Relationship between UK and Scottish Governments 2024-09-04
2024-09-04
TAGS
Response quality
Questions & Answers
Q1
Partial Answer
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Context
No specific event prompted the question, but it addresses ongoing issues in intergovernmental cooperation.
What discussions has he had with the Scottish Government on the effectiveness of the relationship between the UK and Scottish Governments?
I congratulate my hon. Friend on winning Glasgow East. The people of Scotland want their two Governments to spend more time fighting for them than fighting each other, which is why resetting the relationship has been a priority for this Government and, indeed, the Prime Minister. I have had numerous productive meetings with Scottish Government Ministers, including the Deputy First Minister. We have had 17 days of visits across Scotland, and seven members of the Cabinet have already visited. There have been dozens of calls between Secretaries of State and Cabinet Secretaries.
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Assessment & feedback
Did not provide specific commitments or action plans beyond mentioning meetings and visits
We Are Committed To Resetting The Relationship
Response accuracy
Q2
Partial Answer
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Context
The Scottish Fiscal Commission has noted that much of the pressure on Scotland's public finances is due to the Government's own decisions.
Scotland's official economic forecaster, the Scottish Fiscal Commission, has said of the Scottish Budget that 'much of the pressure comes from the Scottish Government's own decisions.' Does the Secretary of State agree that the Scottish Government must accept responsibility for the catastrophic state of Scotland's public finances?
My hon. Friend is right; the Scottish Fiscal Commission did say that. While this new Government are cleaning up the mess of the previous Conservative Government, the SNP seems to be cleaning up its own mess. In 2023, Audit Scotland said: 'The Scottish Government's projections suggest that it cannot afford to pay for public services in their current form.' As we have heard, the IFS said this morning that SNP decisions have reduced the tax take rather than increase it.
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Assessment & feedback
Did not explicitly agree or disagree with Scottish Government responsibility
This Is About Treating Taxpayers' Money With Respect
Response accuracy
Q3
Partial Answer
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Context
Age Scotland has warned about the impact of Labour's decision to end the winter fuel payment.
Labour plans to end the winter fuel payment, taking money away from elderly people who have worked all their days. Age Scotland has said: 'At minimum, a quarter of a million pensioners in Scotland on the lowest incomes or living in fuel poverty will no longer receive this vital financial support over the winter months, while hundreds of thousands more on modest incomes are going to struggle.' Labour has cut the winter fuel payment across the UK, and the SNP is doing Labour's dirty work in Scotland. What does the Minister have to say to the 250,000 elderly Scots who are in poverty and struggling with the decisions of Labour and the SNP?
I welcome the shadow Secretary of State to his new post. During the inheritance statement a few weeks ago, the Chancellor set out how the current Government are fixing the foundations and trying to clear up the dreadful legacy left by the Government of which the hon. Gentleman was a member.
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Assessment & feedback
Did not address the impact on pensioners
This Is About Treating Taxpayers' Money With Respect
Response accuracy
Q4
Partial Answer
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Context
Age Scotland has warned about the impact of Labour's decision to end the winter fuel payment.
Labour is taking a leaf from the SNP playbook by refusing to take responsibility for its own actions. This is happening because of choices made by this Labour Government that have been passed on by the SNP in Edinburgh. Labour's election slogan was all about change and, under this Labour Government, pensioners do not seem to have any change to spare. A woman called Lesley told Age Scotland that the winter fuel payment 'is literally a life saver for us.' Another person, Brian, told Age Scotland: 'I would freeze without it, or go hungry.' Is this the change that Labour meant—taking money away from struggling pensioners?
There seems to be no recognition or apology from the shadow Secretary of State for the legacy his party has left this Government to try to clear up. We knew about the massive overspend in public services by the previous Government, and the audit the Chancellor did in her first weekend in office revealed the £22 billion black hole.
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Assessment & feedback
Did not address what was meant by change
We Knew About The Massive Overspend
Response accuracy
Q5
Partial Answer
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Context
The questioner congratulates the Minister and asks about improving relations.
May I add my congratulations to the Secretary of State? I know it has not always been easy and sometimes it has been a lonely path, so I offer my personal congratulations to him on his appointment and to the hon. Member for Midlothian (Kirsty McNeill) on taking her place. I will take the Secretary of State at face value on improving the relationship between the Scottish and UK Governments, but he will be aware of the devastating consequences of the cuts in the winter fuel payment for pensioners in both our constituencies and across Scotland. In order to work better with the Scottish Government, will he do better than giving them just 90 minutes' notice next time?
I welcome the hon. Gentleman back to his place, having won the election for the new constituency of Arbroath and Broughty Ferry. He should look at what the Finance Secretary said in the Scottish Parliament yesterday: she announced half a billion pounds of cuts, including £120 million in health services and £20 million in mental health services, and she has sold the family inheritance by using the ScotWind money to plug the additional funding gaps in the budget.
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Assessment & feedback
Did not address giving more notice
He Should Look At What The Finance Secretary Said
Response accuracy