Asked by: Martin Docherty-Hughes (Scottish National Party - West Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many businesses in West Dunbartonshire constituency (a) applied for, (b) received support from and (c) did not receive support from the Energy Bill Relief Scheme.
Answered by Amanda Solloway
The Energy Bill Relief Scheme (EBRS) provides a discount on the wholesale element of gas and electricity bills to ensure that all eligible businesses in Stockport, who receive their energy from licensed suppliers, are protected from excessively high energy costs over the winter period. The EBRS discount is applied directly to the energy bills of eligible businesses by their energy providers and therefore we do not have a breakdown of support received by location or sector. The new Energy Bill Discount Scheme (EBDS) will run from April 2023 until March 2024 and continue to provide a discount to eligible businesses.
Asked by: Martin Docherty-Hughes (Scottish National Party - West Dunbartonshire)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the contribution of the Scotch Whisky industry to the tourist industry in (a) Scotland and (b) the UK.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Shadow Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology
Research by VisitBritian found that 82% of international respondents said that ‘a good variety of food and drink to try’ is a key driver when selecting a destination for an international break. This is why the UK’s unique food and drink experiences are a key pillar of their international marketing campaigns and PR activity.
The whisky industry is recognised as the UK’s largest single food and drink sector, accounting for 25% of the UK’s food and drink exports and 80% of Scottish food and drink exports, impacting 200 markets worldwide. The whisky sector generates £3.3 billion directly to the UK economy, and totals £5 billion when Gross Value Added (GVA) is added to the overall to UK Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Research by VisitScotland found that 20% of respondents stated they visited awhisky distillery on their holiday in Scotland, making it one of the top activities for overnight tourists on their trip to Scotland.
Visits to whisky distilleries in Scotland have increased by two thirds since 2010, and over 1000 people are now directly employed in tourism roles which equates to 10% of the industry’s direct employment in Scotland.
Asked by: Martin Docherty-Hughes (Scottish National Party - West Dunbartonshire)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the Scotch Whisky industry’s investment in the UK economy in the last five years.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Shadow Secretary of State for Defence
The Government is unable to speculate on the content of the Spring Budget, which takes place on 15 March. When setting alcohol duty rates through the usual Budget process, the Government aims to balance the impact on businesses with its public health objectives, and to ensure that the public finances are on a sustainable footing.
Any impacts from changes to the duty rates made at the Spring Budget 2023 will be set out in the Tax Information and Impact Notes published following the Budget.
The spirits industry, including Scotch Whisky, has benefitted from spirits duty being cut or frozen for nine out of the last ten fiscal events. Spirits duty is now at its lowest level in real terms since 1918. In addition to this, on 19 December the Government extended the current alcohol duty freeze by six months to align with the implementation of the alcohol duty reforms and reduce the impact of the duty changes on businesses.
Asked by: Martin Docherty-Hughes (Scottish National Party - West Dunbartonshire)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of changes in alcohol duty rates from 1 August 2023 on inflation.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Shadow Secretary of State for Defence
The Government is unable to speculate on the content of the Spring Budget, which takes place on 15 March. When setting alcohol duty rates through the usual Budget process, the Government aims to balance the impact on businesses with its public health objectives, and to ensure that the public finances are on a sustainable footing.
Any impacts from changes to the duty rates made at the Spring Budget 2023 will be set out in the Tax Information and Impact Notes published following the Budget.
The spirits industry, including Scotch Whisky, has benefitted from spirits duty being cut or frozen for nine out of the last ten fiscal events. Spirits duty is now at its lowest level in real terms since 1918. In addition to this, on 19 December the Government extended the current alcohol duty freeze by six months to align with the implementation of the alcohol duty reforms and reduce the impact of the duty changes on businesses.
Asked by: Martin Docherty-Hughes (Scottish National Party - West Dunbartonshire)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment with Cabinet colleagues of the impact of scotch whisky distilleries on (a) the local economy and (b) communities in Scotland.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Shadow Secretary of State for Defence
The Government is unable to speculate on the content of the Spring Budget, which takes place on 15 March. When setting alcohol duty rates through the usual Budget process, the Government aims to balance the impact on businesses with its public health objectives, and to ensure that the public finances are on a sustainable footing.
Any impacts from changes to the duty rates made at the Spring Budget 2023 will be set out in the Tax Information and Impact Notes published following the Budget.
The spirits industry, including Scotch Whisky, has benefitted from spirits duty being cut or frozen for nine out of the last ten fiscal events. Spirits duty is now at its lowest level in real terms since 1918. In addition to this, on 19 December the Government extended the current alcohol duty freeze by six months to align with the implementation of the alcohol duty reforms and reduce the impact of the duty changes on businesses.
Asked by: Martin Docherty-Hughes (Scottish National Party - West Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential effect of the Government’s immigration policies on (a) Scotland’s population and (b) labour shortages in Scotland.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
Our points-based system works for the whole of the UK by welcoming people to fill skills gaps, support our public services and boost our economy.
Furthermore, the Shortage Occupation List also includes occupations which are in shortage and are specific to Scotland, such as chemical scientists and Gaelic teachers.
Immigration policy cannot, however, be a complete solution to population movements within the UK or labour shortages. The Scottish Government has levers at its disposal to address these issues more effectively.
Asked by: Martin Docherty-Hughes (Scottish National Party - West Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans he has to increase his Department's outreach to the Brazilian agricultural Ministry MAPA for the purposes of streamlining import processes for UK exports, including whisky and gin.
Answered by Baroness Prentis of Banbury
The Government is committed to boosting the UK’s agri-food export capability and growth around the world. Recognising the potential of the Brazilian market for UK agri-food exports, DEFRA is currently recruiting a new Agriculture, Food and Drink Attaché for Brazil. This new role will strengthen our agri-food engagement with the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture, working directly with officials in Brazil to broaden market access and boost UK agri-food exports. This includes supporting the continued growth of whisky and gin exports to Brazil, which is now a top 20 market for UK exports of these commodities.
Asked by: Martin Docherty-Hughes (Scottish National Party - West Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what her Department’s plans are to support Scotch whisky exports to China (a) in general and (b) through supporting continued adherence to a high whisky standard in domestic regulation.
Answered by Mike Freer
UK food and drink, including Scotch whisky, is renowned worldwide for its quality and provenance. In 2021, whisky was the highest value UK food and drink export to China and amounted to £200.1m. The UK government’s agriculture, food and drink counsellor in China works closely with the Scotch Whisky Association and whisky companies to promote whisky in China. This includes supporting the protection of intellectual property and whisky tasting and educational events and promotions, including via digital media. Our success is built on our strong domestic standards and the quality and safety of our products.
Asked by: Martin Docherty-Hughes (Scottish National Party - West Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps her Department is taking to help support British businesses trying to secure hard currency in Nigeria.
Answered by Mike Freer
Increasing and promoting trade with Nigeria is a priority for the UK Government. Total trade in goods and services between the UK and Nigeria was £3.5 billion last year (ending Q3 2021), an increase of 1.9% or £65 million from the previous year. At the most recent bi-annual UK-Nigeria Economic Development Forum government to government dialogue, held on 26 April, Ministers from both countries agreed to start a working group to discuss how to enhance the bilateral trading relationship.
Officials are working to support British business access foreign exchange facilities through the Economic Development Forum and the associated Finance and Financial Services Working Group.
From 2016 to 2021 UK exports of spirits to Nigeria increased by 92.1%. DIT continues to offer a wide range of support for British alcohol and spirit producers wishing to export into Nigeria. Through our work, import adjustment tax is now no longer applicable on Scotch Whisky exports to Nigeria.
Asked by: Martin Docherty-Hughes (Scottish National Party - West Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what the Government's plans are to increase trade with Nigeria; and what recent assessment she has made of the potential for an enhanced trade partnership with Nigeria along the lines of the partnership proposed for Brazil.
Answered by Mike Freer
Increasing and promoting trade with Nigeria is a priority for the UK Government. Total trade in goods and services between the UK and Nigeria was £3.5 billion last year (ending Q3 2021), an increase of 1.9% or £65 million from the previous year. At the most recent bi-annual UK-Nigeria Economic Development Forum government to government dialogue, held on 26 April, Ministers from both countries agreed to start a working group to discuss how to enhance the bilateral trading relationship.
Officials are working to support British business access foreign exchange facilities through the Economic Development Forum and the associated Finance and Financial Services Working Group.
From 2016 to 2021 UK exports of spirits to Nigeria increased by 92.1%. DIT continues to offer a wide range of support for British alcohol and spirit producers wishing to export into Nigeria. Through our work, import adjustment tax is now no longer applicable on Scotch Whisky exports to Nigeria.