Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what proportion of procurement contracts were awarded to UK companies in the 2024-25 financial year.
Answered by Ian Murray - Secretary of State for Scotland
The Scotland Office did not award any procurement contracts in 2024-25.
The Scotland Office is a small Ministerial Department which, other than for minor or bespoke purchases, does not normally undertake direct procurement.
Asked by: Preet Kaur Gill (Labour (Co-op) - Birmingham Edgbaston)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing specific (a) Sikh and (b) Jewish options for a person’s ethnic group in data collection conducted by his Department.
Answered by Ian Murray - Secretary of State for Scotland
The Scotland Office does not hold information in relation to the ethnicity of staff.
All staff that join the Scotland Office, do so on an assignment, loan or secondment from other Government bodies, principally the Ministry of Justice and the Scottish Government, who remain the employers. All information in relation to protected characteristics, including the ethnicity of staff is held and managed by the employing departments.
Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - South Shropshire)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, whether he is taking steps to increase the number of apprenticeships within 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. The Scotland Office considers the use of apprenticeships for all relevant recruitment campaigns.
Asked by: Melanie Onn (Labour - Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what proportion of (a) UK-flagged and (b) EU member state-flagged fishing vessels were subject to port inspections in in Scotland in the last 12 months.
Answered by Ian Murray - Secretary of State for Scotland
The regulation and oversight of port inspections in Scotland predominantly fall within the remit of the Scottish Government. As such, the Scotland Office does not hold the specific information requested. I recommend contacting the Scottish Government for further details on this matter.
Asked by: Stephen Gethins (Scottish National Party - Arbroath and Broughty Ferry)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, whether funding will be made available to devolved Governments under the Barnett formula from the NHS England Ten Year Plan.
Answered by Ian Murray - Secretary of State for Scotland
The UK Government announced last month that the Scottish Government will receive an extra £9.1 billion in funding following the Chancellor's Spending Review. This includes £5.8 billion in health-related Barnett consequentials.
Funding for devolved health services in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland is determined independently through the Barnett formula. While the UK Government’s NHS England Ten Year Plan does not directly allocate funds to devolved Governments, the Barnett formula ensures that funding remains consistent with respective devolved budgets.
The devolved Governments retain responsibility for the management and delivery of health services within their jurisdictions.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how many staff in his Department have permission to work remotely outside the UK; and in which countries those staff are based.
Answered by Ian Murray - Secretary of State for Scotland
The Scotland Office has no staff working remotely from a non-UK location.
Asked by: Robin Swann (Ulster Unionist Party - South Antrim)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what assessment he has made with Cabinet colleagues of the potential impact of border control posts in Scotland on levels of trade between Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Answered by Kirsty McNeill - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Scotland Office)
I know the Honourable Member will share my firm desire not to see borders erected between the different nations of our United Kingdom.
We have been clear that there will be no border control posts at Cairnryan.
The UK Government is unequivocal in its commitment to ensuring unfettered access for Northern Ireland’s goods to the rest of the UK internal market and in coming weeks, as I advised the House at a previous Scottish oral questions, I will be meeting with NIO counterparts in coming weeks to discuss what more we can do to promote Scotland-NI trade.
Asked by: Chris Law (Scottish National Party - Dundee Central)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Government's policies on child poverty on children in Scotland.
Answered by Kirsty McNeill - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Scotland Office)
The Honourable Member will be aware of recent announcements about Best Start Family Hubs, free school meals and affordable childcare - actions made possible because of a budget he and his colleagues voted against.
A key way to tackle poverty is through decent work which is why I'm proud that more than 4,000 workers in Dundee got a pay rise through this government’s plans to Make Work Pay. The Child Poverty Taskforce is considering all available levers to give every child the best start in life as part of the strategy.
Asked by: Joe Morris (Labour - Hexham)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the potential impact of the Government’s clean energy mission on Scotland.
Answered by Kirsty McNeill - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Scotland Office)
The Secretary of State and I are proud proponents of the government’s Clean Energy mission and this government is taking real action - whether that’s providing the £8.5 billion of funding for Aberdeen-based GB Energy, supporting our world leading workforce through the Energy Skills Passport, or providing £200 million towards delivering the Acorn project - crucial in our bid to decarbonise Scotland’s future.
That’s mission delivery in action.
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what discussions he has had with the Scottish Government on trends in the level of tourism in Scotland.
Answered by Ian Murray - Secretary of State for Scotland
As a former small business owner myself, I have first hand experience and determination for ensuring Scotland’s small businesses thrive. Tourism is crucial not only for the economy, but for supporting local communities and promoting Scotland’s unique culture and natural beauty.
Through our Brand Scotland campaign, the Scotland Office is promoting Scotland as a premier destination for both business and leisure.
I am always eager to discuss matters important to Scotland, and have committed to meeting with VisitScotland as early as my diary permits.