The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Grant on 2015-10-27.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, on how many occasions in each of the last five years officials of his Department have contacted representatives of a foreign government to ask for an account of private meetings or discussions held between representatives of that government and Scottish Government ministers.
Matthew Hancock
Details of discussions with foreign governments are not usually disclosed.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Grant on 2015-11-30.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of privatisation of Channel 4.
Mr Edward Vaizey
The Government wants to ensure Channel 4’s future sustainability and ability to deliver against its remit.
No decisions have been made about Channel 4’s future. The government is looking at a wide range of options, including those proposed by Channel 4’s leadership.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Grant on 2016-03-24.
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what representations he has received from the Welsh Government on the fuel duty rebate scheme.
Guto Bebb
I have received no recent representations.
All areas that met the strict criteria around pump price, population density and the cost of fuel transportation were included in the extension to the rural fuel rebate scheme introduced in April 2015.
There are currently no plans to extend the scheme beyond the qualifying areas.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Grant on 2016-03-24.
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what representations he has received from the Welsh Government on the fuel duty rebate scheme.
Guto Bebb
I have received no recent representations.
All areas that met the strict criteria around pump price, population density and the cost of fuel transportation were included in the extension to the rural fuel rebate scheme introduced in April 2015.
There are currently no plans to extend the scheme beyond the qualifying areas.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Grant on 2016-06-09.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to amend provisions of the Representation of the People Act 1983 relating to the franchise.
John Penrose
As set out in our manifesto for this parliament, the Government will bring forward proposals amending the Representation of the People Act 1985 to remove the outdated 15 year time limit on overseas voting rights. Subject to the necessary Parliamentary approval, we intend to have this fully in place for the next European Parliamentary elections and UK Parliamentary elections in 2019 and 2020, respectively.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Grant on 2016-06-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many families have accessed support from the (a) Child Maintenance Service and (b) Child Support Agency in each (i) parliamentary constituency and (ii) local authority in each of the last three years.
Priti Patel
The attached excel file (PQ40836) provides the number of cases administered by the Child Support Agency (CSA) by (i) parliamentary constituency and (ii) local authority in each of the last three years.
With regard to cases administered by the Child Maintenance Service, the information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.
Notes for the spreadsheet
1. Figures rounded to nearest 10
2. Figures are the number of live cases.
3. Figures are as at December 2013, 2014 and 2015
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Grant on 2016-07-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what guidance her Department has issued to staff working at border controls in UK airports on questions which can and cannot be asked to passengers arriving in the UK with EU passports.
James Brokenshire
Anyone seeking entry or admission to the UK must on arrival establish their nationality and identity, as well as comply with other checks under the Border Force Operating Mandate.
The speech made by Peter Grant, the SNP MP for Glenrothes, in the House of Commons on 20 December 2022.
I am surprised to hear the Minister say that he could not make a statement on this before today, because there was a statement on the Government website on 9 December.
I welcome the fact that we have got an agreement for the North sea that relies heavily on scientific advice. However, although an increase in catch quotas is welcome, certainly for the Scottish fishing industry, we also need seamless access to export markets. So will the Minister listen to calls from the industry for an improved deal for market access to the EU for Scotland’s fishing industry? The all-party group on fisheries recently reported that the fishing industry now takes a “principally negative” view of Brexit. In Scotland, that industry was almost the only voice for Brexit before the referendum. Does the Minister agree with the Scottish White Fish Producers Association Ltd that
“Brexit failed to deliver any benefits of being a coastal state”?
Given that Brexit red tape and paperwork alone cost the UK fishing industry £60 million in just the first 12 months, not including the cost of lost trade, when will the Government recognise the damage that Brexit has done to our fishing communities? When will they compensate them adequately for that loss?
Finally, I note that one big increase in quota is for blue whiting, which has increased by 80%, against the strong wishes of the UK and Scottish Governments, who wanted a more cautious approach on that species. How much of the increased value of this deal for the UK fishing industry relies on that increased quota for blue whiting, which the UK Government fought against?
Mark Spencer
Clearly, this deal is better than what we would have negotiated had we been within the EU. I hear the hon. Gentleman’s comments about market access, and we continue to work with our colleagues in Europe to secure better access to those markets. That is all part of a long-term strategy to negotiate with our friends on the other side of the channel. Clearly, the 30,000 tonnes we were able to negotiate is a significant amount of fish, and better than we would have done as an EU member state.
I also say gently to the hon. Gentleman that this time we have seen increases in cod; in whiting and in saithe in the North sea; in megrims and in anglerfish in the Irish sea; in nephrops in the Irish sea and the Celtic sea; in nephrops in the west of Scotland; and in hake and in spurdog in the western area. I could keep going down the list, but we secured a good deal for the UK. Scotland gets its fair share of that deal, and I would have hoped that he would be more positive, on behalf of his Scottish fishermen, than he has been.
The parliamentary question asked by Peter Grant, the SNP MP for Glenrothes, in the House of Commons on 20 December 2022.
Peter Grant (Glenrothes) (SNP)
What recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of his policies on levels of poverty in Scotland.
The Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury (James Cartlidge)
The Chancellor published the “Impact on households” document alongside the autumn statement 2022, containing analysis of how policy announcements affect household incomes. The results show that the autumn statement decisions on tax, welfare and changes to the energy price guarantee in 2023-24 benefit low-income households across the UK, including Scottish households, the most. The autumn statement announced further support targeted at 8 million of the most vulnerable households across the UK, who will benefit from additional cost of living payments in 2023-24.
Peter Grant
The Joseph Rowntree Foundation found that, by October this year, one in five households in Scotland had already had to go without food or without heat because they could not afford both—and that was before the recent severe cold snap. The JRF also described the Scottish child payment, introduced by an SNP Government, as
“a watershed moment in tackling poverty”.
Does the Minister have any plans to speak to the Scottish Government to find out how the Scottish child payment works so it can be introduced here? Who knows—they might give him some tips on how to avoid a nurse’s strike at the same time.
James Cartlidge
I am, as ever, grateful to the hon. Gentleman for his advice. Of course, we engage closely with the Scottish Government. The latest official statistics from the Department for Work and Pensions, based on data up to 2019-20, show that, compared with 2009-10, there were 55,000 fewer people in absolute poverty after housing costs in Scotland. But I think the key point is that we are supporting everyone in every single part of the UK with their energy bills this winter. It is a challenging time, but our extraordinary help is making a real difference.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Grant on 2015-10-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, on how many occasions officials of his Department have contacted representatives of a foreign government to ask for an account of private meetings or discussions held between representatives of that government and Scottish Government Ministers in each of the last five years.
Mr David Lidington
Foreign policy is reserved to the UK Government. The UK Government recognises the interests of the devolved administrations (DAs) in international policy which touches upon devolved areas. Under the framework of the relevant Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and concordats, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) frequently supports overseas visits by DAs ministers and officials. FCO officials generally attend such meetings overseas and expect the DAs to provide details of any international meetings at which FCO officials were not present. The FCO maintains a broad overview of bilateral relations with all countries.