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Showing 60 of 2,354,908 contributions. Latest 30 days: 0. Coverage: 12 May 1999 — 25 Mar 2026.
Margaret McDougall Lab Committee
30 Apr 2014
Scotland’s Economic Future Post-2014
From what I have heard this morning, until 2020 there will have to be a whole lot of negotiation around supply of electricity, particularly if there is an independent Scotland. It will take a lot of political will to get to an agreement. What will happen post-2020? Will we be ...
Margaret McDougall Lab Committee
21 May 2014
Scotland’s Economic Future Post-2014
That is my point. People in the street want to know what independence would cost them. It is okay to look at the bigger picture and talk about what independence would mean for the economy, but people’s greatest concern is about how independence would affect them personally. Th...
Margaret McDougall (West Scotland) (Lab) Lab Chamber
26 Nov 2015
Women and Social Security
I was a member of the Welfare Reform Committee when evidence was being taken on this topic in June and, during the evidence sessions, we learned that inequality for women still exists within our society and that the recent welfare reforms have increased that inequality. Women ...
Margaret McDougall (West Scotland) (Lab) Lab Committee
12 Mar 2014
Scotland’s Economic Future Post-2014
Good morning, panel. Professor MacDonald, you suggest in your written evidence that“sterlingisation would give Scotland the economic status of a failed state.”Does that mean that Alex Salmond should find a new plan B for the currency?
Margaret McDougall Lab Committee
12 Mar 2014
Scotland’s Economic Future Post-2014
The view from most of the panel members in their opening remarks was that there should be an independent currency. Professor Peat, you said that you would prefer an independent currency if monetary union could not be negotiated, that there would be difficulties around that, an...
Margaret McDougall Lab Committee
12 Mar 2014
Scotland’s Economic Future Post-2014
Does that mean that we would expect higher taxation through income tax, for example?
Margaret McDougall Lab Committee
12 Mar 2014
Scotland’s Economic Future Post-2014
It is clear that, in layman’s terms, a tight fiscal policy could mean a tightening of belts.
Margaret McDougall (West Scotland) (Lab) Lab Committee
19 Mar 2014
Scotland’s Economic Future Post-2014
Good morning. From what I have heard this morning, there are certainly more questions on taxation than answers. Perhaps David Glen can answer my question. If we were to assume that we would roll over the current UK tax system in the unlikely event of Scotland becoming independ...
Margaret McDougall Lab Committee
19 Mar 2014
Scotland’s Economic Future Post-2014
So it would take about perhaps five to 10 years to bring in the system. There would be a tax of some sort to meet the cost of that, so we would all be paying for the change at the end of the day.
Margaret McDougall Lab Committee
19 Mar 2014
Scotland’s Economic Future Post-2014
I have a question on taxation, for Moira Kelly. We have heard from the witnesses that large multinational corporations are already dealing with a lot of different tax systems, but they can cope with that. We have heard from previous witnesses that small businesses are concerne...
Margaret McDougall Lab Committee
19 Mar 2014
Scotland’s Economic Future Post-2014
It is the costs.
Margaret McDougall Lab Committee
19 Mar 2014
Scotland’s Economic Future Post-2014
Yes, and that is even without the currency. If there was a different currency, there would be additional complications.
Margaret McDougall Lab Committee
19 Mar 2014
Scotland’s Economic Future Post-2014
So you say.
Margaret McDougall Lab Committee
19 Mar 2014
Scotland’s Economic Future Post-2014
I will be very brief. My question is for Moira Kelly and is on VAT. Your submission states that, on page 315 of the white paper,“A VAT reduction on repairs and maintenance work to help culture and heritage is suggested.”However, what would qualify as “repairs and maintenance” ...
Margaret McDougall (West Scotland) (Lab) Lab Committee
30 Apr 2014
Scotland’s Economic Future Post-2014
Good morning, panel. Ed Davey, the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, has stated that, in the event of an independent Scotland, there would be no need for the rest of the UK to support Scotland’s energy costs. How feasible is that? That question is for Dr McEwen.
Margaret McDougall Lab Committee
30 Apr 2014
Scotland’s Economic Future Post-2014
Dr Toke can probably answer my next question as well. What does it mean to the consumer?
Margaret McDougall Lab Committee
30 Apr 2014
Scotland’s Economic Future Post-2014
In Scotland.
Margaret McDougall (West Scotland) (Lab) Lab Committee
19 Feb 2014
Inquiry into Scotland’s Economic Future Post-2014
Good morning, minister. I want to continue with the theme of currency union. If the Scottish National Party realises that a currency union is not going to happen—which it seems to find quite difficult to do at the moment—we need to know what the alternatives are. Have you giv...
Margaret McDougall Lab Committee
19 Feb 2014
Inquiry into Scotland’s Economic Future Post-2014
If the option of sterlingisation were chosen by an independent Scotland, what would the advantages and the disadvantages be?
Margaret McDougall Lab Committee
19 Feb 2014
Inquiry into Scotland’s Economic Future Post-2014
What would happen to interest rates for businesses and to the savings of the ordinary man in the street?
Margaret McDougall Lab Committee
19 Feb 2014
Inquiry into Scotland’s Economic Future Post-2014
So you are saying that that would be a dangerous route to go down.
Margaret McDougall Lab Committee
19 Feb 2014
Inquiry into Scotland’s Economic Future Post-2014
The minister mentioned transaction costs. Can I ask about that, convener?
Margaret McDougall Lab Committee
19 Feb 2014
Inquiry into Scotland’s Economic Future Post-2014
We have heard in the past few days about the transaction costs to English businesses. Do you have any idea of how much the cost to Scottish businesses would be?
Margaret McDougall Lab Committee
19 Feb 2014
Inquiry into Scotland’s Economic Future Post-2014
Despite the fact that the Chancellor of the Exchequer has said that there will not be a currency union, my understanding, from what I have heard from yourselves, is that you still want there to be a currency union and that you think that that will happen. Everyone else is taki...
Margaret McDougall Lab Committee
19 Feb 2014
Inquiry into Scotland’s Economic Future Post-2014
Yes, well, nothing has changed, then. You are still of that mind. Can you perhaps imagine—try really hard—that you do not have a plan B and that sterlingisation is not being considered. What will that do to the economy of Scotland?
Margaret McDougall Lab Committee
19 Feb 2014
Inquiry into Scotland’s Economic Future Post-2014
I will move on, then. We have had some discussion, today and earlier this week, of the transitional costs. In your opinion, what would be the transitional costs to Scottish businesses?
Margaret McDougall Lab Committee
19 Feb 2014
Inquiry into Scotland’s Economic Future Post-2014
Sorry—I mean transaction costs.
Margaret McDougall Lab Committee
19 Feb 2014
Inquiry into Scotland’s Economic Future Post-2014
But you have published those figures. Let us move on to taxation.
Margaret McDougall Lab Committee
19 Feb 2014
Inquiry into Scotland’s Economic Future Post-2014
We have heard that there would be changes to corporation tax in an independent Scotland. What would income tax look like in an independent Scotland, if that should happen?
Margaret McDougall Lab Committee
19 Feb 2014
Inquiry into Scotland’s Economic Future Post-2014
You would not change the income tax levels, although it would be within your powers—
Margaret McDougall (West Scotland) (Lab) Lab Committee
26 Feb 2014
Scotland’s Economic Future Post-2014
Good morning, gentlemen. We have heard that the option of continuing as part of a currency union would not be available, and we have not heard of a plan B that would be followed if we became independent. You have intimated your thoughts on your preferences. If Scotland did ...
Margaret McDougall Lab Committee
26 Feb 2014
Scotland’s Economic Future Post-2014
Will any of this make any difference to the businesses that Mr Springford and Mr Kilgour run?
Margaret McDougall Lab Committee
26 Feb 2014
Scotland’s Economic Future Post-2014
Let us go back to what Mr Springford and Mr Soames—it might have been Mr Kilgour—said about the effect of risk on business costs, the cost of financing for those who are looking to borrow and your companies’ future investment. Will all of that be riskier if we are outside ster...
Margaret McDougall Lab Committee
26 Feb 2014
Scotland’s Economic Future Post-2014
I return to the currency issue. Jim McColl mentioned earlier that he felt that businesses would deal with whatever currency is decided upon. We have heard that there will not be a currency union and if you were to go along with that, the options are sterlingisation or another ...
Margaret McDougall Lab Committee
26 Feb 2014
Scotland’s Economic Future Post-2014
Do you not see that there would be additional transaction costs, for example, for businesses if there was a different currency in Scotland?
Margaret McDougall Lab Committee
26 Feb 2014
Scotland’s Economic Future Post-2014
Does anyone else have a response?
Margaret McDougall Lab Committee
26 Feb 2014
Scotland’s Economic Future Post-2014
So you would have no issues with the Bank of England setting interest rates.
Margaret McDougall Lab Committee
26 Feb 2014
Scotland’s Economic Future Post-2014
I welcome panel members. I will continue on the currency. We have heard today that there is record investment and that there have been increases in new start-up businesses. We also heard from the members of the previous panel that they had no concerns about sterlingisation or ...
Margaret McDougall Lab Committee
26 Feb 2014
Scotland’s Economic Future Post-2014
The problem would be with the variances between the rest of the UK and Scotland.
Margaret McDougall Lab Committee
26 Feb 2014
Scotland’s Economic Future Post-2014
Dr Craig mentioned research and concerns about how it would work. Funding for research comes from the UK, so it would affect your business in particular if Scotland was separate. Have you had any discussions about what would happen?
Margaret McDougall (West Scotland) (Lab) Lab Committee
05 Mar 2014
Scotland’s Economic Future Post-2014
Good morning, panel. I would like to discuss currency a little more. We heard the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s statement, but we have yet to hear an announcement from the yes campaign on its preferred plan B. What would be the best currency option for an independent Scotland?
Margaret McDougall Lab Committee
05 Mar 2014
Scotland’s Economic Future Post-2014
What would be the effects of transaction costs on Scotland’s businesses if there was a separate and different currency?
Margaret McDougall Lab Committee
05 Mar 2014
Scotland’s Economic Future Post-2014
However, we have heard a statement from the yes campaign that there would be £500 million of transaction costs for the rest of the UK if an independent Scotland moved away from sterling. Are you saying that that would not be reversed and that there would be no costs for Scotland?
Margaret McDougall Lab Committee
05 Mar 2014
Scotland’s Economic Future Post-2014
Professor Armstrong, did you want to come in on that?
Margaret McDougall Lab Committee
05 Mar 2014
Scotland’s Economic Future Post-2014
I want to ask Paul Johnson a question on taxation. If there was a separate taxation system in an independent Scotland, would there be additional costs for small businesses that were working with external businesses? Are there additional costs and bureaucracy implications that ...
Margaret McDougall Lab Committee
05 Mar 2014
Scotland’s Economic Future Post-2014
Good morning. My question is on monetary union. We have heard that your plan A has been dismissed, if you like, by the Exchequer. What would your plan B be? We have heard that plan A is off the table—
Margaret McDougall Lab Committee
05 Mar 2014
Scotland’s Economic Future Post-2014
Is that not a bit like sticking your head in the sand and saying, “We’ll manage to negotiate something”? I would have thought that we should always have a plan B. Is there a preferred option?
Margaret McDougall Lab Committee
05 Mar 2014
Scotland’s Economic Future Post-2014
I do not agree. We have a currency agreement at present, as you said, and we have influence, whereas in an independent Scotland under a currency union or sterlingisation we would have no influence. We heard from the earlier panel that Scotland having its own unit of currenc...
Margaret McDougall Lab Committee
05 Mar 2014
Scotland’s Economic Future Post-2014
Good afternoon, panel. I have a question about the currency. Professor Simpson, you have said that an informal currency union is an attractive and feasible option because it delivers the main benefits without some of the costs. What are the costs that you believe an informal c...
Margaret McDougall Lab Committee
05 Mar 2014
Scotland’s Economic Future Post-2014
What would be the risks associated with that? 12:30
Margaret McDougall Lab Committee
05 Mar 2014
Scotland’s Economic Future Post-2014
I have a question for Professor Bell. If Scotland did not take on its share of the debt and its credit rating plummeted, what would be the effect on the economy in Scotland?
Margaret McDougall Lab Committee
05 Mar 2014
Scotland’s Economic Future Post-2014
So interest rates are likely to be higher in Scotland if we were looking to the markets as a new independent country.
Margaret McDougall (West Scotland) (Lab) Lab Committee
23 Apr 2014
Scotland’s Economic Future Post-2014
Good morning. Peter Kelly mentioned in-work poverty, which, along with other issues, highlights the level of poverty and inequality in our society. Would the living wage assist in addressing that inequality?
Margaret McDougall Lab Committee
23 Apr 2014
Scotland’s Economic Future Post-2014
We should grasp every opportunity that we can to increase the use of the living wage. I feel that the Procurement Reform (Scotland) Bill provides a good opportunity to do that. On equalities and what is happening on welfare reform, if there were an independent Scotland, what ...
Margaret McDougall Lab Committee
23 Apr 2014
Scotland’s Economic Future Post-2014
So the living wage is crucial.
Margaret McDougall Lab Committee
23 Apr 2014
Scotland’s Economic Future Post-2014
As we have already heard this morning, the issue of inequalities and poverty is very complex. If it was easy to fix, it would have been fixed already. You touched on that when you said that we have just been tinkering around the edges, but what could be done now? For example, ...
Margaret McDougall Lab Committee
23 Apr 2014
Scotland’s Economic Future Post-2014
Supply and demand obviously have an effect.
Margaret McDougall (West Scotland) (Lab) Lab Committee
28 Apr 2014
Scotland’s Economic Future Post-2014
We have heard about the tax regime in the UK. How does it compare with the tax regime for the sector in, for example, Norway?
Margaret McDougall Lab Committee
28 Apr 2014
Scotland’s Economic Future Post-2014
Right, so it is pretty much the same.
Margaret McDougall Lab Committee
28 Apr 2014
Scotland’s Economic Future Post-2014
Professor Kemp, since 2002, production has halved and operating costs have doubled. What can the oil and gas industry do to address that? We know that new wells are more costly.
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Committee

Economy, Energy and Tourism Committee 30 April 2014

30 Apr 2014 · S4 · Economy, Energy and Tourism Committee
Item of business
Scotland’s Economic Future Post-2014
McDougall, Margaret Lab West Scotland Watch on SPTV
From what I have heard this morning, until 2020 there will have to be a whole lot of negotiation around supply of electricity, particularly if there is an independent Scotland. It will take a lot of political will to get to an agreement. What will happen post-2020? Will we be looking at a new EMR? We will certainly be looking at new targets. This is about the long term, is it not? How will it affect investment in the long term?10:15

In the same item of business

The Convener (Murdo Fraser) Con
Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to this, the 13th meeting of the Economy, Energy and Tourism Committee in 2014. I welcome members, witnesses and ...
Dr Nicola McEwen (University of Edinburgh)
In terms of a common trading market, I do not see a problem at all. When I was doing interviews out in the Nordic states, one thing that came through was the...
The Convener Con
I will bring in Dr Toke in a moment; I just want to follow up one point with Dr McEwen.To what extent would the rest of the UK, post-independence, rely on Sc...
Dr McEwen
There is a lot of debate about that, and contingencies. If all the offshore wind happened in the way that people would like it to and as promises have sugges...
The Convener Con
I will let Dr Toke in as he was trying to come in earlier, and then I will see if the others want to comment.
Dr David Toke (University of Aberdeen)
It is quite clear what is likely to happen in the event of independence in that respect. After 2020—I think that things will probably remain much the same as...
The Convener Con
I will bring in the other panellists, if they want to comment. Does Martin McAdam want to say anything?
Martin McAdam (Aquamarine Power)
Yes. I have a couple of important points on the idea of a single market. First, there are, as the previous contributors have said, very successful single mar...
Eric Machiels (Infinis Energy)
The reason why our company, as a private investor in long-term generation infrastructure, finds doing business in Scotland so attractive is that it has a uni...
The Convener Con
The integrated energy market is very important as far as your business is concerned. If there is a yes vote in the referendum, what must be done to provide t...
Eric Machiels
Essentially, we need two grown-up Governments that sit down together and agree on a long-term plan for the continued management of that integrated market for...
Martin McAdam
The bulk of the renewable energy that has been constructed in Scotland is supported under the renewables obligation certificate scheme. In order to be an ele...
Dennis Robertson (Aberdeenshire West) (SNP) SNP
Good morning. There is general agreement that we need to look at alternative energy sources for the future. Earlier this week, the committee was in Aberdeen—...
Eric Machiels
EMR creates uncertainty because, for the past decade, most of the renewable investors have grown very familiar with the very effective RO mechanisms. As Mart...
Dennis Robertson SNP
So you agree that in future we will need a mix of onshore and offshore renewable energy—in other words, wind and wave energy.
Eric Machiels
Exactly.
Dennis Robertson SNP
If there were to be a yes vote in the referendum, what would you be asking the Scottish Government for on 19 September to give you the stability that you req...
Eric Machiels
We would be very keen to clarify to any Government with the type of ambitious, long-term strategic objectives that the Scottish Government has laid out for t...
Dennis Robertson SNP
Of course, the energy market and the renewables sector in particular will also provide job and skills opportunities.
Eric Machiels
You are exactly right.
Dennis Robertson SNP
Do any of the other panellists wish to comment?
Dr Toke
I agree with everything that Mr Machiels has said but my question is why no one is thinking of the possibility of a no vote.
Dennis Robertson SNP
I was going to come to that. My question was about what you would be looking for from a Scottish Government in the event of a yes vote in the referendum. To ...
Dr Toke
I hope that we do not go on with business as usual, because I just do not think that such an approach is adequate for reasons that have already been discusse...
Dennis Robertson SNP
Surely it is everyone’s problem.
Dr Toke
Sure, but as far as financial allocations are concerned, given that Scotland comprises almost a third of the British landmass and commands a similar proporti...
Martin McAdam
I would not say that I am a policy expert but I think that when you formulate policy, particularly in relation to energy, you have to consider security of su...
The Convener Con
I am not going to respond to Mr McAdam’s point about nuclear power, because that will take us down a whole different route—
Martin McAdam
But it is expensive.
Dennis Robertson SNP
Admit that it is not cheap, convener.