Question to the Scotland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of increases in the duty on non-draught alcohol on levels of employment in the scotch whisky industry.

Despite the previous government increasing duty by 10.1%, the Scotch Whisky industry employs 11,000 people directly in Scotland, 7,000 of whom work in rural areas. In addition, the industry supports a further 42,000 jobs across the UK, 36,000 of which are based in Scotland. Furthermore, the increases in duty are in line with inflation. I am confident that the sector will continue to offer excellent employment opportunities to people in Scotland, while remaining one of our most successful exports, for years to come.