Speeches by McNeill.

“At the election, Scotland was offered a choice—the politics of protest or the politics of progress. It chose the latter, and the result is a Budget that protects working people in Scotland and delivers more money than ever before for Scottish public services. That is what change looks like. The hon. Member for Edinburg…”

“I will make some progress. The Budget ensured the largest real-terms Budget settlement for the Scottish Government in the whole history of devolution, with an additional £1.5 billion for the Scottish Government to spend this financial year and an additional £3.4 billion next year. It means that the Scottish Government …”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Ms Vaz. I begin by congratulating my hon. Friend the Member for Livingston (Gregor Poynton) on securing this debate on the impact of the autumn Budget on Scotland, and on his very dogged advocacy on behalf of those in his constituency who need the East Calder medical c…”

“I am going to make progress. The Budget secured billions for Scotland; the SNP voted against it. It delivered a pay rise for 200,000 of the lowest-paid Scots; the SNP voted against it. It ended Tory austerity; the SNP voted against it. The simple fact is that they are out of road, out of excuses and out of time. This B…”

“As the hon. Gentleman will know, the pressures on hospice funding long predate the Budget and relate to the decline in real-terms funding from the Scottish Government. I note that nearly 5,000 members of the public have written to the Scottish Government recently to support calls from the Scottish hospice leadership fo…”

“I know there is consensus right across this House on the enormous value of the hospice sector and the extraordinary work that it does—work that, sadly, has been undervalued for far too long. Support for additional employer national insurance contributions will be allocated to Departments, with the Barnett formula apply…”

“As the hon. Gentleman will know, we face a climate emergency and, indeed, an economic emergency of his Government’s own making. We were faced in our first few months in government with a £22 billion black hole, with Treasury reserves spent three times over. We have taken tough choices to try to deal with the economic i…”

“The UK Government are fully committed to the Borderlands growth deal. It will deliver economic growth for the south of Scotland and beyond, which is one of our key missions. The Scotland Office continues to work with the Department for Transport, the Scottish Government and Borderlands partners on the next stage of bus…”

“May I first pay tribute to the hon. Gentleman, my predecessor? I know that he will continue to represent his constituents assiduously from the Back Benches. Both the Secretary of State and I will be working closely with the Department for Transport and the Scottish Government to ensure that cross-border connectivity re…”

“We are delighted to receive representations of all kinds on how to improve our town centres. We know that they have suffered neglect for far too long. I hope that all Scottish MPs will have been lobbying for the kind of support for our leisure, hospitality and retail sector that this Government have already given south…”

“My hon. Friend is entirely correct, and I commend her for standing up for her town. In England this Labour Government have already delivered lower business rates for leisure, hospitality and retail businesses, which can help high streets, and I am sure that every Scottish MP wants to see that policy replicated in Scotl…”

“I commend the hon. Lady for her work with the Chancellor to help to deliver a record Budget settlement for Scotland, the largest Scottish Government Budget settlement in the history of devolution. It is now up to the Scottish Government to ensure that our towns feel the benefit of it: there can be no more excuses from …”

“I can give my hon. Friend the firmest of assurances that we will continue to prioritise shipbuilding on the Clyde, and indeed defence jobs across Scotland.”

“I join the hon. Gentleman in paying tribute to the volunteers who often run these events. I also draw the House’s attention to the work of the War Memorials Trust, which is one of the many unsung organisations that do incredible work across this country to maintain war memorials so that we all may remember. Across this…”

“The Minister for Veterans and People is leading this work. The Prime Minister recently made an announcement on giving veterans a social housing exemption, which, I can confirm, will bring England in line with Scotland, where veterans are already exempt from the local connection requirement to access social housing. We …”

“This Government are fully committed to delivering for veterans, and I pay tribute to them and their families for the sacrifices they make during their service, as well as their valued contribution to our society after they leave. The Minister for Veterans and People, my hon. Friend the Member for Birmingham Selly Oak (…”

“Can I add to that, Chair? The Secretary of State and I have had two meetings with the COSLA presidency and I had another one on Budget Day. I think COSLA knows it has an open door to the Scotland Office and we would be delighted to continue dialogue with it. It may not be through that structure but I think COSLA knows …”

“If I may come in, Chair. In thinking about the relationship between the Governments, we can think about the reset as a process but also as an attitude and a habit of mind. The sincerity of the reset will be tested by its depth and duration but to give some sort of indication of how committed we are to it; good legislat…”

“Fixing the foundations of our economy is the key to long-term prosperity. That includes future-proofing the economy for all, whether that is long-established families or new arrivals. The Chancellor will set out plans to fix the foundations in the Budget on 30 October.”

“We will strengthen the Migration Advisory Committee, and establish a framework for joint working with skills bodies across the UK, the Industrial Strategy Council and the Department for Work and Pensions. The needs of our economy are different across the regions and nations, and different sectors have different needs. …”