Oral Answers to Questions

Martyn Day Excerpts

Wednesday 11th January 2023 Commons Chamber

[Angela Crawley (Lanark and Hamilton East) (SNP)]

8. Whether he has made a recent assessment of the impact of the UK leaving the European Union on Scotland.

[Martyn Day (Linlithgow and East Falkirk) (SNP)]

9. Whether he has made a recent assessment of the impact of the UK leaving the European Union on Scotland.

[Alyn Smith (Stirling) (SNP)]

11. Whether he has made a recent assessment of the impact of the UK leaving the European Union on Scotland.

--- Later in debate ---

[Mr Jack]

This Government respect democracy. We respect the outcome of referendums. There was a referendum in 2014 on Scottish independence. We respected the result; the Scottish National party has not. In 2016, the United Kingdom, which we are all part of, voted to leave the European Union, and we delivered on that.

[Martyn Day]

A report from the Nuffield Trust has found that Brexit is worsening NHS workforce challenges, particularly the recruitment of specialities. Trade barriers have driven up costs and made shortages of medicines and medical devices worse in the UK than in Europe. Why should the people of Scotland suffer worse health outcomes as a consequence of a Brexit they did not vote for?

[Mr Jack]

I would say that the people of Scotland are suffering worse health outcomes because of the incompetence of the Scottish Government to run the health system. Regarding NHS recruitment, I further add that we have a points-based system. It creates flexibility and allows us to deal with the skills gap, and a points-based system was the former policy of the Scottish National party.