I take this opportunity to congratulate Humza Yousaf on becoming Scotland's new First Minister. I look forward to working with him. I heard him say that he wanted to put the independence drive into “fifth gear”; I would gently remind him that most Scots actually want him to put it into reverse and to work with the United Kingdom to tackle the issues that really matter to them, such as cost of living pressures and growing our economy. The devolution settlement gives Scotland the best of both worlds. Scotland benefits from the wide influence and economic strength of the UK, while also enjoying considerable devolved powers in vital areas such as health, education and justice to tailor policies to meet the needs of people in Scotland.

This is an important point and has had a lot of airtime in the media in Scotland. I can say to the hon. Lady that, while officials and civil servants spoke to one another over a period of time, the official request to Ministers came in the inter-ministerial group meeting, which the Under-Secretary of State for Scotland was at, on 6 March. That is all minuted. It is a fact, it is on the record and there is no question. The UK Government have published it. The official request was on 6 March. I would also say that the Scottish Government proceeded with a deposit return scheme that small businesses, consumers and others are very concerned about. Even the chief executive of Tesco said yesterday that it is not the right scheme and it is not fit for purpose.

Let us be absolutely clear about this: the letter the hon. Gentleman refers to was a letter to the Chancellor about value added tax treatment of the deposit return scheme. The letter mentioned that an exemption request would be coming forward, but the official request was made on 6 March—there is no question about that—and the detailed arguments were laid out on 6 March at the ministerial meeting.

I am not sure that there has been much joined-up thinking on the questions here. Again, I have suggested that the deposit return scheme should be paused. I think a UK-wide solution is right; I think recycling is absolutely right. But I agree with the chief executive of Tesco, Britain's largest retailer, when he says that this is not the right scheme—it will be inflationary. As I have said before at this Dispatch Box, 12 bottles of Scottish water currently cost £1.59 in Aldi, but under the scheme, that would become £3.99 or even higher if a price is put on top. Although £2.40 of that could be reclaimed, the consumer will also pay an extra cost that is put on by the producer—producers have been clear about that.

Not only did Humza Yousaf fail in the transport brief but, as we know from his opponent, who took almost half the vote—48%—he also failed in his other briefs of justice and health.

At the moment, we are in discussions with the Scottish Government about a review of the fiscal framework. That review has been in train for some time, and the conclusions will be coming shortly.

Yes. Section 35 exists to stop a Bill going for Royal Assent if it has adverse effects on GB-wide legislation, and the Secretary of State agrees that this demonstrates the effectiveness of devolution arrangements when used as intended.

There is precedent for political parties voting in new leaders who then assume office, including previous changes in Prime Ministers. The Secretary of State defends the change and suggests it would be hypocritical to call for an election now.

This is a serious issue, and the Secretary of State will organize a meeting with the Health Secretary at the earliest opportunity to address the matter urgently for David Williamson and others seeking life-saving treatments.

Opportunities for derogations exist but do not work when different schemes in various parts of the UK have conflicting requirements. The Secretary of State cited plastic cutlery as an example where a derogation was allowed to align with the rest of the UK.

The Secretary of State referred to comments by Tesco's chief executive about the need for a single solution to recycling problems across the UK, citing consistency in the drinks industry.