Parliamentary Debates (Hansard)
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Tuesday Volume 647 16 October 2018 No. 189 HOUSE OF COMMONS OFFICIAL REPORT PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES (HANSARD) Tuesday 16 October 2018 © Parliamentary Copyright House of Commons 2018 This publication may be reproduced under the terms of the Open Parliament licence, which is published at www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright/. 479 16 OCTOBER 2018 480 Kingdom by dint of leaving the rest of the UK, with House of Commons which Scotland does four times as much trade as it does with the rest of the EU, so I would call for a bit of Tuesday 16 October 2018 consistency from the hon. Gentleman. Patrick Grady: This is just nonsense. Does the Secretary The House met at half-past Eleven o’clock of State not accept that, by definition, the best possible relationship with the European Union has to be membership and therefore that leaving the single market PRAYERS and ending the freedom of movement of goods, services and people will inevitably be bad for business? Can he [MR SPEAKER in the Chair] offer any reassurances at all to the 134,000 Scottish workers whose jobs the Fraser of Allander Institute estimates are reliant on trade with the EU? Oral Answers to Questions Greg Clark: The proposals have been warmly welcomed by businesses across the country, including in Scotland, because they would allow us to continue what are successful trading arrangements without frictions. BUSINESS, ENERGY AND INDUSTRIAL STRATEGY Gavin Newlands: In its Brexit risk assessment, Airbus said that if the UK left the EU without a deal, that The Secretary of State was asked— “would lead to severe disruption and interruption of UK production” and Leaving the EU: Business Growth in Scotland “would force Airbus to reconsider its investments in the UK, and its long-term footprint in the country”. 1. Peter Grant (Glenrothes) (SNP): What assessment What steps is the Secretary of State, along with the he has made of the effect on business growth in Scotland wholly united Cabinet, taking to ensure that more firms of the UK leaving the EU internal market. [907070] do not depart Brexit Britain? 17. Patrick Grady (Glasgow North) (SNP): What assessment he has made of the effect on business growth Greg Clark: We need to make sure that we have a in Scotland of the UK leaving the EU internal market. negotiated deal along the lines of the proposals made in [907087] the White Paper that have been welcomed by the manufacturing industry in all parts of the UK. 23. Gavin Newlands (Paisley and Renfrewshire North) (SNP): What assessment he has made of the effect on 22. [907093] Stephen Kerr (Stirling) (Con): One of the business growth in Scotland of the UK leaving the EU effects of leaving the European Union is that Scottish internal market. [907094] businesses will not have access to patient capital from the European Investment Bank, so will my right hon. The Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Friend take the time to review the industry panel’s Strategy (Greg Clark): Reaching a good agreement with response to the patient capital review, which highlights the European Union will have a positive effect on the need for a patient capital investment vehicle? With business growth in Scotland and in every other part of only a few changes, the British Business Bank could the United Kingdom. In Green GB Week, it is important become such a vehicle. to highlight the huge clean growth opportunities in Scotland in a sector that supports tens of thousands of Greg Clark: My hon. Friend is right. Part of the jobs and brings £11 billion into Scotland’s economy. industrial strategy is about making more patient capital available in Scotland and all across the UK for growing Peter Grant: Yesterday, AstraZeneca joined a long businesses, of which he has many in his constituency. line of major UK employers that have put investment plans on hold because of Brexit uncertainty.The Governor James Heappey (Wells) (Con): Does the Secretary of of the Bank of England has indicated that, even before State agree that our membership of the internal energy we leave, Brexit has already cost £900 per UK household. market is not necessarily conditional on our membership Does the Secretary of State agree with the Governor’s of the wider single market? Does he agree that we estimate? If he does not, what is his estimate of what would be better off were we to remain within the Brexit has cost us to date? internal energy market, with all the energy security advantages that that brings? Greg Clark: The hon. Gentleman’s point underlines why it is important that we secure a positive deal, and Greg Clark: My hon. Friend anticipates some the implication of that analysis is that if we do secure negotiations that will need to take place on our future that deal, as I hope and expect that we will, there will be economic partnership. Suffice it to say, however, that we a substantial upside for the economy.The hon. Gentleman have a mutual interest in the interconnection between is interested in the negotiations because they provide the UK and the continent, and it is strongly in the us with access to European markets, but it is a matter interests of consumers in this country and on the continent of record that the Scottish National party wants to that the ability to trade over those interconnectors take Scotland out of the internal market of the United should continue. 481 Oral Answers 16 OCTOBER 2018 Oral Answers 482 Andrew Bowie (West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine) is in the industrial strategy, to give consumers in the UK (Con): Has my right hon. Friend made any assessment and around the world ultimate confidence in the quality of the impact on business growth in Scotland if it left and safety of UK-manufactured goods in the future? the UK’s internal market? Kelly Tolhurst: I thank my hon. Friend for his question, Greg Clark: It would be disastrous. The value of and I absolutely agree. Consumer product safety is a exports from Scotland to the rest of the UK is £45.8 billion, key part of our industrial strategy. The Government are compared with around £12.5 billion to the rest of the determined to maintain a strong safety regime, and EU, so anyone who, like me, is interested in being able consumers can be confident that consumer protections to trade without frictions should apply their own analysis already based in EU law will be retained. We want to their own policy of pulling out of the UK. robust systems that identify unsafe products, share information and make sure that the checks at our Drew Hendry (Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and borders and ports are right. Strathspey) (SNP): Scotland’sfinancial sector has described the prospect of a no deal Brexit as “horrific”. Does the Andy Slaughter (Hammersmith) (Lab): I am glad that Secretary of State agree that to protect businesses and the Government now take product recall seriously. They to stay in the single market and the customs union the certainly did not in the case of the 5 million Whirlpool resignations of the Secretary of State for Scotland and tumble dryers, many of which are still in our constituents’ Ruth Davidson are a price well worth paying? homes. More catch fire every week, destroying peoples’ properties and putting their lives at risk. What will the Greg Clark: I hope that the hon. Gentleman supports Minister do about those? the Government’sdetermination to ensure that the integrity of the whole United Kingdom is guaranteed by the Kelly Tolhurst: I thank the hon. Gentleman for his negotiation. He suggests that the consequences of no question; he raises an extremely important point. The deal would be negative; of course they would. That is Office for Product Safety and Standards is already why we are doing everything we can, with increasing reviewing Whirlpool’s recall programme. Some 1.7 million confidence, to secure a positive deal with the rest of the dryers have been replaced or maintained under the European Union. I hope he will support that. programme. We are keeping it under review, and we will report once that review has taken place. Electrical Product Recall Maggie Throup (Erewash) (Con): I welcome my hon. 2. Carolyn Harris (Swansea East) (Lab): What recent Friend to her new role. I also welcome the Government’s assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the recent steps to improve the recall process. However, as electrical product recall regime. [907071] the hon. Member for Hammersmith (Andy Slaughter) said, tumble dryers continue to be a leading cause of The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Business, devastating house fires, as happened to my constituent Energy and Industrial Strategy (Kelly Tolhurst): In March, in Long Eaton just last week. Will my hon. Friend look we published the first Government-backed code of practice at what more can be done to improve the recall process, on recalls, and we have trained almost 300 trading and more importantly, what more can be done to improve standards professionals on its use. The Office for Product the rights of consumers who have purchased faulty Safety and Standards is working with UK manufacturers products? and importers to ensure that their recall plans and processes are adequate. Kelly Tolhurst: I thank my hon. Friend for her question and express my condolences to her constituent over that Carolyn Harris: Electrical Safety First tells me that horrific incident. the successful product recall rate for electrical goods is I assure my hon. Friend that the new Office for abysmally low, so why are the Government not doing Product Safety and Standards takes this issue seriously.