Results 1-20 of 781 for speaker:Fiona O'Donnell

Public Bill Committee: Finance Bill: Clause 178 - Rates of alcoholic liquor duties (13 June 2013)

Fiona O'Donnell: I got a slight fright there when I thought the Minister talked about a duty on innkeeping, then I realised it was in keeping. This is not just about whisky manufacturers, it is about whisky drinkers in this country. Does the Minister understand that there is a sense of unfairness that their favourite tipple is being taxed so much more heavily than beer?

Public Bill Committee: Finance Bill: Clause 178 - Rates of alcoholic liquor duties (13 June 2013)

Fiona O'Donnell: The Minister said that the previous Labour Government had planned such an increase in due course. Does he acknowledge the fact that the previous Government, which had planned to increase duty on whisky, listened to the industry and froze it instead?

Public Bill Committee: Finance Bill: Clause 178 - Rates of alcoholic liquor duties (13 June 2013)

Fiona O'Donnell: I would like to refer to my notes, because I am not exactly clear what percentage is exported, but my hon. Friend the Member for Airdrie and Shotts said that 80% comes to England, so if we add on however much we consume in Scotland—I am sure it is not a great deal—it is a significant proportion in terms of Scotland’s balance of payments, and its ability, willingness and...

Public Bill Committee: Finance Bill: Clause 178 - Rates of alcoholic liquor duties (13 June 2013)

Fiona O'Donnell: I am grateful for my hon. Friend’s intervention. It may be whisky, but it is not Scotch whisky, and that is the distinction. The Irish also produce their own whiskey. The answer to the hon. Member’s question about exports is that in the five years to 2012, the volume of Scotch whisky exported increased by 10% from 1.1 billion to 1.2 billion bottles a year. The volume of UK sales...

Public Bill Committee: Finance Bill: Clause 178 - Rates of alcoholic liquor duties (13 June 2013)

Fiona O'Donnell: Perhaps I could point out to the hon. Lady that there are several forms of pasty, but that did not prevent me from welcoming the U-turn on Cornish pasties recently.

Public Bill Committee: Finance Bill: Clause 178 - Rates of alcoholic liquor duties (13 June 2013)

Fiona O'Donnell: Before my hon. Friend descends any more, forgets the valleys and becomes a real city slicker, when he talks about fairness, does he understand that whisky drinkers are now paying 48% more duty than beer drinkers? Although I wish the beer industry a healthy future, there is a sense of a lack of fairness on this issue.

Public Bill Committee: Finance Bill: Clause 178 - Rates of alcoholic liquor duties (13 June 2013)

Fiona O'Donnell: Will my hon. Friend give way?

Public Bill Committee: Finance Bill: Clause 178 - Rates of alcoholic liquor duties (13 June 2013)

Fiona O'Donnell: Will my hon. Friend also speak about the benefit to the UK economy, because a quarter of UK food and drink exports is the Scotch whisky market?

Public Bill Committee: Finance Bill: Clause 178 - Rates of alcoholic liquor duties (13 June 2013)

Fiona O'Donnell: My hon. Friend is making a powerful speech in support of the Scotch whisky industry. She almost answered the point that I was going to raise. It is important that the Government do not act alone. We need co-operation at European level, which is why the Scotch Whisky Association is engaging on this matter and recently attended a conference in Rome, to press the case against food and drink fraud.

Public Bill Committee: Finance Bill: Clause 178 - Rates of alcoholic liquor duties (13 June 2013)

Fiona O'Donnell: I hope that the drop in beer duty will make a difference to the future of the pub industry, particularly in rural areas such as mine, which may have lost their community hall, meaning that the pub is absolutely the centre of the community. It is a meeting place for people moving into the area and it prevents social isolation. I hope that the change makes a difference and that the Treasury...

Public Bill Committee: Finance Bill: Clause 178 - Rates of alcoholic liquor duties (13 June 2013)

Fiona O'Donnell: I am very grateful to the hon. Gentleman for his intervention. As he often does, he speaks with such sense and tolerance on the issue. He makes the case that we are better together and that Scotland is better able to promote itself and grow its industries in the Union. Of course, England is a major exporter for Scotland. Why would we erect a barrier between Scotland and our biggest market and...

Public Bill Committee: Finance Bill: Clause 178 - Rates of alcoholic liquor duties (13 June 2013)

Fiona O'Donnell: I am surprised; I know my hon. Friend quite well, but I had no idea her knowledge of the whisky industry was so extensive. I will have to catch up with her later to find out when she has had the opportunity to conduct that research. It is absolutely clear that the rise in duty will impact on sales for Scotland in the rest of the United Kingdom. The hon. Member for Nuneaton spoke about how the...

Public Bill Committee: Finance Bill: Clause 177 - Fuel duties: rates of duty and rebates from 1 April 2013 (13 June 2013)

Fiona O'Donnell: Can I tell my hon. Friend that I also live in and represent a very rural constituency? My constituents, who are seeing their living standards go down and down under this Government, feel no sense of gratitude, especially not for an increase in VAT to 20%.

Public Bill Committee: Finance Bill: Clause 177 - Fuel duties: rates of duty and rebates from 1 April 2013 (13 June 2013)

Fiona O'Donnell: Will the Minister clarify which party was in office when the fuel duty escalator was first introduced?

Public Bill Committee: Finance Bill: Clause 177 - Fuel duties: rates of duty and rebates from 1 April 2013 (13 June 2013)

Fiona O'Donnell: Perhaps I can give the Minister an update from the latest unemployment statistics for East Lothian: long-term unemployment in my constituency is up 13% on the year, while long-term youth unemployment is sticking at the same level, which is hardly a record for him to be proud of.

Public Bill Committee: Finance Bill: (Except clauses 1, 3, 16, 183, 184 and 200 to 212, schedules 3 and 41 and certain new clauses and new schedules) - Clause 91 - Charge to tax (13 June 2013)

Fiona O'Donnell: Households in my constituency have been told they will have to move out of their houses because they have an unoccupied bedroom. Will the Minister help me to explain to those households that it is not okay to say to someone living in a house with a value of over £2 million that they need to do their bit to bring down the deficit as well?

Public Bill Committee: Finance Bill: Clause 91 - Charge to tax (13 June 2013)

Fiona O'Donnell: My hon. Friend is, as ever, making a thoughtful and informed contribution to the debate. Does she agree that the complexity of dealing with stamp duty is greater now that the power has been devolved to the Scottish Parliament?

Public Bill Committee: Finance Bill: Clause 91 - Charge to tax (13 June 2013)

Fiona O'Donnell: The hon. Gentleman’s analysis is absolutely right: too much money was lent to people in an unsustainable way. Will he give me some examples of when his party in opposition called for action to change that situation?

Opposition Day — [2nd Allotted Day] — Protecting Children Online (12 June 2013)

Fiona O'Donnell: Does my hon. Friend also think that ISPs have a vested interest in that regard? If adults had to opt in to view adult sites and pornography, that would almost certainly have an impact on business and the number of people choosing that option.

Opposition Day — [2nd Allotted Day] — Protecting Children Online (12 June 2013)

Fiona O'Donnell: I usually open my remarks by saying that I am grateful to have the opportunity to speak in a debate. Today, I do not have that feeling. I raised my children in an age when we did not have to worry about the issues under discussion and when protecting children was far more straightforward, but I am conscious that my grandchildren are growing up in a very different world. I congratulate the...