Oral Answers to Questions

Stephen Gethins Excerpts

Wednesday 6th June 2018 Commons Chamber

[Stuart Andrew]

The UK Government are committed to working with the Scottish Government, the British Transport Police Authority and the police authorities to ensure that the terms and conditions of officers and staff transferring to Police Scotland are maintained. However, this is one of the reasons why there has been a delay. It is important that the staff are properly consulted and we would encourage that to happen.

[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.

[Stephen Gethins]

The UK Government’s own analysis shows how devastating Brexit will be for GDP. That has already been felt with crippling uncertainty—so much so that Mr and Mrs Mitchell of Allanhill farm in my constituency have written to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs wondering whether or not they should plant their crop for 2019, because of the uncertainty about seasonal workers. Will he give them certainty today?

[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.