Asked by: Justin Madders (Labour - Ellesmere Port and Neston)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, whether any ministerial redundancy payments have been repaid to their Department since 2019.
Answered by Alister Jack - Secretary of State for Scotland
The Scotland Office and Office for the Advocate General can confirm that no redundancy payments have been returned to the department since 2019.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how many and what proportion of (a) cars and (b) other vehicles used by his Department were made in Britain.
Answered by Alister Jack - Secretary of State for Scotland
The Scotland Office uses vehicles provided by the Government Car Service (GCS). Due to logistical and operational reasons, the type of vehicles deployed at each department can vary on a daily or weekly basis. The GCS fleet currently has 122 vehicles, 58 (48%) of which are vehicles made in Britain.
Asked by: Brendan O'Hara (Scottish National Party - Argyll and Bute)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, with reference to the Scottish Government's request for a section 104 Order under the Scotland Act 1998 in consequence of the Civil Partnership (Scotland) Act 2020, if he will permit the Scottish Government to legislate accordingly.
Answered by Alister Jack - Secretary of State for Scotland
I have written to the Scottish Government to confirm the UK Government’s in-principle agreement to proceed with this Scotland Act Order. My officials will continue to engage with their Scottish Government counterparts as the Order advances.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what his Department's policy is on the procurement of (a) food and (b) drinks produced in Britain for use in its canteens and restaurants.
Answered by Alister Jack - Secretary of State for Scotland
The Scotland Office does not manage any canteens or restaurants and does not procure any food or drinks for use in canteens or restaurants.
Asked by: Gerald Jones (Labour - Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the strength of the Union.
Answered by Alister Jack - Secretary of State for Scotland
I discuss the strengths and benefits of the Union with colleagues on a regular basis.
This Government is committed to protecting the Union and promoting the strengths that have made it the most successful political and economic union the world has ever seen.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on trends in the cost of living in Scotland.
Answered by Alister Jack - Secretary of State for Scotland
Supporting households and the most vulnerable by tackling cost of living pressures remains a core priority for this government. That is why the UK Government has introduced a £108 billion package of support over 2022-25, worth an average £3,800 per household, to mitigate against these pressures. We are also making good progress against the Prime Minister’s three economic priorities of halving inflation, getting the economy growing and reducing the national debt. Inflation is now at 3.2 percent - less than half its recent peak, and is expected to fall further to its 2 percent target one year earlier than expected.
Asked by: Alexander Stafford (Conservative - Rother Valley)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what recent discussions he has had with the Scottish Government on the protection of free speech in Scotland.
Answered by Alister Jack - Secretary of State for Scotland
This Government is committed to protecting free speech.
It is the responsibility of the Scottish Government and Scottish Parliament, working with Police Scotland, to ensure that the hate crime legislation is implemented and enforced in a way that protects freedom of speech and has the confidence of people in Scotland.
Asked by: Owen Thompson (Scottish National Party - Midlothian)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, if he will provide a list of ministerial visits to the Midlothian constituency in each of the last five years.
Answered by Alister Jack - Secretary of State for Scotland
Scotland Office Ministers have conducted one visit to the constituency of Midlothian in the past five years. This was by Iain Stewart MP, while Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Scotland Office, to Midlothian Council Projects on 4 February 2022.
Asked by: Ian Murray (Labour - Edinburgh South)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, whether he has had discussions with the Lord Advocate on the Scottish Government's proposed amendments to the Post Office (Horizon System) Offences Bill.
Answered by Alister Jack - Secretary of State for Scotland
Discussions with Scottish Ministers on the Post Office (Horizon System) Offences Bill have principally been led by the Minister of State in the Department for Business and Trade, Minister Hollinrake. I have not had discussions with the Lord Advocate regarding the Scottish Government’s proposed amendments to the Post Office (Horizon System) Offences Bill.
Noting Scotland’s historically separate legal jurisdiction and the unique role of the Lord Advocate and Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service in respect of prosecutions in Scotland, it is the UK Government’s view that it is appropriate for the Scottish Government to bring forward proposals to address prosecutions on this matter in Scotland, and for those to be scrutinised by the Scottish Parliament. The UK Government remains committed to supporting the Scottish Government in bringing forward its own proposals.
Asked by: Nia Griffith (Labour - Llanelli)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what steps he has taken to reduce the cost of fraud in his Department in the last three financial years.
Answered by Alister Jack - Secretary of State for Scotland
The Scotland Office reported no cases of fraud or amounts lost due to fraud or error in any of the last three financial years. This is disclosed as part of the Annual Report and Accounts available on GOV.UK.
The Government is determined to uncover fraud in the public sector and is proud of its record. As part of this, the Government established the Public Sector Fraud Authority (PSFA).
In 22/23, the PSFA set a target of delivering £180m of savings to the taxpayer. In fact, the PSFA far surpassed this within the first 12 months by preventing and recovering £311 million. As it enters its second year, the PSFA has a target of achieving £185 million of savings for the taxpayer.
The Government has also announced an additional £34 million to deploy cutting-edge tools and Artificial Intelligence tools to help combat fraud across the public sector, saving £100 million for the public purse. This is in addition to existing partnerships between PSFA and the tech sector.