Asked by: Peter Bedford (Conservative - Mid Leicestershire)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how many permanent civil servants in his Department had their contract of employment terminated as a result of poor performance in the (a) 2022-23, (b) 2023-24 and (c) 2024-25 financial years.
Answered by Ian Murray - Secretary of State for Scotland
No permanent civil servants working in the Scotland Office had their contract of employment terminated as a result of poor performance in the (a) 2022-23, (b) 2023-24 and (c) 2024-25 financial years.
Asked by: John Cooper (Conservative - Dumfries and Galloway)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how many permanent civil servants in his Department are staff without assigned posts; and how many are placed in an equivalent (a) people action team, (b) priority movers list, (c) redeployment register, (d) talent pool and (e) skills match hub in the most recent period for which data is available.
Answered by Ian Murray - Secretary of State for Scotland
The Scotland Office has no permanent civil servants without assigned posts and no staff are placed in the referenced categories.
Asked by: Carla Lockhart (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the Scottish government’s decision to use ultra high frequency electronic identification technology for animals on trade between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Answered by Ian Murray - Secretary of State for Scotland
I am aware of the Scottish Government’s decision to adopt ultra-high frequency electronic identification technology for animals, and the Government is committed to understanding its potential implications for trade between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
We will continue to engage with all relevant stakeholders to ensure that any developments are closely monitored and that robust livestock traceability is maintained across the UK.
Asked by: Carla Lockhart (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, whether his Department has made an assessment of the adequacy of the research presented to the Scottish government on ultra high frequency electronic identification technology in livestock.
Answered by Ian Murray - Secretary of State for Scotland
Farming policy is a devolved matter, and the Government has not formally assessed the impact of the Scottish Government's decision. Defra officials are working closely with devolved administrations to ensure compliance with the UK Internal Markets Act (2020).
In the recent UK-EU joint statement, the Government committed to building on the Windsor Framework and the Trade and Cooperation Agreement to reduce trade barriers.
Asked by: Scott Arthur (Labour - Edinburgh South West)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, whether he has had discussions with (a) Cabinet colleagues and (b) the Scottish Government on support for students who where studying at the Scottish Institute of Theatre, Dance, Film and Television when it went into administration.
Answered by Ian Murray - Secretary of State for Scotland
I was shocked and saddened to hear that the Scottish Institute of Theatre, Dance, Film and Television had gone into administration. My sympathy goes out to the staff that worked there and to the students who are facing considerable uncertainty over the future of their studies.
As education is a devolved matter, I would urge the Scottish Government to work with the administrators and the wider sector to ensure that affected students are able to continue their degrees.
Asked by: Mark Ferguson (Labour - Gateshead Central and Whickham)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the UK-India free trade agreement on Scotland.
Answered by Ian Murray - Secretary of State for Scotland
Our trade deal with India is great news for Scotland, increasing exports, growing our economy and securing jobs.
Scottish products will benefit from significant tariff reductions. That includes whisky, where the current 150% tariff will be halved from day one, and reaching just 40% after 10 years. The Scotch Whisky Association has described this as ‘a once in a generation deal and a landmark moment for Scotch Whisky’.
Other Scottish exports including chocolate, biscuits and salmon will reduce from a 33% tariff to 0%.
And did the SNP back this transformation deal for Scotland? Of course not. They didn't back the US or EU deals either.
Asked by: Torcuil Crichton (Labour - Na h-Eileanan an Iar)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to support Scotland's rural economy.
Answered by Kirsty McNeill - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Scotland Office)
Our recently announced trade deals will benefit key industries in rural, coastal and island communities, such as whisky and salmon.
Our forthcoming Industrial Strategy and drive to clean energy will ensure good quality jobs across Scotland.
Project Gigabit is improving broadband connectivity for homes and businesses, and only last week we announced thirteen upgraded phone masts to transform rural connectivity across the Scottish countryside.
Asked by: Scott Arthur (Labour - Edinburgh South West)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to improve broadband (a) connectivity and (b) speeds in Scotland.
Answered by Ian Murray - Secretary of State for Scotland
Our Plan for Change recognises the importance of ensuring people across Scotland have access to the fastest broadband networks on the market to level the playing field and realise our mission to boost economic growth and improve living standards.
Earlier in May, we announced the largest single UK Government Project Gigabit contract to date with Openreach: £157 million to bring gigabit-capable internet to 65,000 homes and businesses across the Highlands, Outer Hebrides and other hard-to-reach areas across Scotland.
In February, the Hon Member for Rhondda and Ogmore announced the first Project Gigabit contract signed in Scotland. 11,000 homes and businesses in the Scottish Borders and East Lothian will benefit from the Scotland-wide roll out with further contracts planned for other parts of Scotland this year.
Asked by: Stephen Gethins (Scottish National Party - Arbroath and Broughty Ferry)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how many civil servants in his Department are employed in (a) Queen Elizabeth House in Edinburgh, (b) Dover House on Whitehall and (c) other locations in London.
Answered by Ian Murray - Secretary of State for Scotland
As at 31 March 2025, the Scotland Office had 47 civil servants based at Queen Elizabeth House, Edinburgh and 38 civil servants based at Dover House, Whitehall, London. The Office does not have civil servants based at any other locations.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what steps he is taking to increase the number of apprenticeship starts in his Department.
Answered by Ian Murray - Secretary of State for Scotland
We remain committed to supporting the use of apprenticeships across the civil service to break down barriers to opportunity. This includes initiatives like supporting the Government’s commitment to 2,000 digital apprenticeships through its TechTrack scheme by 2030 to improve digital skills and drive improvements and efficiency in public services.
Additionally, there is a new cross-Government Level 3 apprenticeship programme in Business Administration, the ‘Civil Service Career Launch Apprenticeship’ (CLA), which will see new apprentices kickstart their careers, across various departments, starting from January 2026.