David Duguid: Q You also mentioned that there is a risk that if it were made more difficult for workers from the EU to get to the UK, they could go to Germany or other places where there is similar work.
David Duguid: Q The NFU Scotland president, Andrew McCornick, said—I cannot remember which Committee session it was in—that NFU Scotland is already looking for ways to attract labour from outside the EU. Is that correct?
David Duguid: Q That was a supplementary question to my other question, but my main question is this. We heard on Tuesday repeated accusations from witnesses that some short-term contracts—agriculture was mentioned specifically—run the risk of being exploitative. Can you give us some indication of the work that the National Farmers Union and your members do to make sure that is not the case?
David Duguid: I had heard that it was even higher than that; I think it is 90%.
David Duguid: In line with the Prime Minister’s ongoing commitment to supporting the growth of the fisheries sector outside the common fisheries policy, may I ask my right hon. Friend what discussions he has had with the Prime Minister, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Treasury about future financial support for the sector, and how best to progress with that and invest in...
David Duguid: Seafood processors in Banff and Buchan have raised concerns about the possibility of them requiring ECMT permits if we leave the EU without a deal. What discussions has my right hon. Friend had with the Department for Transport to ensure that hauliers in the seafood sector can continue to transport to the EU27, regardless of the outcome of negotiations?
David Duguid: Does my right hon. Friend agree that it is incumbent on Members across all parties of the House to be clear to all our constituents from the EU that their rights to stay in the UK will be protected, deal or no deal?
David Duguid: My hon. Friend has mentioned the benefits of a child learning a skill and that skill staying with them through adulthood and beyond. Does he agree that there are also social benefits to being part of a school band? I have friends who will be friends for life because they came together with the school band.
David Duguid: Coming from a constituency that is agricultural as well as fishing, I recognise a lot of the concerns that have been raised by National Farmers Union Scotland. Does the hon. Member agree that Andrew McCornick, the president of NFU Scotland, also stated, not in evidence to this Committee but in previous evidence, that he would like the immigration system to open up to employees from outside...
David Duguid: I welcome the Minister’s commitment to engaging around the UK on future immigration policy, particularly during the Easter period, when she will be in my constituency. Does she agree that new clauses 20 and 21 are limited in that they apply only to EEA and Swiss personnel, and that future Government policy would be to introduce a level playing field for anybody, from anywhere, assuming that...
David Duguid: The Scottish Government are demanding additional funding for preparations to leave the EU. Can the Minister confirm that in 2018-19, despite receiving £37 million, the Scottish Government allocated only £27 million for that purpose—a gap of £10 million?
David Duguid: A number of constituents or residents in my constituency have come to me with the kinds of questions that the hon. Gentleman illustrates, and I, with my limited experience—certainly in comparison with his—have been able to clarify a lot of those cases as their Member of Parliament. Is that not something that we should all be doing as Members of Parliament?
David Duguid: To clarify, I was advocating not that Members of Parliament should provide legal advice, but that they should signpost constituents to the relevant guidance on the Government website, for example.
David Duguid: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans his Department has for increasing the number of European Conference of Ministers of Transport permits available to UK hauliers in the event those permits become necessary for British hauliers operating in the EU.
David Duguid: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment his Department has made of the potential for reducing bureaucracy for non-EEA residents seeking to bring family members to the UK.
David Duguid: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether his Department will assess ways in which aspects of the EU Settlement Scheme could inform aspects of the immigration system for non-EEA residents.
David Duguid: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans his Department has to provide financial support to expand the UK fisheries sector following the UK’s departure from the EU common fisheries policy.
David Duguid: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of the potential effect on the public purse of taking into account wind-chill in determining eligibility for cold weather payments.
David Duguid: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what her Department’s policy is on taking into account the windchill factor when determining eligibility for cold weather payments.
David Duguid: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what discussions his Department had had with representatives of the Scottish Government on future financial support for the expansion of the Scottish fisheries sector after the UK leaves the common fisheries policy.