Question to the Scotland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, when he last met with representatives of the Scottish seafood sector in Scotland.

Answered by Ian Murray - Secretary of State for Scotland

Scotland Office Ministers regularly engage with a range of stakeholders from the sector. I spoke at a Seafood Scotland event in the House of Commons on 26 February. That same day, Minister McNeill met the Scottish Fisherman’s Federation as a follow up from a joint visit organised between her and Home Office Minister Seema Malhotra on 3 February, where they met a number of industry representatives and discussed issues such as access to labour at length.

My department remains committed to continuing to engage with both the wild caught and aquaculture sectors to support the seafood industry in Scotland, and I continue to promote the sector around the world through my Brand Scotland work.

Question to the Scotland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what proportion of food procured by his Department is sourced in (a) the UK and (b) Scotland.

Answered by Ian Murray - Secretary of State for Scotland

The Department does not operate any catering outlets. It holds a small number of official functions for which food is served. Catering for these is provided by third parties, who source and procure all supplies. The Department does not hold any data about the origin of any of the food procured or served by those third parties.

The Department hosts trade promotional events supporting Brand Scotland, where Scottish food producers and suppliers serve their products to invited guests.

Question to the Scotland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what meetings he has had with Cabinet colleagues on increased Government defence spending in Scotland.

Answered by Ian Murray - Secretary of State for Scotland

The Prime Minister has made it clear that we must strengthen our defence capabilities, which is why this Government has committed to increasing defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027.

Scotland’s world-class defence industry is well-positioned to meet the growing demands for national security. This increase in defence spending will support highly skilled jobs and apprenticeships across the UK, including in Scotland.

The new UK Government support for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) will include specific SME spending targets for defence.

I recently had the pleasure of visiting JFD, a Scottish SME and world leader in underwater capabilities. This visit underscored our commitment to ensuring that these businesses benefit from the historic increase in defence spending. I am proud of Scotland's defence sector and will continue to advocate for the industry and its workforce.

Question to the Scotland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what recent discussions he has had with the Scottish Government on infected blood compensation payments.

Answered by Ian Murray - Secretary of State for Scotland

The UK Government is working closely with devolved governments and existing support schemes in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The Minister for the Cabinet Office met the Scottish Minister for Public Health on 3 March 2025 to discuss compensation payments for victims of the infected blood scandal, and he is committed to engaging further with the Scottish Government as we progress this work.

Question to the Scotland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how many of their Department's officials have been seconded from (a) the Institute for Economic Affairs, (b) the Policy Exchange, (c) the Adam Smith Institute and (d) Labour Together since July 2024.

Answered by Ian Murray - Secretary of State for Scotland

No officials in the Scotland Office have been seconded from the Institute for Economic Affairs, the Policy Exchange, the Adam Smith Institute or Labour Together since July 2024.

Question to the Scotland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what he last met with representatives of the Scottish farming sector in Scotland.

Answered by Ian Murray - Secretary of State for Scotland

Supporting Scottish farmers and crofters is a priority for this Government and my department regularly engages with the industry at Ministerial and official levels. Most recently, Minister McNeill delivered a keynote speech at the National Farmers’ Union Scotland annual conference, where she announced that the Scotland Office would host a Food and Farming roundtable soon. Preparations for it are ongoing, in collaboration with the Scottish Government.

Earlier that same week, Minister McNeill accompanied Home Office Minister Seema Malhotra on a visit to a farm in Aberdeenshire, accompanied by NFUS representatives. Prior to that she met with crofters' representatives in Stornoway.

Question to the Scotland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, if he will have discussions with the Scottish Government on the potential merits of banning first-cousin marriage in (a) Scotland and (b) the UK.

Answered by Ian Murray - Secretary of State for Scotland

Scotland Office Ministers and officials regularly engage with counterparts in the Scottish Government on issues that matter to the people of Scotland.

We are aware that all aspects of weddings, including first cousin marriage, are important issues. The Scottish Parliament has power to legislate in relation to marriages in Scotland.

Question to the Scotland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how many staff their Department has seconded from Hakluyt since July 2024.

Answered by Ian Murray - Secretary of State for Scotland

Secondments is one way of bringing talent and experience into the civil service for short periods of time and has been used by successive governments. Secondments are arranged at a business unit level and data is held at business unit level.

No officials in the Scotland Office have been seconded from Hakluyt since July 2024.

Question to the Scotland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of Dundee University's plan to cut staffing by 20% on the Tay Cities Deal.

Answered by Ian Murray - Secretary of State for Scotland

I am fully aware of the well documented financial situation with the University of Dundee and share concern that any job losses are regrettable, however the University is a key partner in the Tay Cities Region Deal and remains fully committed to delivering its objectives. Economic Growth is one of this Government’s key missions and I am absolutely committed to working alongside the Scottish Government to realise our shared ambitions for growth in Scotland. My officials will continue to collaborate with all of the Tay Cities Region Deal partners to ensure the maximum benefits for the region can be realised.

Question to the Scotland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Scottish Government’s proposals to adopt Ultra High Frequency electronic identification technology for animals on farming in the rest of the UK.

Answered by Ian Murray - Secretary of State for Scotland

Animal health and traceability policy is devolved. The Scottish Government has announced that it plans to adopt Ultra-High Frequency electronic identification (EID) in cattle. The UK and Welsh Governments have yet to make a decision on technology, whereas Northern Ireland would be required to use Low Frequency technology if the Northern Ireland Executive chooses to introduce EID, in accordance with the Windsor Framework.

Work between Defra officials and counterparts in the devolved governments is ongoing to understand the potential impacts of divergence, including the impacts on industry, the internal market and international trade. The issue was discussed at the Inter-Ministerial Group for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 27 January 2025.

Found: Scotland Office and Office of the Advocate General, 2024-25Scotland Office and Office of the Advocate

Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-31545 by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 3 December 2024, whether it has received any response from the Office of the Secretary of State for Scotland with regards to the proposed order under section 104 of the Scotland Act 1998 relating to changing marriages to civil partnerships.

Answered by Somerville, Shirley-Anne - Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice

We have received a reply from the Secretary of State for Scotland. This reply gives in-principle agreement to the proposed section 104 Order.

Scotland Office has asked for further information on what the Order could cover. The Scottish Government will write to Scotland Office accordingly and will also work with them to agree a timetable.

It may still take some time for the work on the Order to be completed. Scottish Government officials will keep people who have expressed an interest updated on developments.