David Duguid: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent progress he has made on securing the ability of the UK to export seed potatoes to the EU.
David Duguid: What steps he is taking to support the aviation sector.
David Duguid: I thank my hon. Friend for his answer. Has he given any thought to how public service obligations could help support regional airports right across the UK, including in Scotland—such as Aberdeen airport, which serves my constituency—to recover from the covid-19 pandemic?
David Duguid: Will my right hon. Friend inform the House of what engagement he has had—or other UK Departments have had—with the Scottish Government and, in particular, with local authorities in Scotland to ensure that levelling up is truly a levelling-up exercise across the whole of the United Kingdom?
David Duguid: On the UK Government’s plans for transition, may I politely refer the hon. Member, just as a starting point, to the North sea transition deal, the Prime Minister’s 10-point plan for a green industrial revolution, and the energy White Paper?
David Duguid: Perhaps unsurprisingly, I rise to speak against the motion. I declare an interest, although it is not necessarily required, as having been employed in the oil and gas sector for 25 years prior to being elected to this place. [Interruption.] Despite the groans from my hon. Friends, I think that provides me with some context and experience, rather than anything sinister. On behalf of my...
David Duguid: The hon. Member may have some data to back up his claim, but the decision, as was voted for in this House, was to apply the energy cap. Another scheme is the winter fuel payment, which delivers an annual tax-free payment of between £100 and £300 to help to meet heating costs. The £25 cold weather payment was also awarded to 4 million vulnerable households in England, Wales and Scotland in...
David Duguid: I welcome many of the comments the hon. Gentleman makes, representing as he does the southern half of Aberdeen, the oil capital of Europe, but he also refers to the so-called just transition fund of £500 million and the £80 million that has been announced as being on the table for the Acorn project. Does he or the SNP have any detail yet on precisely what any of that money would be spent on?
David Duguid: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to support companies to facilitate the creation of new civil nuclear power in Scotland.
David Duguid: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what funding the Government (a) has provided and (b) is planning to allocate to offshore wind projects in Scotland.
David Duguid: What steps he is taking to ensure a greater share of the UK-EU catch limits for the UK fleet in 2023.
David Duguid: I look forward to continuing to work with the Minister to deliver the best future for Scottish fishermen as we move forward outside the common fisheries policy. Could she provide an estimate of how much the Scottish fishing industry has benefited in 2021 from being outside the CFP and particularly from negotiating as an independent coastal state for the first time?
David Duguid: My hon. Friend makes an excellent point about the cost and financial strife that an independent Scotland would inevitably go through, but does he also agree with me and many others, especially in the business community, about the cost of an independence referendum and how investor confidence would be shaken up by merely having an independence referendum?
David Duguid: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of deploying armed forces personnel to support NHS Grampian in January 2022.
David Duguid: What steps her Department is taking to increase trade with Australia.
David Duguid: Will my right hon. Friend provide a specific description of the protections and safeguards that are in place for farmers, particularly in Scotland, and what recent engagement her Department has had with National Farmers Union Scotland and other Scottish food production trade bodies?
David Duguid: I welcome my right hon. Friend’s response and the Government’s ongoing commitment to support the UK oil and gas sector in their role to drive forward the energy transition to net zero. Will my right hon. Friend join me in welcoming yesterday’s High Court ruling to throw out claims by certain environmental activists that UK Government support for the industry was unlawful?
David Duguid: What steps his Department is taking to increase the supply of lateral flow and PCR covid-19 tests.
David Duguid: Does my right hon. Friend agree that access to the largest testing programme in Europe is just one example of the advantages to the people of Scotland when we adopt a UK-wide approach to shared challenges?
David Duguid: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of increasing the £150,000 threshold to the VAT Flat Rate Scheme in the context of increased costs faced by businesses during the recovery from the covid-19 pandemic.