Scotland Office

The Scotland Office has only one SCS2 post which is not currently held by a woman.

I am in regular contact with Cabinet colleagues on a range of issues of importance to Scotland’s whisky industry.

Scotland’s whisky industry continues to go from strength to strength at home and abroad, and Scotch whisky is the UK’s premier food and drink export. I want Scottish producers to take full advantage of the new trade deals the UK Government is striking around the world.

In this vein, earlier this month I visited Vietnam, a key growth market for Scotch whisky, where along with representatives from the Scotch Whisky Association, I hosted a whisky reception for key business leaders in Hanoi.

I have had frequent recent discussions with the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs on his Department's provision of support for Scottish Ministers on planned overseas visits. I fully agree with the FCDO's current guidance which states that, when ministers from the devolved administrations are holding meetings with ministers from overseas governments (or positions of equivalent seniority e.g. EU Commissioner), a senior UK Government official is expected to attend.

I have had no discussions with either the Scottish Government or representatives acting on behalf of the Scottish Government in regards to the role of Lord Advocate and potential changes to the Scotland Act.

The Scotland Office did not spend anything on equality and diversity training in the 2022-2023 financial year.

The Boundary Commission of Scotland has responsibility for its staff, who are employed by the Scottish Government and assigned to the Commission, within the terms of Scottish Government policies and processes. Training for staff is accessed through the Scottish Government, including on diversity and equality. Boundary Commission for Scotland therefore incurred no expenditure on such training in the 2022-23 financial year.

The information requested is not centrally collated and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs’ regional trade statistics show that in the year ending March 2023, the overall value of UK trade in goods increased by 18% for exports and by 24% for imports, compared with the previous year.

Compared with the year ending March 2022, Scotland’s goods exports to EU countries were worth £22bn (up £4.3bn, or 24%) in March 2023, whilst Scotland’s goods imports from EU countries were worth £12bn (up £3.3bn, or 38%) in March 2023, resulting in a surplus of £10bn.

Since the fourth quarter of 2020, the value of EU exports from Scotland has consistently exceeded the value of non-EU exports.

For now, the focus is on bringing together the information we hold about the Government estate into one place. This work is being coordinated by the Office for Government Property. Survey work is underway.

During the past two years, the Scotland Office answered 100% of subject access requests received within the 30-day deadline set by the ICO. The Department continually monitors and looks for ways to improve its performance.

The Scotland Office utilises a number of workforce management metrics including those relating to staff retention/turnover. Many of these can be found in our Annual Report and Accounts.

The Scotland Office has a strong People Offer which aims to attract, train, develop, retain, promote and progress our people to fulfil their potential, meet our objectives and benefit the Civil Service.

In accordance with the Government Cyber Security Strategy we are working to ensure that our critical functions will be significantly hardened to cyber-attack by 2025, with all government organisations across the whole public sector being resilient to known vulnerabilities and attack methods no later than 2030.

The Government attaches great importance to the effective and timely handling of Written Parliamentary Questions.

There are three types of Written Parliamentary Question. The Cabinet Office’s Guide to Parliamentary Work sets out the timelines departments should seek to meet.

This can be found here:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1116933/2022-10-11_-_Guide_to_Parliamentary_Work___1_.pdf

Departmental performance on Written Parliamentary Questions is published at the end of each session by the Procedure Committee and is therefore publicly available.

You can find details of the last session's PQ performance here:

https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm5803/cmselect/cmproced/385/report.html

This year's data will be published by the Procedure Committee when the session concludes.

The Scotland Office make every effort to reply to Written Parliamentary Questions within original deadlines by ensuring strict internal deadlines are in place, regular guidance is issued to all staff and monthly corporate reporting.

The Government attaches great importance to the effective and timely handling of Written Parliamentary Questions.

There are three types of Written Parliamentary Question. The Cabinet Office’s Guide to Parliamentary Work sets out the timelines departments should seek to meet.

This can be found here:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1116933/2022-10-11_-_Guide_to_Parliamentary_Work___1_.pdf

Departmental performance on Written Parliamentary Questions is published at the end of each session by the Procedure Committee and is therefore publicly available.

You can find details of the last session's PQ performance here:

https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm5803/cmselect/cmproced/385/report.html

This year's data will be published by the Procedure Committee when the session concludes.

The Scotland Office make every effort to reply to Written Parliamentary Questions within original deadlines by ensuring strict internal deadlines are in place, regular guidance is issued to all staff and monthly corporate reporting.

The Scotland Office has not held policy responsibility for any public inquiries for the past 5 years.

The Scotland Office does not currently have a backlog of Member correspondence.

During the 2022-23 financial year, the Scotland Office answered 99% of Freedom of Information requests received within the statutory 20 working day deadline.

Further information on FOI performance for all central government departments and other monitored bodies can be found on www.gov.uk at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/government-foi-statistics.

The Department continually monitors and looks for ways to improve its FOI performance.

The Department continually monitors and looks for ways to improve its FOI performance.

The Scotland Office regularly publishes data on our response times to Members on gov.uk. During quarter 1 and quarter 2 of 2023, the Scotland Office responded to 96% of Member enquiries within the 20 working day target. The Department continually monitors and looks for ways to improve its correspondence performance.

The Office does not provide direct digital services to the public. Teams with responsibility for digital publishing comply with the Government Digital Service’s best practice for publishing on gov.uk, including converting documents to HTML, and ensuring published materials meet web content accessibility guidelines.

Drug policy and the associated legislation regarding its use and possession is reserved. I have not had any discussions with the Scottish Government regarding research into psilocybin.

This information is not centrally collated and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. Ministers will regularly seek to engage with hon. Members, whilst balancing wider Ministerial and Parliamentary responsibilities.

The Scotland Office does not employ any staff directly; all staff that join 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 and whose HR Policies apply.

Both Ministry of Justice and Scottish Government policies follow the Civil Service HR’s wider model discipline policy, which makes it clear that disciplinary matters are strictly confidential. Confidentiality applies to everyone involved in the matter and is equally important after the matter has concluded.

The Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Shirley-Anne Somerville MSP, wrote to me on 29 June, setting out the Scottish Government's proposed course of action to bring their United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (Incorporation) (Scotland) Bill in line with the 2021 Supreme Court judgment. It has always been the responsibility of the Scottish Government to determine how they will comply with the requirements of the Supreme Court judgment.

The work of the Scotland Office is conducted in a number of different locations, be that at our London office; the UKG hub in Edinburgh; or engaging with stakeholders and communities across Scotland. Occupancy data for our London office is not an indicator of departmental performance. You can find out more about the work of the department and our delivery against our Priority Outcomes in our Annual Report.

The Scotland Office is committed to fully utilising the benefits of flexible working while ensuring that we use our buildings effectively and maximise the advantages of in-person collaboration. It should be noted that hybrid working arrangements are not new and the Scotland Office, like most departments, works on a basis of a ratio of desks to staff.

Occupancy data for our London office is published weekly on Gov.UK. The published data is for Departmental HQ buildings only and inferences about the wider workforce should not be made. The data does not capture employees working in other locations.

The UK Government is committed to the promotion of Scottish trade and culture overseas, and our network of 280 diplomatic missions serves the whole of the UK with opportunities.

I recently appeared before the Scottish Affairs Committee, along with Ministerial colleagues, to outline the UK’s work in this space in detail. This includes the work of the new Trade Minister in DBT, Lord Offord of Garvel, who will continue to promote Scotland and Scottish business and cultural interests overseas.

My assessment is that our United Kingdom, and support for it, is strong.

This Government is delivering on issues that actually matter to people - from Levelling Up investment to tackling the cost of living, and working with the Scottish Government on delivering Freeports, Investment Zones and City & Region Growth Deals.

As an open economy, this Government welcomes and encourages investment where it supports the Prime Minister’s goal of boosting UK growth and jobs, meets our stringent legal and regulatory requirements, and does not compromise our national security. The Government has robust powers under the National Security & Investment Act, which it introduced, to block or impose remedies on transactions that pose a national security risk.

As you will appreciate, we cannot comment on specific acquisitions nor the applicability of the National Security and Investment regime.

It is the responsibility of the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to assess the impact on consumers and competition in the market, with input from sectoral regulators.

The Investment Security Unit works closely with the Competition and Markets Authority on cases that are being considered for both national security and competition reasons. A memorandum of understanding has been agreed between the Investment Security Unit and the CMA to assist joint working. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/operation-of-the-national-security-and-investment-act-2021-memorandum-of-understanding/mou-between-beis-and-the-cma-on-the-operation-of-the-national-security-and-investment-act-2021.

I have received no representations from the Scottish Government in relation to a consultation on the proposed separation of the functions of the Lord Advocate.

The work of the Scotland Office is conducted in a number of different locations, be that at our London office; the UKG hub in Edinburgh; or engaging with stakeholders and communities across Scotland. Occupancy data for our London office is not an indicator of departmental performance. You can find out more about the work of the department and our delivery against our Priority Outcomes in our Annual Report.

The Scotland Office is committed to fully utilising the benefits of flexible working while ensuring that we use our buildings effectively and maximise the advantages of in-person collaboration. Occupancy data for our London office is published weekly on Gov.UK.

It should be noted that hybrid working arrangements are not new and the Scotland Office, like most departments, works on a basis of a ratio of desks to staff. No office will operate at 100% occupancy given there will always be a number of reasons why staff may be out of the office, for example, people being on annual leave, attending meetings off-site or external visits.

Ministers and officials from this Department regularly meet with counterparts from across government to discuss the UK tourism industry. This engagement includes ongoing attendance at the Inter-Ministerial Group on the Visitor Economy where initiatives, such as those that promote cross-UK tourism, are explored.

I have raised this request with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care. I understand the Minister of State for Health and Social Care is in the process of writing to the Shadow Secretary of State for Health in relation to the named constituent.

The Scotland Office leases space in two buildings, Dover House in London and Queen Elizabeth House in Edinburgh.

These buildings are managed by the Government Property Agency and HMRC respectively, who would hold any information of this nature.

I am pleased that the Marriage and Civil Partnership (Minimum Age) Act recently came into force in England and Wales, and I note the important work and contribution from the Member for Mid Derbyshire. As a devolved matter, it is for the Scottish Government to decide on the age of marriage. Nonetheless, the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Justice wrote to the then Scottish Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Housing and Local Government last December, encouraging the Scottish Government to follow the UK Government’s lead. I hope the Scottish Government will take action on this soon, in order to meet our targets under the UN Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.

I am pleased that the Marriage and Civil Partnership (Minimum Age) Act recently obtained Royal Assent - and I thank my honourable Friend for her important work in this area.

The Scottish Government is aware of the Act’s contents. As a devolved matter, it is for the Scottish Government to decide on the age of marriage.

Nonetheless, I would encourage the Scottish Government to follow suit.

The operation of international ferry routes is primarily a commercial matter.

Officials in the Department for Transport are in regular contact with Transport Scotland to monitor developments in the maritime market, including the Rosyth ferry proposals.

I understand the companies involved remain engaged in feasibility studies to test commercial viability and we look forward to learning their outcome in due course.

Connectivity between the Scottish mainland and islands is essential to the livelihoods and well-being of our island communities.

The Scotland Office routinely engages with stakeholders on this and other matters impacting our islands. Indeed, my Ministerial colleague, Lord Offord, attended the first Islands Forum last year.

I am confident that continued collaboration will help island communities tackle shared challenges and unlock their full potential.

Officials in my Department have been working closely with their colleagues across the UK Government and Scottish Government to prepare the Seventh Annual Report on the Implementation of the Scotland Act 2016.

I expect this report to be published by the end of May. I will write to you with a copy of the report when it is published.

This is an area of devolved competence and therefore not for the UK Government to comment on. Historic Environment Scotland is a Scottish Government non-departmental public body with a charitable status, governed by a Board of Trustees appointed by Scottish Ministers.

The Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body is responsible for decisions on the parliamentary budget. The Body is chaired by the Presiding Officer and includes four elected Members of the Scottish Parliament. Its expenditure is authorised through the Scottish Government Budget Bill and is paid from the Scottish Consolidated Fund. The Auditor General for Scotland, the Accounts Commission, and Audit Scotland work together to deliver public audits in Scotland.

I have not had any discussions with the Scottish Government regarding the role of Lord Advocate and changes to the Scotland Act 1998 in the period since May 2022.

I can confirm that there are currently no active or live consultations being led by my Department. Consequently, my department is not awaiting or expecting any consultation responses.

The Government has taken decisive action to support households and businesses across the UK, including in Scotland, through the Energy Price Guarantee and the Energy Bills Discount Scheme.

In the face of retail energy costs that are expected to remain high through the spring largely due to the illegal war in Ukraine, the Government is maintaining the Energy Price Guarantee for an additional three months, until June 2023.

The Government has taken decisive action to support households and businesses across the UK, including in Scotland, through the Energy Price Guarantee and the Energy Bills Discount Scheme.

In the face of retail energy costs that are expected to remain high through the spring largely due to the illegal war in Ukraine, the Government is maintaining the Energy Price Guarantee for an additional three months, until June 2023.