Oral Answers to Questions Debate

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Department: Cabinet Office

Oral Answers to Questions

Sarah Dines Excerpts
Wednesday 1st July 2020

(4 years, 4 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Karl McCartney Portrait Karl MᶜCartney (Lincoln) (Con)
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What steps his Department is taking to strengthen the Union.

Sarah Dines Portrait Miss Sarah Dines (Derbyshire Dales) (Con)
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What steps his Department is taking to strengthen the Union.

Paul Bristow Portrait Paul Bristow (Peterborough) (Con)
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What steps his Department is taking to strengthen the Union.

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Iain Stewart Portrait Iain Stewart
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My hon. Friend is right to highlight the considerable powers that are being devolved to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, but England has also seen significant devolution and that is a process that continues with further deals in the pipeline and the Government’s commitment to a White Paper on devolution in England. I suggest that devolution has given Scotland the best of both worlds: localising decision making, but being able to access the collective resources of a strong United Kingdom.

Sarah Dines Portrait Miss Dines
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More than 60% of Scottish exports go to the rest of the UK. That represents three times more than the rest of the EU. Does my hon. Friend agree that, as we emerge from this pandemic, trade between all four of the home nations is going to be critical not only to Scotland, but to the rest of the UK?

Iain Stewart Portrait Iain Stewart
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My hon. Friend is absolutely right to highlight these figures. We do not need the barriers and division that separation would bring, nor do we need the reckless talk of effectively closing the border when tourism in Scotland needs all the help it can get.