Question to the Scotland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how many (a) internal policy reviews, (b) independent reviews, (c) external reviews, (d) taskforces, (e) public consultations, (f) investigations and (g) other reviews their Department launched between 5 July 2024 and 5 January 2025; what the titles were of those reviews; and how many of those reviews have been (i) completed and (ii) published.

Answered by Kirsty McNeill - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Scotland Office)

The Scotland Office has not launched any reviews, consultations or investigations between 5 July 2024 and 5 January 2025.

Question to the Scotland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what assessment he has made with Cabinet colleagues of the impact of levels of taxation on people in Scotland.

Answered by Ian Murray - Secretary of State for Scotland

The assessment that we have made is that the Honourable Gentleman's party crashed the economy and left the legacy of the highest tax burden on working people in 70 years and in Scotland that is even higher.

The SNP Government’s own figures show that a Band 5 Nurse will pay more tax in Scotland than a nurse earning the same amount in England, meanwhile billions of pounds of taxpayer money has been wasted under the SNP.

The previous Conservative government and current SNP government both share the belief that nurses, teachers and ordinary Scots should pay for their economic failures.

We will provide economic stability and put more money in people’s pockets.

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 not issuing new oil and gas licences on economic growth in Scotland.

Answered by Ian Murray - Secretary of State for Scotland

The UK Government recognises oil and gas production in the North Sea will be part of our energy mix for decades to come and is committed to managing the energy transition in a way that supports jobs in existing and future industries. We have a workforce that leads the world and we are determined to secure their long-term future in the energy industry.

The Government will be consulting shortly on how to support the energy transition in the North Sea.

Question to the Scotland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland,what steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to support people with the cost of living in Scotland.

Answered by Kirsty McNeill - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Scotland Office)

Delivering economic growth and raising living standards in every part of the United Kingdom, so working people have more money in their pocket, is the government’s central mission.

We are protecting 1 million pensioners with the triple lock, giving a pay rise to hundreds of thousands of Scots through the minimum wage increase.

3.2 million people in Scotland will benefit from the cut in fuel duty, 1.7 million families in Scotland will have their working age benefits uprated in line with inflation, and our universal credit reforms will be essential for families throughout Scotland.

Question to the Scotland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Business and Trade on the future of industry in Scotland.

Answered by Ian Murray - Secretary of State for Scotland

I have regular discussions with the Secretary of State for Business and Trade to ensure we work together to safeguard the future for key Scottish industries.

We inherited a fiscal crisis, and in Scotland an industrial crisis as well. Our industrial strategy will be for all parts of the UK.

Scotland is key to our defence, technology, professional services, higher education, food and drink and energy industries, all cornerstones of Scotland's strong economic and industrial base.

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 the Autumn Budget 2024 on public services in Scotland.

Answered by Kirsty McNeill - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Scotland Office)

The budget delivered more money for public services in Scotland with the largest real terms budget in the history of devolution.

People now expect delivery from the SNP government in Edinburgh, especially in our NHS where over 100,000 Scots have been trapped on NHS waiting lists for more than a year. They have the money, they have the powers, there are no more excuses.

Question to the Scotland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, whether he has made an assessment of the effectiveness of the Edinburgh City Region Deal.

Answered by Ian Murray - Secretary of State for Scotland

The Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region Deal is an exemplar of strength in both delivery and impact, and provides the greatest return on investment of any city region or growth deal in Scotland.

The Deal has thus far delivered £2.2 billion pounds of gross value add to the Scottish and UK economy, from £600 million of Government Investment. The Deal is exceeding targets at every turn, with over 336,000 skills improvements engagements delivered through the award winning Integrated Regional Employability and Skills programme, and £200m of research funding secured for the Data Driven Innovation programme. It has also supported ongoing positive collaboration between six local authorities across the region.

I am confident this Deal will continue to build on its own successes to deliver a more prosperous region and UK.

Question to the Scotland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, for what purposes (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department have used AI in the last 12 months.

Answered by Ian Murray - Secretary of State for Scotland

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is at the heart of the Government’s plan to kickstart an era of economic growth, transform how we deliver public services, and boost living standards for working people across the Country. A small number of officials in the department have had access to the Cabinet Office Redbox copilot project to extract, summarise and synthesise information. The communications team also use the internal GCS Assist tool to support elements of communications planning.

Question to the Scotland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, whether he has had discussions with Offshore Energies UK on the recent workforce cuts announced by BP.

Answered by Ian Murray - Secretary of State for Scotland

I was extremely disappointed to hear that BP has decided to shed energy-related jobs across the world, and that this may impact Scottish workers. We are aware of the situation, and I have asked my officials to follow up with the company to better understand the situation, and in particular the estimated impact on Scotland.

I have contact with BP and Offshore Energies UK on a regular basis, where we discuss a range of issues. A just transition of energy jobs in Scotland is of utmost importance to this Government, and we are confident that our clean energy mission will ensure thousands of good quality jobs for workers in Scotland, including in the oil and gas sector. GB Energy and our skills passports are designed to ensure this.

I will continue to monitor the situation closely and engage with the relevant stakeholder

Question to the Scotland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, whether he has had discussions with BP on the recent workforce cuts they have announced.

Answered by Ian Murray - Secretary of State for Scotland

I was extremely disappointed to hear that BP has decided to shed energy-related jobs across the world, and that this may impact Scottish workers. We are aware of the situation, and I have asked my officials to follow up with the company to better understand the situation, and in particular the estimated impact on Scotland.

I have contact with BP and Offshore Energies UK on a regular basis, where we discuss a range of issues. A just transition of energy jobs in Scotland is of utmost importance to this Government, and we are confident that our clean energy mission will ensure thousands of good quality jobs for workers in Scotland, including in the oil and gas sector. GB Energy and our skills passports are designed to ensure this.

I will continue to monitor the situation closely and engage with the relevant stakeholder

Question to the Scotland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, whether he has had discussions with Aberdeen and Grampian Chamber of Commerce on recent increases to the Energy Profits Levy.

Answered by Ian Murray - Secretary of State for Scotland

The UK Government is firmly committed to clean energy by 2030, but recognises that oil and gas will continue to have a role in the UK’s energy mix for decades to come, particularly in the North East of Scotland. We have carefully considered the available allowances in the Energy Profits Levy to ensure that they support investment and jobs in current and future industries.

We engage with local authorities across Scotland on a range of issues regularly, including on the delivery of the City Region and Growth Deals Programme - of which energy projects are a key part. We also speak regularly to businesses and representative bodies across all parts of the energy sector.

However, this Government is clear that public and private investment must be driven towards cleaner energy. Money raised from changes to the Energy Profits Levy will be used to support the transition to clean energy, enhance energy security and provide sustainable jobs for the future, which will benefit Scotland tremendously. We have also introduced a skills passport to support oil and gas workers in taking advantage of the opportunities that exist in renewable energy, and are establishing Great British Energy in Aberdeen to ensure the Northeast is best placed to lead this transition.

Question to the Scotland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, whether he has had discussions with Aberdeenshire Council on recent increases to the Energy Profits Levy.

Answered by Ian Murray - Secretary of State for Scotland

The UK Government is firmly committed to clean energy by 2030, but recognises that oil and gas will continue to have a role in the UK’s energy mix for decades to come, particularly in the North East of Scotland. We have carefully considered the available allowances in the Energy Profits Levy to ensure that they support investment and jobs in current and future industries.

We engage with local authorities across Scotland on a range of issues regularly, including on the delivery of the City Region and Growth Deals Programme - of which energy projects are a key part. We also speak regularly to businesses and representative bodies across all parts of the energy sector.

However, this Government is clear that public and private investment must be driven towards cleaner energy. Money raised from changes to the Energy Profits Levy will be used to support the transition to clean energy, enhance energy security and provide sustainable jobs for the future, which will benefit Scotland tremendously. We have also introduced a skills passport to support oil and gas workers in taking advantage of the opportunities that exist in renewable energy, and are establishing Great British Energy in Aberdeen to ensure the Northeast is best placed to lead this transition.

Question to the Scotland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, whether he has had discussions with Aberdeen City Council on recent increases to the Energy Profits Levy.

Answered by Ian Murray - Secretary of State for Scotland

The UK Government is firmly committed to clean energy by 2030, but recognises that oil and gas will continue to have a role in the UK’s energy mix for decades to come, particularly in the North East of Scotland. We have carefully considered the available allowances in the Energy Profits Levy to ensure that they support investment and jobs in current and future industries.

We engage with local authorities across Scotland on a range of issues regularly, including on the delivery of the City Region and Growth Deals Programme - of which energy projects are a key part. We also speak regularly to businesses and representative bodies across all parts of the energy sector.

However, this Government is clear that public and private investment must be driven towards cleaner energy. Money raised from changes to the Energy Profits Levy will be used to support the transition to clean energy, enhance energy security and provide sustainable jobs for the future, which will benefit Scotland tremendously. We have also introduced a skills passport to support oil and gas workers in taking advantage of the opportunities that exist in renewable energy, and are establishing Great British Energy in Aberdeen to ensure the Northeast is best placed to lead this transition.

Found: Ireland 20Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission Parades Commission for Northern Ireland Scotland Office

Found: Health England Queen Elizabeth Conference Centre Royal Courts of Justice Rural Payments Agency Scotland Office

Found: Scotland Education Scotland Food Standards Scotland Forestry and Land Scotland National Records of Scotland Office

Found: Role of the Scotland Office • The role of the Secretary of State for Scotland is - of course - a matter

Found: RE: Official Sensitive - Council of the Nations and Regions - DRAFT Briefing No push back from Scotland Office