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.
Asked by: John Milne (Liberal Democrat - Horsham)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of changes to employer National Insurance contributions on businesses in Scotland.
Answered by Ian Murray - Secretary of State for Scotland
Properly funding public services and restoring economic stability required difficult decisions, which is why we are asking employers to contribute more.
Stabilising the public finances is the only way to create long-term stability businesses need to thrive.
We are protecting the smallest businesses by more than doubling the Employment Allowance to £10,500, meaning more than half of small businesses will either gain or be unaffected.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how much his Department spent on equipment for civil servants to work from home in each of the last three years.
Answered by Ian Murray - Secretary of State for Scotland
The Scotland Office does not employ staff directly. However, contractual homeworking is a type of flexible working arrangement where an employee and the department agree to change the employee’s designated place of work to their home address. The Civil Service position on contractual home working agreements is that these are not routinely approved other than for a very small number of relevant roles, or where a workplace adjustment is agreed in respect of a disability under the Equality Act or occasionally as a redundancy mitigation. Civil servants are expected to spend at least 60 percent of their time in the office or on official business, which can include conducting site visits or meeting stakeholders.
The Scotland Office is required by The Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations 1992 to ensure that workstation users, including those who work from home, perform a suitable and sufficient analysis of their workstation. Before purchasing equipment, users must complete mandatory health and safety training, a homeworking checklist, a Display Screen Equipment self-assessment, and obtain line manager approval.
The Scotland Office spent:
● £110.45 in Financial Year 2022/23;
● £742.85 in Financial Year 2023/24;
● £0 in Financial Year 2024/25.
Asked by: Andrew Bowie (Conservative - West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what information his Department holds on the number of local authorities in Scotland which fly the Union Flag on public buildings.
Answered by Ian Murray - Secretary of State for Scotland
The UK Government issues flag flying guidance for UK Government buildings across the UK. Local Government is a devolved matter in Scotland. The Scottish Government issues its own guidance for Scottish Government buildings in which it states that local authority buildings and schools in Scotland are not affected by these guidelines. The matter of flag flying remains one for individual local authorities in Scotland to determine.
Asked by: Andrew Bowie (Conservative - West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what support his Department provides to local authorities in Scotland to encourage the flying of the Union Flag.
Answered by Ian Murray - Secretary of State for Scotland
The UK Government issues flag flying guidance for UK Government buildings across the UK. Local Government is a devolved matter in Scotland. The Scottish Government issues its own guidance for Scottish Government buildings in which it states that local authority buildings and schools in Scotland are not affected by these guidelines. The matter of flag flying remains one for individual local authorities in Scotland to determine.
Asked by: Andrew Bowie (Conservative - West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of public bodies not adopting Government guidance on the Union Flag on national cohesion.
Answered by Ian Murray - Secretary of State for Scotland
The UK Government issues flag flying guidance for UK Government buildings across the UK. Local Government is a devolved matter in Scotland. The Scottish Government issues its own guidance for Scottish Government buildings in which it states that local authority buildings and schools in Scotland are not affected by these guidelines. The matter of flag flying remains one for individual local authorities in Scotland to determine.
Asked by: Andrew Bowie (Conservative - West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, whether his Department has had recent discussions with local authorities in Scotland on the Union Flag.
Answered by Ian Murray - Secretary of State for Scotland
The UK Government issues flag flying guidance for UK Government buildings across the UK. Local Government is a devolved matter in Scotland. The Scottish Government issues its own guidance for Scottish Government buildings in which it states that local authority buildings and schools in Scotland are not affected by these guidelines. The matter of flag flying remains one for individual local authorities in Scotland to determine.
Asked by: Andrew Bowie (Conservative - West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what steps he is taking to promote the Union Flag as a symbol of unity.
Answered by Ian Murray - Secretary of State for Scotland
The UK Government issues flag flying guidance for UK Government buildings across the UK. Local Government is a devolved matter in Scotland. The Scottish Government issues its own guidance for Scottish Government buildings in which it states that local authority buildings and schools in Scotland are not affected by these guidelines. The matter of flag flying remains one for individual local authorities in Scotland to determine.
Asked by: Stephen Gethins (Scottish National Party - Arbroath and Broughty Ferry)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payments Bill on the Scottish Government's block grant.
Answered by Ian Murray - Secretary of State for Scotland
Universal Credit is a reserved matter, while in Scotland Adult Disability Payment, a devolved benefit, replaced Personal Independence Payments.
This Government will deliver the first permanent, above-inflation rise in the Universal Credit standard allowance since the 1970s, meaning nearly 4 million households will receive an income boost worth £725 by 2029/30 for a single household 25 or over. Individual block grant adjustments linked to individual policy decisions will be published in due course.
The Spending Review set a three year envelope and guarantees that the block grant will be at least £52 billion by 2029, with an additional £9.1 billion in Barnett consequentials over that time period.