Part of Portfolio Question Time – in the Scottish Parliament at on 2 October 2024.
Jim Fairlie
Scottish National Party
I absolutely agree, and the Scottish National Party is the only party in Scotland to advocate for rejoining the EU, not least to remove the harms from Brexit, such as the one that Clare Adamson has highlighted.
The new immigration rules have imposed a minimum salary for veterinarians, who now require skilled worker visas. That obviously adds costs and will potentially impact on recruitment.
Although we continue to work across the Government, we also continue to call for negotiation between the EU and the UK on a veterinary and sanitary and phytosanitary agreement, which would remove many Brexit barriers and, therefore, benefit our businesses and consumers. It is our view that any such agreement should be comprehensive—it should be broad and deep—because that would offer the most benefits for Scotland. Indeed, one study undertaken by Aston University estimates that such an agreement could increase agri-food exports from the UK to the EU by at least 22.5 per cent.
However, it is vital that devolved Governments are central to any negotiations. Therefore, as always, we stand ready to work collaboratively to achieve the best possible results for Scottish consumers and businesses. I hope that the UK Government is minded to do the same.
Question Time is an opportunity for MPs and Members of the House of Lords to ask Government Ministers questions. These questions are asked in the Chamber itself and are known as Oral Questions. Members may also put down Written Questions. In the House of Commons, Question Time takes place for an hour on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays after Prayers. The different Government Departments answer questions according to a rota and the questions asked must relate to the responsibilities of the Government Department concerned. In the House of Lords up to four questions may be asked of the Government at the beginning of each day's business. They are known as 'starred questions' because they are marked with a star on the Order Paper. Questions may also be asked at the end of each day's business and these may include a short debate. They are known as 'unstarred questions' and are less frequent. Questions in both Houses must be written down in advance and put on the agenda and both Houses have methods for selecting the questions that will be asked. Further information can be obtained from factsheet P1 at the UK Parliament site.
