Speeches by Murray.

“I could not agree more with my hon. Friend. The pragmatic approach of the Prime Minister and this Government to this issue has been welcomed by industry and businesses right across the United Kingdom. That is in the national interests of the UK. We work very hard together to make sure that the impacts of US tariffs on …”

“As I have said at the Dispatch Box before, it is vital that we do all we can to strengthen our diplomatic, cultural and business ties with the United States. I was in Washington and New York for Tartan Week in the week when tariffs were imposed on the rest of the world, and I made the case for Scotch whisky and Scottis…”

“We know that this will be a concerning time for businesses in Scotland. In 2024, 12.3% of goods exported from Scotland were exported to the United States. That is why the UK Government are focused on negotiating an economic deal with the US. As the Business and Trade Secretary made clear in his statement to the House o…”

“I commend my hon. Friend on the work she is doing, particularly in the port of Leith, to ensure that we can have the transition and have it well. She highlights the important thing about this issue and debate: the energy mix requires us to have renewable power and clean energy by 2030, but it also requires us to have n…”

“The Government’s sole purpose initially, in their first few months in office, was to clear up the mess that the hon. Gentleman’s party left in this country, including the £22 billion black hole. We will get on with delivering our missions, including clean power by 2030. That is what we are focused on, because that is w…”

“The hon. Lady’s question is slightly contradictory. On the one hand, she does not like the national insurance contribution increase, which has given the Scottish Government a £4.9 billion boost—the highest settlement in the history of devolution. That money should be going to the frontline of higher education, but it i…”

“I could not possibly tell Madam Chair how to run the Committee, but the SFA has a wonderful presentation of the 104 pitches and facilities that it has done already, right across Scotland, from the very tip of Shetland right down to the borders. This £8.6 million, along with the plans that it has through the SFA, will b…”

“Essentially, all 12 growth deals that now cover the whole part of Scotland are fully funded. Obviously, all 12 have moved at different paces; some are still struggling a little while others are actually coming to maturity. That funding over that period of time will be drawn down as and when is required.”

“Again, we are trying to give a much longer horizon to that, but in terms of the two events that have happened so far—the big Budget event in October and the emergency situation that we were met with in July—the Scottish Government were informed by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury in as timely a fashion as possible. …”

“The whole Government’s approach is economic stability. I hope that the 30 October Budget—the fiscal event we had last year—gives that stability running through. The spending review process to conclude shortly is part of that certainty for the next two years, and that will be on a rolling two-year basis, so there will a…”

“These, of course, are a challenge. What we are trying to do as a Government is to give a much greater certainty across the funding piece. The spending review that is happening now, which will be published in June, will give the following two years. Given that 2025-26 is already in place, with the following two years, t…”

“This is something that was tested at length during the fiscal framework renegotiations back in 2023 and will no doubt continue to be tested. The allocation, in terms of the limits around borrowing, is £3.05 billion on the capital side and £1.8 billion on the resource borrowing side. That works quite well because it is …”

“I suppose to a certain extent it has objective third-party oversight, on the basis of Parliament, other political parties, and the public in that sense. But it is really important to emphasise that both Governments work very closely together on these issues, and there is a whole intergovernmental structure around them …”

“I see all these things in terms of whether it would be for a purpose, and what would the purpose of putting the Barnett formula on a statutory footing be? It works incredibly well; there is a whole infrastructure around it and a whole infrastructure around intergovernmental relations. If there was a purpose for doing s…”

“It is a well-established framework, and there are intergovernmental avenues to this: there is the Finance Interministerial Standing Committee, affectionately known as the F:ISC, where things can be raised; there are the Joint Exchequer Committee structures; there are the fiscal framework renewals; there is the block gr…”

“It will be updated and published soon after the spending review figures are known. The spending review will be in June, so fairly shortly after that.”

“Well, the Green Book and all the Budget books would show you what is being devolved through the Barnett formula and so on in each Department. This is hugely complicated, but as I understand it, each Government Department either has a 0% score in terms of funding, or a 100% score. A 0% score would be a Department that i…”

“Is it part of the £1.4 billion additional? I think it is. Laurence, is that correct?”

“Obviously, it was part of the Smith Agreement in the 2016 Scotland Act and therefore something to be implemented. Both Governments are working very closely together to try to implement this. It is hugely complicated. The priority has been given to getting other taxation elements, including the aggregates levy, over the…”

“When I read that evidence, Madam Chair, I was quite shocked, actually. Of course, 40% of Scotland’s budget is actually self-financed through income tax and the other devolved parts: council tax and so on, income tax being the big one. I was shocked to read that that was the Scottish Government’s proposal, because I tho…”