It was a pleasure on my return as a Minister to attend the hon. Gentleman's Select Committee, which he chairs so well. This is part of stage 2 of our wider consultation under our review of electricity market arrangements.

We have one of the most remarkable records in renewable energies. China is the only country that has built more offshore wind than us, and we are at the forefront of cutting-edge technologies such as fusion, hydrogen, and carbon capture.

I am very clear that Scotland is better served by being at the heart of a strong United Kingdom. The spending figures of the Scottish Government are very clear, in terms of their dependency on Scotland being part of the UK to support vital public services like the NHS, schools and the transport network.

The Barnett consequentials formula is long established. It gives a clear framework, through which we can understand spending in the devolved nations. The hon. Gentleman will know that it means higher per-person funding in each of the devolved nations than in England.

According to the Holtham review, Wales required an extra 15%, but the UK Government provided 20%. Despite this, thousands of people are waiting more than two years for treatment, indicating poor management by Welsh Labour.

I think almost nothing that the hon. Gentleman has just said could possibly be deemed helpful in trying to bring the two sides together, achieve a pause, get the hostages out, get aid in and achieve a sustainable ceasefire. Therefore, I am afraid I am unable to offer any reassurance on any of the points he made.

We are doing a lot for people, including increasing the national living wage by £1,800 and benefits by 6.7%, worth £470 a year.

The Government lent in to try to ensure that everyone who was entitled to the funding was able to receive it. Now that the scheme has closed, the money will return to His Majesty's Treasury.

I find that a very curious question. If the hon. Member is proud of Scotland's natural resources, why does he want to cancel North sea oil and gas exploration, which is the very thing that can give families across the United Kingdom security from the energy shocks we have seen from things such as the invasion of Ukraine?

The CfD programme has driven prices down over time to enormous effect, by 70% since they started, which is much more than people expected. I would be happy to take the hon. Gentleman's particular point away but overall this is a successful programme, and our annual auction changes will also make a difference.

They always say independence will sort the problems. Scotland is not building hospitals on the islands because the Scottish Government are squandering the most generous settlement they have had since devolution began.

My hon. Friend is right, and he is right to champion those industries that are working so hard to decarbonise already. As my hon. Friend says, we have the net zero hydrogen fund, which will provide up to £240 million by 2025 to support the development and construction of new low-carbon hydrogen production plants, which will be able to assist in cement as well as other industries.

My last conversations were at the NATO Foreign Ministers meeting with Türkiye and at the OECD meeting in Paris with Hungary. Both engagements involved discussing Sweden's potential membership.

His constituents will have received the £200 in addition to the £400 through their electricity supplier. The small minority who do not have an electricity supply will be able to apply on the portal very soon, resulting in the same net effect as seen in Northern Ireland where each person has received £600 of direct subsidy.

I am very confident that for all fishing communities across the United Kingdom it is this Government who are delivering best. I am clear that none of the fishing communities in Scotland wishes to go back into the common fisheries policy, which the SNP advocates.

That is exactly why we are taking difficult decisions to give this country a high-skill, high-wage economy—measures that the Scottish National party opposed at every step.

The hon. Gentleman's constituency faces particular challenges due to its rurality and island population. Much roll-out is driven by the Scottish Government's R100 programme, which has had issues we are assisting with. We keep a close eye on this to ensure every part of our country is covered.

The EU remains a vital trading partner for the UK, with total trade in goods and services between the UK and the EU worth £652.6 billion in the year to June, up by 18% compared to previous years.

It is good to engage with the Chair of the Select Committee. The Department has missed him and his questioning of international trade policies.

The hon Gentleman refers to the rural fuel relief scheme targeted at locations with higher than average fuel prices. Extending this might lead to unintended consequences like people driving further for cheaper fuel.

I am sure that if the hon. Gentleman does a bit of research, he will see that it is actually quite a complicated picture. It is good to see Northern Ireland growing back quickly: with a larger proportion of the economy in Northern Ireland based on the public sector, and with the phenomenal support that the Chancellor has put in, that is to be welcomed. We want to see Northern Ireland's economy growing; it was struggling before covid. We are making sure to put that support in, but I have to say that that would be even easier were it not for the protocol, which is preventing some of the Chancellor's measures from benefiting the people of Northern Ireland.

As I have already set out, the export support service, which we launched at the end of last year, is there to support those SMEs that have experienced technical issues when trading with the EU. Many of those issues have now been resolved, and we are helping businesses to deal with them. We are also helping those SMEs in all our constituencies that are considering exporting for the first time to look at how they can discover markets within the EU, across the wider European nations and in the rest of the world.

The hon. Gentleman has raised a pertinent point and it is on my agenda to discuss with him in an upcoming meeting.

CPTPP is not doing damage and our accession to it is opening up markets. I work closely with all kinds of professional bodies, including those looking at patents, intellectual property and so forth. These are key sectors where we want to break down barriers to trade.

That story might be true in terms of how some people in the United States feel, but it is a false narrative. These are two entirely separate issues. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State will be discussing the issue of steel and other matters next week with her opposite numbers in the United States, but we not do ourselves any favours if we perpetuate these false narratives. They are entirely separate issues. I again encourage the hon. Gentleman and his party to start talking about what the UK has done to protect peace on the island of Ireland, and our reasonable request to the EU. He might also like to talk to his American friends about what the EU has done to disrupt that, including triggering article 16 on the most sensitive of goods—vaccines. We have acted in good faith. We will do more to tell America that we have acted in good faith and are determined to be pragmatic, and Lord Frost is going to do that.

We are working for every corner of our United Kingdom, backing British businesses. We are supporting Scottish jobs as much as those in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, at a time when the SNP wants to cut itself off from its largest market, the British internal market. The truth is that the SNP is anti-trade. Not only does it want to cut itself off from the United Kingdom, but it does not back any trade deal with anyone.

According to the figures I have seen, Orkney Scottish Island cheddar could see its duty reduced by two thirds. There will also be an important new opportunity for fish feed exporters to export tariff-free to Norway—previously high tariffs on fish feed slashed to nought.

My colleague Lord Frost is clear that we need to see pragmatism from the EU to resolve this issue. The hon. Gentleman does not seem to acknowledge that the parts of the world where we are striking deals, whether Asia-Pacific with the comprehensive and progressive agreement for trans-Pacific partnership or countries such as India and those in the Gulf, are the fast-growing parts of the world. He is living in a static past; we are living in a dynamic future.

We are urging the United States to desist from any more tit-for-tat tariffs disputes, including in respect of a digital services tax. We think that the best way to resolve the issue is through the process that the Chancellor is leading at the OECD. We are in further discussions with the United States not just to end the Airbus tariff dispute but to work with the United States at the G7 to challenge unfair practices in the global trading system by countries such as China.

The Chairman of the Select Committee understands that a lot of the economies we are talking about are fast-growing. We want to be in a position, in 2030 to 2040, to make sure that the UK has deep relationships with some of the fastest-growing parts of the world, like CPTPP, the United States and places where our exports are currently growing faster than they are for the EU. I would also point out to him that it is Lord Frost and the Cabinet Office who are responsible for negotiating and working with the EU.

We are firmly committed to upholding our high environmental, food safety and animal welfare standards now that we are outside the EU. We can also go further on trade, including recently opening new opportunities for fish by securing approval from Brazil for seven new British fisheries facilities.

Respecting the devolution settlement, UK Government negotiates trade deals on behalf of the whole UK while consulting devolved administrations. Since May, I have met Minister Ivan McKee six times, and we hold quarterly forums for trade discussions involving devolved representatives. Our aim is to negotiate best possible deals while including voices from Scotland and other devolved regions.

I can absolutely say that we are not grabbing powers; we are using the powers that were previously in the hands of the European Union to create a strong internal market across the United Kingdom. That it is vital, because Scottish farmers need to be able to sell their lamb and beef into England, Wales and Northern Ireland without impediment.

I can absolutely give the hon. Gentleman that assurance, and I point out that NFU Scotland sits as part of our Trade and Agriculture Commission, looking at future trade policy.

The hon. Gentleman makes a very fair point. One of the things the UK should look at, for future infrastructure and shared prosperity, is building that interconnector.