UK Internal Market
Bill: Devolved Administrations
(Paisley and Renfrewshire North) (SNP)
What recent discussions he has had with the devolved
Administrations on the United Kingdom Internal Market Bill.
(Glasgow North) (SNP)
What recent discussions he has had with the devolved
Administrations on the United Kingdom Internal Market Bill.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Business, Energy
and Industrial Strategy ()
The Government have sought to engage constructively with the
devolved Administrations throughout the passage of the United
Kingdom Internal Market Bill. The recent fruits of that
continuing commitment include several amendments tabled by the
Government strengthening a role for the devolved Administrations.
Of course, Rolls-Royce operates its own internal
market in which plant is often set against plant, but more and
more it relies on third-party suppliers rather than on in-house
manufacture. Inchinnan has already seen some 700 jobs go, and
despite favourable production stats, we now know that there will
be further redundancies, with the aero shafts line closing and
work being transferred to Derby, as well as other UK
Rolls-Royce jobs being offshored to Spain. The
Scottish Government’s Rolls-Royce working group
was set up to protect jobs at Inchinnan. If the Government’s
power-grabbing Bill is passed, will the Minister ensure that the
Government will work with the Scottish Government to protect
Scottish Rolls-Royce jobs?
The hon. Gentleman talks about grabbing powers back, but Scotland
will be gaining powers in more than 100 areas that are at the
moment controlled by the EU. Of course we will continue to work
with important industries such as the aerospace sector and with
companies such as Rolls-Royce to protect jobs.
Those of us who are paying attention will have seen that the
House of Lords has passed amendments to the UKIM Bill to try to
salvage what might be left of the devolution settlement, which
the Government have explicitly rejected. If Members look at the
Order Paper, they will see that it states:
“The Scottish Parliament and Senedd Cymru have each decided not
to approve a Legislative Consent Motion relating to this Bill.”
How is this respecting the devolution settlement? This Government
legislated to protect Sewel on statute, but now they are riding
roughshod all over it.
The Sewel convention envisages situations such as this, where the
UK Parliament may need to legislate without consent. We regret
the fact that the Scottish Parliament has chosen to do that, but
the Bill is essential for protecting businesses and citizens
across Scotland, and across the whole of the UK, as the
transition period ends.
(Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey) (SNP)
Since the Scottish Parliament was reconvened in 1999, Scottish
productivity has rocketed by more than a third, way above the 24%
for the UK as a whole. Our Parliament has been a gift to
business, whether under Scottish National party or Labour and
Liberal Governments. This Bill extends Westminster’s bony hand
into the control of devolved spending across health, food safety,
the environment and much more. Is it too late for a festive
miracle, with a Tory Minister actually listening to the wise men
and women across Scottish society, industry, organisations and
law and in Scotland’s democratically elected Parliament and
Government, and scrapping this assault on Scotland’s democracy
and business productivity?
Spending powers in the UK internal market are in addition to the
spending that the Scottish Government already make. These are
issues that have up to now been dealt with by the EU, and we will
continue to work with the devolved Administrations throughout
this process.
The Minister talks about spending powers. This Bill allows UK
Ministers to control spending in the devolved areas of economic
development, infrastructure, cultural activities, regional
development, education, water, power, gas, telecoms, railways,
health, housing and justice. Given the track record of the
Tories, for Scotland this really is the nightmare before
Christmas. Can he see why, after 16 opinion polls in a row,
Scottish people do not want his rotten gifts but instead are
looking to protect their Parliament and their rights through
Scotland becoming a normal independent nation?
I regret that the Scottish Government have not continued their
discussions with the UK Government about an internal market Bill
specifically, whereas they have continued them on the common
frameworks. On the United Kingdom Internal Market Bill, we have
made amendments in the other place that reflect conversations
with the Welsh Senedd and Northern Ireland Assembly. I just wish
the Scottish Government would come back with productive
conversations so that we can push this through and give certainty
for business.
