Scotland Office

Scotland Office Ministers and officials regularly engage with Fife Council on a wide range of regional economic development priorities, and will continue to do so.

Planning, and cultural heritage projects are devolved matters, and specific operational discussions regarding the Heart of Dunfermline feasibility study therefore rest with Fife Council and the Scottish Government.

However, the UK Government remains fully committed to supporting the long-term prosperity of Scotland’s newest city. We continue to work closely with local authorities across Scotland, including Fife Council, through investment frameworks like the Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region Deal, Local Growth Fund, and the Defence Growth Deal to unlock growth and boost the regional economy.

Scotland Office Ministers and officials regularly engage with our colleagues in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport on a range of issues pertinent to Scotland.

Planning, and cultural heritage projects are devolved matters, and specific operational discussions regarding the Heart of Dunfermline feasibility study therefore rest with Fife Council and the Scottish Government.

However, the UK Government remains fully committed to supporting the long-term prosperity of Scotland’s newest city. The UK Government works closely to deliver for Scotland, including Fife Council, through investment frameworks like the Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region Deal, Local Growth Fund, and the Defence Growth Deal to unlock growth and boost the regional economy.

I am responding as the matter of Scotland's Rural Economy falls within my portfolio. I take the matter of sustainable rural development very seriously and I regularly discuss this matter with colleagues in the Scottish Government and Local Authorities, including in a visit to the Isle of Lewis shortly after my appointment as Minister.

The UK Government recognises the importance of tackling rural depopulation, and we are committed to supporting these communities by boosting investment and opportunities.

The UK Government is ensuring that up to 60,000 young people across Scotland have real pathways into work, whether that's in our growing renewables sector, in construction trades that are crying out for skilled workers, or in hospitality. The Government has also recently committed £10 million towards the creation of Defence Technical Excellence Colleges (DTECs) as part of the £50 million Scotland Defence Growth Deal. Defence is a key sector for providing skilled jobs across all parts of Scotland, from Faslane to Lossiemouth.

This UK Government’s Industrial Strategy sets out how we will grow our economy by doubling down on our national strengths, despite global uncertainty. This includes investing in Scotland’s huge contribution to the UK economy: in energy, defence, advanced manufacturing, life sciences and other sectors. We are also backing the world-class food and drink that so often originates in rural Scotland through our trade agreement with India and, shortly, the European Union.

The UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) has now come to an end across the UK following a year of transition funding in 2025/26, and we are now providing new targeted investments to areas that need it most.

The UK Government is committed to supporting long-term economic growth and is investing £350m for projects that benefit remote rural and very remote rural areas. This includes: £60m for Community Regeneration Partnerships for Argyll & Bute, Scottish Borders, and the Western Isles; £47m to complete Local Regeneration Fund projects in rural areas, including the Fair Isle Ferry, and projects across Scottish Borders, Dumfries and Galloway and rural South Lanarkshire; £25m seed capital funding for the Inverness and Cromarty Firth Green Freeport; £60m in Pride in Place Programme funding across Sutherland, Orkney, and Lewis; and £158m to complete delivery of the Inverness & Highland, Moray, Argyll & Bute, Borderlands, and Islands Growth Deals. This Government is backing rural Scotland.

It must be noted, however, that responsibility for many of the issues faced in rural Scotland - such as provision of housing, transport, infrastructure, digital connectivity, training and skills development - are devolved matters that come under the control of the Scottish Government. We will continue to work with them to ensure that the actions that both governments take will benefit all of the people of Scotland, including those in rural communities.

I am responding as the matter of Scotland's Rural Economy falls within my portfolio. I take the matter of sustainable rural development very seriously and I regularly discuss this matter with colleagues in the Scottish Government and Local Authorities, including in a visit to the Isle of Lewis shortly after my appointment as Minister.

The UK Government recognises the importance of tackling rural depopulation, and we are committed to supporting these communities by boosting investment and opportunities.

The UK Government is ensuring that up to 60,000 young people across Scotland have real pathways into work, whether that's in our growing renewables sector, in construction trades that are crying out for skilled workers, or in hospitality. The Government has also recently committed £10 million towards the creation of Defence Technical Excellence Colleges (DTECs) as part of the £50 million Scotland Defence Growth Deal. Defence is a key sector for providing skilled jobs across all parts of Scotland, from Faslane to Lossiemouth.

This UK Government’s Industrial Strategy sets out how we will grow our economy by doubling down on our national strengths, despite global uncertainty. This includes investing in Scotland’s huge contribution to the UK economy: in energy, defence, advanced manufacturing, life sciences and other sectors. We are also backing the world-class food and drink that so often originates in rural Scotland through our trade agreement with India and, shortly, the European Union.

The UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) has now come to an end across the UK following a year of transition funding in 2025/26, and we are now providing new targeted investments to areas that need it most.

The UK Government is committed to supporting long-term economic growth and is investing £350m for projects that benefit remote rural and very remote rural areas. This includes: £60m for Community Regeneration Partnerships for Argyll & Bute, Scottish Borders, and the Western Isles; £47m to complete Local Regeneration Fund projects in rural areas, including the Fair Isle Ferry, and projects across Scottish Borders, Dumfries and Galloway and rural South Lanarkshire; £25m seed capital funding for the Inverness and Cromarty Firth Green Freeport; £60m in Pride in Place Programme funding across Sutherland, Orkney, and Lewis; and £158m to complete delivery of the Inverness & Highland, Moray, Argyll & Bute, Borderlands, and Islands Growth Deals. This Government is backing rural Scotland.

It must be noted, however, that responsibility for many of the issues faced in rural Scotland - such as provision of housing, transport, infrastructure, digital connectivity, training and skills development - are devolved matters that come under the control of the Scottish Government. We will continue to work with them to ensure that the actions that both governments take will benefit all of the people of Scotland, including those in rural communities.

I am responding as the matter of Scotland's Rural Economy falls within my portfolio. I take the matter of sustainable rural development very seriously and I regularly discuss this matter with colleagues in the Scottish Government and Local Authorities, including in a visit to the Isle of Lewis shortly after my appointment as Minister.

The UK Government recognises the importance of tackling rural depopulation, and we are committed to supporting these communities by boosting investment and opportunities.

The UK Government is ensuring that up to 60,000 young people across Scotland have real pathways into work, whether that's in our growing renewables sector, in construction trades that are crying out for skilled workers, or in hospitality. The Government has also recently committed £10 million towards the creation of Defence Technical Excellence Colleges (DTECs) as part of the £50 million Scotland Defence Growth Deal. Defence is a key sector for providing skilled jobs across all parts of Scotland, from Faslane to Lossiemouth.

This UK Government’s Industrial Strategy sets out how we will grow our economy by doubling down on our national strengths, despite global uncertainty. This includes investing in Scotland’s huge contribution to the UK economy: in energy, defence, advanced manufacturing, life sciences and other sectors. We are also backing the world-class food and drink that so often originates in rural Scotland through our trade agreement with India and, shortly, the European Union.

The UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) has now come to an end across the UK following a year of transition funding in 2025/26, and we are now providing new targeted investments to areas that need it most.

The UK Government is committed to supporting long-term economic growth and is investing £350m for projects that benefit remote rural and very remote rural areas. This includes: £60m for Community Regeneration Partnerships for Argyll & Bute, Scottish Borders, and the Western Isles; £47m to complete Local Regeneration Fund projects in rural areas, including the Fair Isle Ferry, and projects across Scottish Borders, Dumfries and Galloway and rural South Lanarkshire; £25m seed capital funding for the Inverness and Cromarty Firth Green Freeport; £60m in Pride in Place Programme funding across Sutherland, Orkney, and Lewis; and £158m to complete delivery of the Inverness & Highland, Moray, Argyll & Bute, Borderlands, and Islands Growth Deals. This Government is backing rural Scotland.

It must be noted, however, that responsibility for many of the issues faced in rural Scotland - such as provision of housing, transport, infrastructure, digital connectivity, training and skills development - are devolved matters that come under the control of the Scottish Government. We will continue to work with them to ensure that the actions that both governments take will benefit all of the people of Scotland, including those in rural communities.

The Scotland Office undertakes to review legislative provisions falling under its area of responsibility which have not yet been commenced. Relevant officials are responsible for the effective management of legislation within their area, including, if applicable, uncommenced legislation. In relation to primary legislation, the Scotland Office reports annually on the Scotland Act 2016.

Oil and gas will be part of our energy mix for decades to come. The UK Government is working closely with the Scottish Government to support the North Sea energy sector, focusing on safeguarding the skills of the workforce and driving investment in the region to secure the industry's long-term future.

The government will launch the North Sea Jobs Service later this year - a national employment programme offering tailored end-to-end support for the current workforce seeking new opportunities in growing industries across the government’s industrial strategy sectors, including clean energy, defence, and advanced manufacturing.

We have provided clarity on the permanent windfall tax mechanism which will replace the Energy Profits Levy when it ends, as well as introducing ‘Transitional Energy Certificates’ which will give holders exclusivity over a specific area of the seabed adjacent to existing licenced blocks. We will continue to take the necessary steps to ensure that the North Sea’s crucial role in the UK’s energy landscape is supported for the future.

To secure the release of their Local Growth Fund allocation for financial year 2026-27, Regional Partnerships in Scotland are required to submit a 3-year Investment Plan by 29 May 2026. The Scotland Office and Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government will review and sign-off these plans before the release of year 1 funds - anticipated in Summer 2026.

(a) The drafting of legislation is the responsibility of a large number of officials across government departments.

A range of tools can be used to assist with this drafting, including AI which is most commonly used to check, critique, and otherwise interrogate drafts. Work is continuously underway to identify ways of improving the efficiency of this work, including collaboration between departments to share ideas and emerging practices.

While AI can be used to assist with the drafting of legislation, the production of the draft remains the responsibility of human drafters to meet the high standards expected of Government legislation. The Scotland Office has not led primary legislation in the last 12 months.

It is Parliament’s responsibility to scrutinise legislation as it sees necessary.

(b) The drafting of policy documents and advice is the responsibility of a large number of officials across government departments. Scotland Office officials work closely with departments in policy development, and in producing advice to Ministers.

While AI can be used to assist with the drafting of policy advice, the production of the draft remains the responsibility of a lead human policy advisor to ensure the advice is factual and meets the high standards expected of Government Ministers.

The Scotland Office and the Department for Work and Pensions maintain regular engagement with the Scottish Government on issues relating to Scotland’s skills development. While decisions on the provision and accreditation of training providers are a matter for the Scottish Government, the UK Government continues to work constructively with the devolved governments to support skills development and economic growth across the UK.

The responsibility for skills policy, and the provision of apprenticeship training in Scotland, lies with the Scottish Government as a devolved matter. Funding for apprenticeships and providers in Scotland are a devolved responsibility. UK Government officials, including those from DWP responsible for apprenticeships, regularly meet their counterparts in the devolved administrations to discuss issues, including eligibility.

Apprenticeship schemes in England are available to eligible learners working most of their time in England, including those who live in other parts of the UK. Due to devolved funding arrangements, learners based in Scotland who do not work in England are not eligible for funding for an English apprenticeship, even in cases where a comparable training provider does not exist in Scotland.

This UK Government has committed more than £870 million to deliver long term economic growth across the Glasgow City Region, including investing more than £350 million over the next three years.

Furthermore, the region will be up to £15m better off under our new pride in place and local growth investments than if the UK Shared Prosperity Fund had been continued.

Since the election in 2024, the UK Labour Government has also provided the Scottish Government with £12 billion of additional funding to spend on devolved priorities.

I am sure my Honourable Friend will agree with me that there is no excuse for the SNP Scottish Government's cuts to Scottish local authority budgets.

The UK Government remains steadfast in our commitment to maintaining world-leading food safety and animal health standards. All food and drink products imported into the UK must comply with our regulatory standards.

But we want to limit red tape for our exporters as much as possible. As my Right Honourable Friend the Chancellor advised the House on 24 March, we aim to conclude negotiations with the EU this year on the sanitary and phytosanitary agreement. This will positively impact food prices in our shops and make it easier to trade with our biggest market. This is good news for Scottish exporters in seafood and many other sectors.

The UK Government remains steadfast in our commitment to maintaining world-leading food safety and animal health standards. All food and drink products imported into the UK must comply with our regulatory standards.

But we want to limit red tape for our exporters as much as possible. As my Right Honourable Friend the Chancellor advised the House on 24 March, we aim to conclude negotiations with the EU this year on the sanitary and phytosanitary agreement. This will positively impact food prices in our shops and make it easier to trade with our biggest market. This is good news for Scottish exporters in seafood and many other sectors.

The UK Government has committed £65 million to the Borderlands Inclusive Growth Deal. Across Scottish and UK Government investment into the deal, around 6% of Government funding has been drawn down by Deal partners so far.

The slow start to spending is a result of supply chain issues, inflationary and other pressures driven by external factors such as the Covid pandemic or cost increases of raw material.

To boost delivery progress, the UK and Scottish Government approved a reset of the Deal in March - confirming a more affordable and deliverable financial profile for projects.

As a result of this, drawdown will significantly accelerate this financial year.

All of this means the Borderlands Growth Deal is now well placed to deliver an additional 5,500 jobs and attract over 4 million new visitors to the region.

The UK Government’s £50 million Scottish Defence Growth Deal is a step-change for Scotland’s industrial base. It will support skills, high-skilled jobs, innovation and regional growth.

It will include £10 million for innovation facilities both on the Clyde and in Rosyth, and £10 million for two Defence Technical Excellence Colleges. Located to support Scotland’s defence clusters in the East and West, these will strengthen talent pipelines and support long-term sector growth. I urge the Scottish Government to match our investment in Scotland’s defence skills sector.

I meet regularly with Cabinet colleagues to discuss matters of government policy. This Government is committed to fixing our broken welfare system, ensuring that it is pro-work and provides strong support for disabled claimants to start or stay in work.

We are working in partnership with the Scottish Government, through forums such as the Joint Ministerial Working Group for Welfare, to help more people into work, to grow our economy, and raise living standards for all.

No civil servants in the Scotland Office were found to have broken the Civil Service Code in (a) 2024 or (b) 2025.

Civil Servants are appointed on merit on the basis of fair and open competition and are expected to carry out their role with dedication and a commitment to the Civil Service and its core values: integrity, honesty, objectivity and impartiality.

The Scotland Office is committed to thorough performance management and has in place robust processes to ensure that those who fall below the expected standards are supported to improve in a timely manner.

No employees have been placed on a Performance Improvement Plan in 2023/24, 2024/25, or 2025/26.

Those who cannot improve their performance, despite this additional support, may be dismissed.

The Scotland Office has not recruited any apprentices in the requested timeframe.

We remain committed to supporting the use of apprenticeships across the civil service to break down barriers to opportunity. The Scotland Office considers the use of apprenticeships for all relevant recruitment campaigns.

Private Office in the Scotland Office has an average staffing complement of 12 staff and serves 2 Ministers, appointed from EO to Grade 6. Typical contracted hours for these posts are 37 hours a week, with additional private office allowance paid to qualifying staff for regular out of hours work.

In the last 12 months, there has been a turnover rate of 50% in Private Office.

The Defence Industrial Collaboration underscores our continued commitment to supporting Ukraine and strengthening long-term security in Europe. This strategic partnership offers significant opportunities for UK-Ukraine cooperation, and Scotland is well placed to both contribute to the effort and benefit from this collaboration, leveraging its strengths in defence, advanced manufacturing, digital technology, and the space sectors.

This collaboration will help to advance joint production and integration of UK funding for new R&D. Crucially, this will support Ukraine's resilience while simultaneously sustaining skilled jobs and investment across the Scottish supply chain.

The total value of severance payments is set out in the Department’s Annual Report and Accounts, which are available for the last three years.

The Scotland Office does not employ staff directly. All staff that join do so on an assignment, loan or secondment for other Government departments, who remain the employers.

As information relating to the demographics of staff is held by the employing departments, the Scotland Office is not able to provide evidence into the review of the ethnicity harmonised standard.

The Scotland Office has the information that you have requested. However, if a request is made for information and the total figure amounts to five people or fewer, the Scotland Office must consider whether this could lead to the identification of individuals and whether disclosure of this information would be in breach of our statutory obligations under the General Data Protection Regulation and/or the Data Protection Act 2018.

We believe that the release of this information would risk identification of the individual/s concerned. For this reason, the Scotland Office has chosen not to provide the information requested. However, it should not be assumed that the actual figure represented falls at any particular point within this scale; 'five or fewer' is used as a replacement value from which it would be difficult to isolate or extract any individual data.

The conversation on National Defence was a recommendation in the 2025 Strategic Defence Review (SDR), which the Government accepted. The MOD is the lead department for delivering the SDR, with support from the Cabinet Office, and particularly from the National Security Secretariat.

This will be a multi-year, cross-departmental effort designed to deliver on the whole-of-society approach to national security and defence allowing Government, the private sector and public to play their part in strengthening the UK’s resilience to any potential future shocks. This work addresses the risks and threats the UK faces, including those below and above the threshold of an armed attack.

The Scotland Office is actively supporting this by working closely with the MOD, as well as on the development of a Defence Growth Deal in Scotland and wider engagement with industry, local authorities and academia to support jobs, investment, and skills development in Scotland’s defence sector.

Whilst heritage policy is a devolved matter, we recognise the importance of places of worship to Scotland’s communities. Scotland Office Ministers have had a number of discussions with Scottish Government Ministers covering a range of topics. Additionally, Ministers from both Scotland Office and Department for Culture, Media & Sport Ministers are due to discuss this matter with officials from the Church of Scotland in the coming weeks.

The Resilience Action Plan sets out the Government’s strategic approach to how we will strengthen our domestic resilience and invest to protect the nation. Scotland Office officials regularly attend meetings to discuss the implementation of the Resilience Action Plan as well as matters of national security and defence.

The Scotland Office is actively contributing to this work and is working closely with other UK Government Departments to ensure effective delivery in Scotland, as well as coordination with the Scottish Government where responsibilities for resilience are devolved.

Agriculture and fisheries funding was added to the Scottish Government’s baseline funding from 2025-26. The funding is no longer ringfenced. The application of the Barnett formula and removal of the ringfence is in line with the Fiscal Framework agreed by both the UK and Scottish Governments. This decision respects the key principle of devolution, granting the Scottish Government full flexibility to determine its spending priorities.

The Scottish Government has received the biggest settlement in the history of devolution and can provide additional funding on this devolved issue if it so chooses.

The Scotland Office does not employ staff directly. All staff that join do so on an assignment, loan or secondment for other Government departments, who remain the employers.

As information relating to the demographics of staff is held by the employing departments, the Scotland Office is not able to provide evidence into the review of the ethnicity harmonised standard.

The Secretary of State for Scotland has regular discussions with officials, external experts and ministerial colleagues on a range of national security, defence and resilience issues.

The Home Defence Programme was established in August 2024 to provide defence, security and resilience planning, focused on aligning military and civil effort in the event of a period of crisis and international hostilities affecting the UK. It is informed by and reflects the recommendations from government strategies, including the Strategic Defence Review, National Security Strategy and Resilience Action Plan.

The Scotland Office is actively supporting this by working closely with other UK Government Departments to ensure effective delivery in Scotland and coordination with the Scottish Government where responsibilities for resilience are devolved.

Scotland Office and Scottish Government officials meet regularly to discuss Scotland Act Orders. My officials have engaged Scottish Government officials to discuss a proposed Section 104 order under the Scotland Act 1998 in consequence of the Trusts and Succession (Scotland) Act 2024 and will continue to liaise with their counterparts on the matter.

We want to see Scotland's building and cultural heritage protected for future generations. Whilst heritage policy is a devolved matter, both Scotland Office and Department for Culture, Media and Sport Ministers are due to discuss this matter with officials from the Church of Scotland in the coming weeks.

The Government has set out our expectation that all duty bearers, including Departments and arms length bodies, follow the law as clarified by the Supreme Court ruling and seek specialist legal advice where necessary. The Prime Minister has underlined this recently.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission has submitted a draft Code of Practice on services, public functions and associations to Ministers, and the Government is reviewing it with the care it deserves. This will provide further guidance to duty bearers.

Ministers are supported by officials to participate in proceedings in accordance with the established practices of the House of Commons.

The total expenditure on press and communications, including staffing costs, for financial year 2024/25 was £1.944m.

Departmental spend on communications staff for financial year 2024-25 was £1.744m, including all on-costs such as pension contributions, national insurance and VAT.

The total Communications budget for the financial year 2025-26 is £1.949m.

In the financial year 2024-25, the total amount spent on social media advertising and promotion was £2,806.

The social media marketing budget for the financial year 2025-26 was £10,000.

The Department has spent the following on advertising:

Please note, budgets for financial year 2026-27 will be agreed at the beginning of the next financial year.

The Scotland Office has 30 policy posts which are spread across the following salary bands:

The National Year of Reading is a UK-wide campaign to address the steep decline in reading enjoyment amongst children, young people and adults. For example, only last month our delivery partner for this campaign, the National Literacy Trust, revealed that fewer than 1 in 10 teenage boys read daily for pleasure.

The National Year of Reading aims to engage new audiences, reshape public attitudes and embed lasting, meaningful change on attitudes to reading. It includes a major marketing campaign as well as exciting events, webinars, resources, and activities in communities, libraries, schools and early years settings throughout 2026.

Let me emphasise that this is a UK-wide campaign, and we are working in collaboration with the Scottish Government and DC Thomson, The Scottish Book Trust and The Scottish Book and Information Council to deliver this important initiative in Scotland. ​​

The Secretary of State for Scotland has regular discussions with officials, external experts and ministerial colleagues on a range of issues, including national security, defence and resilience, and associated public communications.

As set out in the Strategic Defence Review, the national conversation will be a multi-year engagement designed to embed a whole-of-society approach, where Government, businesses, and the public all play a part in strengthening our resilience. This addresses the risks we face, including threats below and above the threshold of an armed attack.

The Scotland Office is actively supporting this work, including working closely with the Ministry of Defence on the development of a Defence Growth Deal in Scotland, alongside wider engagements with industry, local authorities and academia to support jobs, investment, and skills development in Scotland’s defence sector. The Secretary of State for Scotland also met with key trade partners as part of a defence-focused visit to Australia, New Zealand and Singapore.

The Scotland Office has no Directors with responsibility for human resources.

It may be helpful to explain that the Scotland Office does not employ any staff directly. All staff that join, do so on an assignment, loan or secondment from other government departments, principally the Ministry of Justice and the Scottish Government. They remain the employers and provide HR services to their employees working in the Scotland Office.

The National Year of Reading is a UK-wide campaign to address the steep decline in reading enjoyment amongst children, young people and adults. For example, only this week our delivery partner for this campaign, the National Literacy Trust, revealed that fewer than 1 in 10 teenage boys read daily for pleasure.

The National Year of Reading aims to engage new audiences, reshape public attitudes and embed lasting, meaningful change on attitudes to reading. The campaign includes a major physical and online marketing campaign, as well as exciting events, webinars, resources, and activities in communities, libraries, schools and early years settings throughout 2026.

We are working in collaboration with the Scottish Government and lead delivery partners - DC Thomson, The Scottish Book Trust and The Scottish Book and Information Council - to deliver this important initiative in Scotland. ​​

The National Year of Reading is a UK-wide campaign to address the steep decline in reading enjoyment amongst children, young people and adults. For example, only this week our delivery partner for this campaign, the National Literacy Trust, revealed that fewer than 1 in 10 teenage boys read daily for pleasure.

The National Year of Reading aims to engage new audiences, reshape public attitudes and embed lasting, meaningful change on attitudes to reading. The campaign includes a major physical and online marketing campaign, as well as exciting events, webinars, resources, and activities in communities, libraries, schools and early years settings throughout 2026.

We are working in collaboration with the Scottish Government and lead delivery partners - DC Thomson, The Scottish Book Trust and The Scottish Book and Information Council - to deliver this important initiative in Scotland. ​​