Ms Annabelle Ewing: Will the hon. Gentleman give way?
Ms Annabelle Ewing: Will the hon. Lady give way?
Ms Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many disabled people have found regular consistent employment under the Government's New Deal for Disabled People since its inception, broken down by nation and region in the UK; and what percentage the Scottish number represents of the total number of disabled people in Scotland.
Ms Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many (a) special advisers and (b) press officers were employed (i) full-time, (ii) part- time and (iii) on a contract basis by her Department in each year since 1992.
Ms Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will estimate the number of staff employed by her Department by region and nation of the UK; and if she will make a statement.
Ms Annabelle Ewing: rose—
Ms Annabelle Ewing: These provisions will not apply to Scotland if Government amendments Nos. 63, 64 and 67 are agreed tonight. I sincerely hope that those amendments are passed because, as a Scottish National party Westminster MP, I believe that the best place to consider legislative changes to Scots law is in the Scots Parliament. [Hon. Members: "Hear, hear."] I thank hon. Members on both sides of the House...
Ms Annabelle Ewing: The hon. Gentleman is correct to say that the Scottish Parliament passed a so-called Sewel motion, introduced by the Scottish Executive on 15 November. Under that motion, most of the responsibility for considering huge swathes of important changes to Scots law, including Scots criminal law, was passed to Westminster, but, in fact, on this matter, an eleventh-hour agreement seems to have been...
Ms Annabelle Ewing: I shall respond briefly to the Minister. As I said earlier, I fully support the amendments. Whereas the two other matters that form the subject of the retained powers dealt with by the Sewel motion in the Scottish Parliament were clearly not to be covered by the Bill, why was this third issue initially included in the Bill as applying to Scotland but, at the eleventh hour, magically deemed...
Ms Annabelle Ewing: With whom would the hon. Gentleman plan to twin Western Isles in that case?
Ms Annabelle Ewing: Will the hon. Lady give way?
Ms Annabelle Ewing: Will the Minister give way?
Ms Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the immigration status is of persons who are graduates of UK universities and holders of non-EU passports who have been invited to take up employment in the UK within the field of their educational background.
Ms Annabelle Ewing: I was interested to hear the hon. Gentleman's list of Government proposals, which he says will make a difference to the plight of people suffering in rural Scotland. Do the Government propose to reduce fuel duty? Scotland has the highest fuel duty in the industrialised world, and that has a devastating impact on the whole of Scotland.
Ms Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) special advisers and (b) press officers were employed (i) full time, (ii) part time and (iii) on a contract basis by his Department in each year since 1992.
Ms Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the total amount of spending by his Department was in each nation and region of the UK, in the last year for which figures are available; what proportion of his Department's total spending this constitutes; and if he will make a statement.
Ms Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the total expenditure was on (a) advertising, (b) polling, (c) focus groups, (d) design consultants, (e) caterers, (f) production of departmental publications and (g) photographs/photographers by her Department for each year since 1995 in (i) cash and (ii) real terms; what was (A) the annual percentage increase in spending on each...
Ms Annabelle Ewing: I congratulate the hon. Member for Bassetlaw (John Mann) on securing the debate. Fortunately, the foot and mouth outbreak did not reach as far as my constituency in Scotland. None the less, the outbreak had a devastating impact on access. Tourism is vital to my constituency and its economy because one of its attractions is the beautiful mountainous countryside. Hotels experienced a dramatic...
Ms Annabelle Ewing: What the Government policy is on Scottish Executive requests to participate in United Kingdom delegations to the EU and other international forums; and if she will make a statement.
Ms Annabelle Ewing: I thank the Minister for his answer. Taking the European Union as an example, can he clarify whether the pitiful 12 per cent. participation rate on the part of Scottish Executive Ministers in EU Councils since devolution, which is about the same rate as pre-devolution, represents a 12 per cent. limit on the number of meetings that Scottish Executive Ministers have sought to attend, or whether...