Stuart McDonald: Under the Bill, this Parliament will retain an incredibly broad power to legislate on devolved matters, even without the Scottish Parliament’s permission. Why is that, and will the Secretary of State provide examples of when he thinks such action would be appropriate?
Stuart McDonald: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions he has had with the Royal Bank of Scotland on plans to close further branches; and if he will make a statement.
Stuart McDonald: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if the Government will take steps to prevent further closure of branches of the Royal Bank of Scotland pending a review of such closure.
Stuart McDonald: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will commission an independent review of the Government's stake in the Royal Bank of Scotland.
Stuart McDonald: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will ensure that any review of the Government's stake in the Royal Bank of Scotland (a) includes representation and consultation with all stakeholders and (b) assesses the costs and benefits of all available options, including alternatives to reprivatisation.
Stuart McDonald: The Secretary of State claims over and again that the way to tackle the crisis in the Mediterranean is by breaking the link between travel and settlement. Is that the reason behind the Government’s unbelievable decision to scale down our capacity to undertake search and rescue operations in the Mediterranean? Does she not recognise that that decision will cost lives and should be reversed?
Stuart McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assistance and advice his Department plans to make available to small businesses seeking to comply with Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008 on classification, labelling and packaging of substances and mixtures.
Stuart McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, for what reasons HMS Enterprise has been selected to replace HMS Bulwark on migrant search and rescue operations in the Mediterranean; and when that decision was made.
Stuart McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the decision to replace HMS Bulwark with HMS Enterprise on capacity to rescue migrants from the Mediterranean.
Stuart McDonald: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment HM Revenue and Customs has made of the potential economic effect on Cumbernauld of moving its office there to a new regional West of Scotland campus in or around Glasgow, as proposed in Building our Future - Continuing the Conversation - Phase 2.
Stuart McDonald: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what weight HM Revenue and Customs plans to give to the potential economic effect on towns where tax offices are sited of the establishment of regional centres under Building our Future - Continuing the Conversation - Phase 2 when making a decision on that programme.
Stuart McDonald: What estimate she has made of the number of jobs in Scotland supported by the renewable energy industry.
Stuart McDonald: Of course, it is not only existing jobs that will be affected by the Government’s short-sighted policy on onshore wind; the opportunity to create further highly skilled and well-paid jobs will also be affected, perhaps even more so. As the Minister of State said, around 19,000 people owe their livelihoods to the UK’s onshore wind industry, but according to RenewableUK, that figure could...
Stuart McDonald: My hon. and learned Friend, who has enjoyed a distinguished career as a lawyer, has rightly welcomed large parts of Mr Anderson’s report. Does she, like me, but perhaps unlike the right hon. and learned Member for Beaconsfield (Mr Grieve), share the concerns of many lawyers across the UK that the rule of law and, indeed, the proper administration of justice may be undermined if the...
Stuart McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential effect on nursing staff of new immigration rules relating to settlement applications; and if she will place a copy of that assessment in the Library.
Stuart McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department takes to monitor the safety of people who have been removed or deported from the UK after their asylum application has been refused (a) on the basis that internal relocation to avoid persecution would be possible and (b) for other reasons.
Stuart McDonald: Like everybody in our community, I was shocked and deeply saddened to hear that Jim and Ann McQuire, a much loved couple from Abronhill in Cumbernauld had lost their lives during the mindless violence in Tunisia. By all accounts they were an extremely kind and considerate couple and were due to attend the Holyrood Palace garden party this Wednesday in recognition of lifetime service to the...
Stuart McDonald: It truly is an honour and a privilege to make my maiden speech as the new MP for Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East. I grew up there, I have family roots there and I will always be grateful to my fellow citizens for putting their faith in me to represent our constituency here in Parliament. As hon. Members across the House will know, the first few weeks of life as an MP give rise to...
Stuart McDonald: The Secretary of State rightly acknowledged that the situation in Calais is closely linked with the refugee crisis in the Mediterranean. We know that many of the people camped in Calais are from war-torn countries such as Syria. Do the Government not recognise therefore that, by participating in significant resettlement of refugees from Syria, cutting out the criminal gangs and providing the...
Stuart McDonald: rose—