Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the application of the devolution settlement with Scotland in relation to the Scottish Government's proposed fund to support international social care workers who are without sponsored employment elsewhere in the UK to relocate to work in Scotland.

Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)

The proposal to support international social workers who are without sponsored employment elsewhere in the UK to relocate to Scotland appears to be compatible with the existing immigration system and we encourage efforts to support displaced care workers find new employment.

The Home office and UK Visa and Immigration have been working with the Scottish Government to provide practical support for international social care workers who are without sponsored employment.

Health and social care policy is devolved and therefore the provision of social care, funding and workforce planning in Scotland is the responsibility of the Scottish Government.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether the Home Office was consulted by the Scottish Government before the announcement of its proposed fund to support international social care workers who are without sponsored employment elsewhere in the UK to relocate to work in Scotland.

Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)

The proposal to support international social workers who are without sponsored employment elsewhere in the UK to relocate to Scotland appears to be compatible with the existing immigration system and we encourage efforts to support displaced care workers find new employment.

The Home office and UK Visa and Immigration have been working with the Scottish Government to provide practical support for international social care workers who are without sponsored employment.

Health and social care policy is devolved and therefore the provision of social care, funding and workforce planning in Scotland is the responsibility of the Scottish Government.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, following reports that crime groups based in Birmingham, Liverpool and London have county lines operations in the Scottish Highlands and Islands, how they are working with the Scottish Government to combat county lines gang activity.

Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)

County Lines is the most violent model of drug supply and a harmful form of child criminal exploitation. Through the County Lines Programme, we are targeting exploitative drug dealing gangs while breaking the organised crime groups behind this trade.

Between July 2024 and June 2025, law enforcement activity through the County Lines Programme taskforces has resulted in more than 2,300 deal lines closed, 6,200 arrests (including the arrest and subsequent charge of over 1,100 deal line holders), 3,200 safeguarding referrals of children and vulnerable people, and 600 knives seized.

While the majority of county lines originate from the areas covered by the Metropolitan Police Service, West Midlands Police, Merseyside Police, Greater Manchester Police and West Yorkshire Police, we recognise that this is a national issue which affects all forces, which is why we fund the National County Lines Co-ordination Centre (NCLCC) to monitor the intelligence picture and co-ordinate a national law enforcement response.

NCLCC’s most recent Strategic Assessment found that Scotland was one of the top five importing areas for county lines in 2023/24. The County Lines Programme taskforces conduct joint operations with Police Scotland and are committed to intelligence sharing and cooperation to tackle county lines. In addition, NCLCC regularly coordinates national weeks of intensive action against county lines gangs, which police forces, including Police Scotland take part in.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government, with regard to the Scottish Sea Fisheries Statistics 2023, published 4 December 2024, why they are applying the Barnett formula to the fishing and coastal growth fund when landings by Scottish vessels accounted for 63 per cent of the value of all landings by UK vessels in 2023.

Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Fisheries policy is devolved to the Scottish Government. The Barnett formula will therefore apply to UK Government allocations of the Fishing and Coastal Growth Fund, providing Devolved Governments with full discretion to allocate funding in line with local priorities and specific circumstances of their fishing and coastal communities

Question to the Scotland Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many times (1) the Secretary of State for Scotland, and (2) the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Scotland, met the Scottish Fishermen's Federation specifically to discuss the proposed fishing and coastal growth fund, and on what dates.

Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

Decisions over how the Fishing and Coastal Growth Fund is spent in Scotland are devolved, granting the Scottish Government discretion to allocate funding in line with local priorities and the specific circumstances of Scotland’s fishing and coastal communities. As fisheries overall is devolved, the Scottish Government also has an important role in engaging with industry and stakeholders.

The funds awarded sit in addition to the baseline funding provided to the Scottish Government through their block grant. The Scottish Government has received the biggest funding settlement since devolution, with Scotland generally receiving around 20% more per capita. This funding can be allocated to other priorities, including fisheries.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask His Majesty's Government, in regard to the Statement of Funding Policy: Funding the Scottish Government, Welsh Government and Northern Ireland Executive, published in June 2025, why they amended their funding policy for agriculture and fisheries funding.

Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

As set out in the Statement of Funding Policy, from 2025-26 the devolved governments will no longer receive a ringfenced addition to the block grant for agriculture and fisheries. Funding for agriculture and fisheries from 2024-25 has been baselined and un-ringfenced in each devolved governments block grant. This is an above population share for the devolved governments.

It is for devolved governments to allocate this funding as they see fit and they are accountable to their devolved legislatures for those decisions. This is a key principle of devolution and this decision respects that.

The Barnett formula will apply to any future changes in UK Government funding from 2025-26 for agriculture and fisheries in the usual way. This is the normal operation of the funding arrangements for the devolved governments.