Oral Answers to Questions

Allan Dorans Excerpts

Thursday 8th July 2021 Commons Chamber

The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office was asked—

[Allan Dorans (Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock) (SNP)]

What public opinion polling his Department has collected since 2017 on attitudes to the Union in Scotland.

[Marion Fellows (Motherwell and Wishaw) (SNP)]

What public opinion polling his Department has collected since 2017 on attitudes to the Union in Scotland.

[The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office (Michael Gove)]

As you quite rightly point out, Mr Speaker, football is indeed coming home. I cannot possibly understand why attendance is so scant on the Government Benches this morning.

The Government regularly commission research across the United Kingdom to understand public attitudes in order to inform and help to deliver relevant policies, and to ensure that we have strong, UK-wide, cross-Government communications campaigns.

[Allan Dorans]

Last month, the first-tier tribunal on information rights ruled that the Cabinet Office must release polling information that it has gathered on attitudes to the Union in Scotland within a month. Will the Minister confirm that he will be releasing that information, as he has been ordered to do, and whether he will also release the details on how much that information cost to collect?

[Michael Gove]

The hon. Gentleman refers to a case that was brought to the first-tier tribunal by the hon. Member for Edinburgh East (Tommy Sheppard). We are reviewing how we can comply with the first-tier tribunal’s judgment.