Oral Answers to Questions

John Stevenson Excerpts

Wednesday 26th January 2011 Commons Chamber

[Fiona Bruce (Congleton) (Con)]

4. What assessment he has made of recent trends in business confidence in Scotland.

[John Stevenson (Carlisle) (Con)]

7. What assessment he has made of recent trends in business confidence in Scotland.

[Mike Freer (Finchley and Golders Green) (Con)]

9. What assessment he has made of trends in business confidence in Scotland.

--- Later in debate ---

[Michael Moore]

I welcome my hon. Friend’s comments and reinforce the points made by my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary a moment ago. The priority for economic growth in this country is to cut the deficit of £155,000 million that we inherited from Labour. Cuts in corporation tax, reducing the national insurance burden and keeping interest rates low are important parts of the package.

[John Stevenson]

Given the over-reliance on the public sector in Scotland, does the Secretary of State agree that the Scottish Government should be following the policies of the national Government by encouraging private sector investment and ensuring a balanced economy?