitudes survey, but I would suggest that the figures from the survey that should cause that the SNP most concern are the falling levels of satisfaction with the SNP-run NHS in Scotland. Two thirds of Scots, 66%, believe that the standard of the NHS has fallen in the past 12 months. The priority of the SNP should be the NHS, not another independence referendum.

[Allan Dorans]

Allowing former Prime Ministers to fill the Lords with their friends, funnelling public funds to cronies during a pandemic, crashing the economy and debasing and embarrassing this Parliament by allowing a sitting Member to appear in a reality TV programme—is it any wonder that the people of Scotland do not trust the Conservative Government? Does the Minister think that trust in the Government is low because of this, or is it distrust in the Westminster system itself?