Wednesday Volume 567 11 September 2013 No. 48 HOUSE OF COMMONS OFFICIAL REPORT PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES (HANSARD) Wednesday 11 September 2013 £5·00 © Parliamentary Copyright House of Commons 2013 This publication may be reproduced under the terms of the Open Parliament licence, which is published at www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright/. 959 11 SEPTEMBER 2013 960 as a member—put out their opinion, but nothing is House of Commons more certain than John Swinney’s opinion. The fact that he has said that there is a worry about this should Wednesday 11 September 2013 tell us everything we need to know about the pensions issue. The House met at half-past Eleven o’clock Mr Jim Hood (Lanark and Hamilton East) (Lab): Does the Secretary of State plan to have a word with his PRAYERS right hon. Friend the Leader of the House on making Government time available for the House to discuss the reports and analysis? If he cannot get the time, may I [MR SPEAKER in the Chair] suggest that he allows the Scottish Grand Committee to have those debates? Speaker’s Statement Michael Moore: Without being impertinent to the 11.34 am hon. Gentleman, the old ones are the best. I know how keen he has been on the Scottish Grand Committee, Mr Speaker: The House will wish to know that Nigel although I think that he is a fairly lone voice in that Evans has formally resigned as Deputy Speaker, and regard. I agree that it is important that we have proper I have received his letter of resignation with sadness. I debates, in whatever forum, about all the issues. The wish to thank Nigel for his three years of service to the Scottish Affairs Committee is working through the House as Deputy Speaker, in which he has proved to be papers and taking evidence from me, my right hon. highly competent, fair and good humoured. He has Friend the Under-Secretary of State and others. The been a loyal and valued member of the team of Deputy House can decide when we get a chance to debate that, Speakers who assist me in chairing our proceedings. I which I hope we will. am warmly grateful to him. I will make an announcement about arrangements for the election by the House of a Angus Robertson (Moray) (SNP): Whitehall’s “Project new First Deputy Chairman of Ways of Means when Fear” papers are looking at welfare, so will the Secretary the House returns in October. of State confirm whether those working on the paper have listened to any advice from the United Nations envoy, Raquel Rolnik? She says that the bedroom tax is Oral Answers to Questions “shocking” and should be scrapped. Does the Secretary of State believe that the bedroom tax is a benefit of the Union? SCOTLAND Michael Moore: I have not read the details of the report, but I hope that the hon. Gentleman will recognise that, through welfare reform, we are focused on tackling The Secretary of State was asked— an escalating welfare bill in very tight financial Scotland Analysis Programme circumstances. What we are trying to do is tackle the mismatch for different families in different accommodation. 1. Graeme Morrice (Livingston) (Lab): When the We need to look carefully at the implementation, which Government plan to publish the next paper of their is what my right hon. Friend the Under-Secretary and I Scotland analysis programme. [900183] are doing. On welfare, the hon. Gentleman’s party commissioned a report on that earlier this year in The Secretary of State for Scotland (Michael Moore): relation to an independent Scotland. It complained that The Government are committed to ensuring a well-informed it does not have some founding principles for an independent debate ahead of the Scottish referendum and have Scotland and so could not really say very much about it. already published five analytical documents covering a I wonder whether he can update us on any progress. range of economic and other issues. Future papers from the Scotland analysis programme will be published over Angus Robertson: The views of the UN envoy have the course of 2013 and 2014. been very well reported. She visited both Glasgow and Edinburgh and said that the bedroom tax affects Graeme Morrice: I thank the Secretary of State “the most vulnerable, the most fragile, the people who are on the for that answer. With the Scottish Finance Minister, fringes of coping with everyday life”. John Swinney, admitting in his leaked memo that the The Secretary of State did not answer my question, so I affordability of state pensions would need to be examined will ask it a second time: does he believe that the in the light of separation, does the Secretary of State bedroom tax is a benefit of the Union—yes or no? agree that a future paper should focus on pensions in an independent Scotland? Michael Moore: We will look carefully at the report, but as I said earlier, we are making some very difficult Michael Moore: I certainly agree with the hon. Gentleman decisions in the context of an escalating welfare bill at a that pensions are an issue that people across the country time of real financial stringency. However, we have been are very engaged in and concerned about, and that looking carefully across Scotland at how this is being includes what an independent Scotland might mean for implemented. My right hon. Friend the Under-Secretary them. They have heard experts, such as the Institute of and I have met or talked with all the councils in Scotland Chartered Accountants of Scotland—I declare an interest and the main housing associations. We have put additional 961 Oral Answers11 SEPTEMBER 2013 Oral Answers 962 resources into tackling the spare room subsidy issue Michael Moore: As one of my hon. Friend’s neighbouring and will go across the country again to listen to people, MPs, I recognise the importance of Hexham and north as we will do for the rest of the year. Northumberland. As he knows, in a farming context and in so many other ways, any kind of legal border Rural Economy between Scotland and England would be an absolute disaster—not just for our constituents, but for all the 2. Mr Alan Reid (Argyll and Bute) (LD): What recent United Kingdom. assessment he has made of the performance of the rural economy in Scotland. [900184] Mr Mike Weir (Angus) (SNP): Is the Secretary of State aware of the recent report on the effect of the Irish The Secretary of State for Scotland (Michael Moore): Government’s reduction of VAT on tourism-related Scotland’s rural economy remains a key focus for the businesses to 9%, creating around 10,000 jobs and a Government. In addition to our support for the economy ¤40 million boost to the Exchequer? As 24 other EU as a whole, we have, among other things, abolished the countries already charge less VAT on hotel accommodation fuel duty escalator, provided funds for rural broadband than the UK, will he press the Chancellor to take and set up the coastal communities fund. similar action and give a real boost to the rural economy? Mr Reid: I thank the Secretary of State for that Michael Moore: The hon. Gentleman always makes answer. Many of my constituents are expressing concern serious points on behalf of his constituents. I appreciate that a privatised Royal Mail will try to wriggle out of its that what he has asked about is a consistent theme of universal service obligation to deliver mail to every the tourism sector, and the Chancellor will no doubt house and collect from every postbox in the country regard it as an early bid for next year’s Budget measures. every day at a fair, affordable price. Will the Secretary of However, the hon. Gentleman would be more convincing State assure my constituents that the Government will if he brought along a costed example of how an never abandon the universal service obligation or allow independent Scotland would do such a thing. a privatised Royal Mail to water it down in any way? Michael Moore: The legislation is clear. We have John Thurso (Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross) legislated for a six-day universal service obligation and (LD): My right hon. Friend will be aware that a major only an affirmative resolution of the House could change contributor to the rural economy is the ability to send that. I highlight to my hon. Friend the fact that the goods around the country. In the north highlands, Government have ended the rural post office closure sending packages by courier services comes at extreme programme. We have introduced a groceries code cost; the companies charge more than for the rest of the adjudicator and cut income tax bills for low and middle- mainland. My hon. Friend the Member for West income families throughout rural Scotland and the rest Aberdeenshire and Kincardine (Sir Robert Smith) will of the country. No Government have ever done more present his excellent private Member’s Bill on Friday. for the rural economy in Scotland. We are committed to What more can the Secretary of State do to ensure that a stronger economy and fairer society in all parts of courier charges for remote areas are in line with those the UK. for the rest of the mainland? Sandra Osborne (Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock) (Lab): Michael Moore: My hon. Friend and my hon. Friend The Minister of State is well aware that rural east the Member for West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine Ayrshire has been devastated, with hundreds of job (Sir Robert Smith) have been campaigning sensibly on losses and up to £160 million of restoration work the issue and raising important points.