Speeches by Cross.

“Does the Minister think that that is the right balance, given that Offshore Energies UK suggests that the changes will cost £12 billion in tax revenues?”

“May I clarify whether the hon. Member believes that the farmers making on average less than £45,000 year, and the 25% making less than £20,000 a year, are those with the broadest shoulders?”

“I thank the hon. Gentleman for his question. We must remember that investment allowances have now been reduced and taken away. Increasing the EPL by a further 3% while decreasing investment allowances makes the North sea a really difficult place to invest in.”

“On the topic of the Scotch whisky industry, does the hon. Member agree that increasing the levy by 3.65%, so that a bottle of whisky now has £12 of tax added before it is even out of the door, is another attack on one of Scotland’s main industries?”

“I will speak about the impact of the Government’s changes to the energy profits levy on people and businesses in my constituency, and on the UK as a whole, in terms of the energy security the Government are meant to ensure and the Government’s ever-more ambitious decarbonisation targets, which are being put at risk. Th…”

“Thank you for coming to speak to us today. Going back slightly to the companies that you envisage investment going into, will this be new or existing, UK-based or international companies? Are you going to base it on things like business plans, the number of jobs that will be created in the UK, rates of return or the ri…”

“Thank you for coming to speak to us today. Going back slightly to the companies that you envisage investment going into, will this be new or existing, UK-based or international companies? Are you going to base it on things like business plans, the number of jobs that will be created in the UK, rates of return or the ri…”

“How does the Secretary of State envisage the commissioner standing alongside others in the armed forces in terms of the chain of command? Has an assessment been made on that?”

“Last week, just days after the Budget, Apache announced that it would exit the North sea by 2029. It said: “The onerous financial impact of the energy profits levy…makes production…beyond 2029 uneconomic.” What assessment have the Government made of the impact of those policies on current jobs in north-east Scotland, a…”

“Will the Secretary of State tell us where he obtained those figures?”

“In my constituency and across the country, family farmers are the custodians of our countryside. For generations, they have contributed to our nation’s food security and land stewardship, provided employment, supported local supply chains, and brought rural communities together. The changes to agricultural property rel…”

“The Minister shakes his head, and he has been shaking his head throughout the debate. The issue is this: the Government are not listening to farmers the length and breadth of the country. They are not listening to the National Farmers Union, and they are not listening to the CLA. People who speak for the farming commun…”

“Will the Secretary of State give way?”

“Aberdeen airport is another that struggles with cancelled flights. Over 4% of flights were cancelled last year, which makes it one of the airports with the highest cancellation rates in the country. Does the Minister agree that we must make sure that all our regions in the UK, including Scotland, have a reliable connec…”

“If I had time, I would focus on the increase in whisky duty, and the impact on our farmers and small businesses, but I will focus on the oil and gas sector, which is so crucial to the north-east of Scotland and my constituency. As expected, the oil and gas sector was a target for tax in the Budget. I welcome that first…”

“The average farm in Aberdeenshire is 490 acres, and average values are about £5,000 an acre for bare land. Once the farmhouse, building machinery and livestock are added, that is suddenly well over the inheritance tax threshold and have a huge IHT bill of hundreds of thousands of pounds coming your way. DEFRA figures s…”

“Does my hon. Friend agree that at this time when the world is more dangerous than it has ever been, any reduction in defence spending is the wrong way to go?”

“I certainly hope that we will have the opportunity to do so, but as I am setting out, the Government’s proposals for the North sea in respect of taxation and cutting down on licences do not guarantee that. As much as I and the hon. Member want and need for that to be the case for our constituents, we cannot guarantee i…”

“Does the hon. Member appreciate that the issue is not legislating for jobs but the lack of accountability in the Bill?”

“I am not going to ask the Chancellor to pre-empt tomorrow’s Budget, although I might actually have some luck if I did, based on current form. Instead, can she confirm to me that she fully appreciates how important agricultural property relief and business property relief are to the farmers and family businesses that do…”