Asked by: Brendan O'Hara (Scottish National Party - Argyll and Bute)
Question to the Scotland Office:
What discussions he has had with the Prime Minister on the proposals of the Scottish Government to introduce a Scottish visa.
Answered by Alister Jack - Secretary of State for Scotland
The Government has made clear we are devising a new system that helps address those challenges, but have no plans to devolve immigration.
The new system will recognise the needs of all the nations and regions of the UK, including Scotland.
Asked by: Brendan O'Hara (Scottish National Party - Argyll and Bute)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what estimate his Department has made of the number of people employed (a) directly, (b) in the supply chain and (c) in the tourism industry as a result of the Scottish whisky industry.
Answered by David Mundell
The Scottish whisky industry makes a significant contribution to employment in Scotland and the wider UK. The latest Scotch Whisky Association GVA figures (2014-2016) show that the industry directly supports employment of 10,540 and a further 21,860 jobs in the supply chain. The industry also contributes to the wider Scottish tourism sector.
Asked by: Brendan O'Hara (Scottish National Party - Argyll and Bute)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what estimate he has made of the economic contribution of the Scotch whisky industry to the (a) Scottish and (b) UK economy.
Answered by David Mundell
The Scotch whisky industry makes a valuable contribution to both the Scottish and the overall UK economies. The latest Scotch Whisky Association GVA figures (2014-2016) show that Scotch whisky contributes £4.7 billion per annum to the Scottish economy and £4.9 billion to the UK economy as a whole.
Asked by: Brendan O'Hara (Scottish National Party - Argyll and Bute)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what estimate he has made of the number of jobs that are supported by the Scotch whisky industry in (a) Scotland and (b) the UK.
Answered by David Mundell
The Scotch whisky industry is a valuable contributor to employment in Scotland and across the UK. The latest Scotch Whisky Association GVA figures (2014-2016) show that the industry supports 36,850 jobs across Scotland and 40,190 across the UK as a whole.