Asked by: Christopher Chope (Conservative - Christchurch)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to the Answer of 28 November 2016 to Question 54636, what the timetable is for completion of the Government's consideration of splitting competence; and whether the power to create new benefits in devolved areas and the power to top up reserved benefits will be capable of exercise before full executive competence has been transferred.
Answered by David Mundell
The power to create new benefits in devolved areas and the power to top up benefits in reserved areas were commenced on 5 September 2016, enabling the Scottish Parliament to legislate on these matters. I look forward to hearing how the Scottish Government intend to use these substantial new powers.
As I referenced in the response to my hon Friend’s previous question, the UK Government has agreed to consider an approach to splitting competence at the request of Scottish Government Ministers. The Joint Ministerial Working Group on Welfare will meet again early in the new year to discuss progress. The UK Government will continue to work with the Scottish Government to achieve a safe and secure transfer of powers, with those people affected by the changes at the heart of all considerations.
Asked by: Christopher Chope (Conservative - Christchurch)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, whether the Government has agreed to the request of the Scottish Government to delay for three years the transfer of welfare powers in April 2017.
Answered by David Mundell
At the request of Scottish Government Ministers, the UK Government has agreed to consider an approach to splitting competence, and to extend the timetable for transfer of executive competence for the remaining welfare sections of the Scotland Act 2016, to April 2020. The UK Government’s priority is the 1.4 million Scots who will be affected by the changes, and we will continue to work with the Scottish Government to achieve a safe and secure transfer of powers. This was discussed at the Joint Ministerial Working Group on Welfare on 11 October, the minutes of which are available publicly.
Once the Scottish Parliament are ready to assume executive competence of the powers, the funding will transfer, and it will be for the Scottish Government to confirm how these arrangements will feature in its forthcoming budget. A number of welfare provisions in the Act, including the power to create new benefits in devolved areas and the power to top up reserved benefits, have already come into force.
Asked by: Christopher Chope (Conservative - Christchurch)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, for what reasons the Scottish Government has given for requesting to defer responsibility for welfare in April 2017; and what assessment the Government has made of the consequences of that delay to the Scottish Government's budget.
Answered by David Mundell
At the request of Scottish Government Ministers, the UK Government has agreed to consider an approach to splitting competence, and to extend the timetable for transfer of executive competence for the remaining welfare sections of the Scotland Act 2016, to April 2020. The UK Government’s priority is the 1.4 million Scots who will be affected by the changes, and we will continue to work with the Scottish Government to achieve a safe and secure transfer of powers. This was discussed at the Joint Ministerial Working Group on Welfare on 11 October, the minutes of which are available publicly.
Once the Scottish Parliament are ready to assume executive competence of the powers, the funding will transfer, and it will be for the Scottish Government to confirm how these arrangements will feature in its forthcoming budget. A number of welfare provisions in the Act, including the power to create new benefits in devolved areas and the power to top up reserved benefits, have already come into force.
Asked by: Christopher Chope (Conservative - Christchurch)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what the Government's policy is on whether it has a reserved power to negotiate a separate and different relationship for Scotland with the EU compared with the rest of the UK.
Answered by David Mundell
Foreign affairs are reserved under the devolution settlement in the Scotland Act. Our focus now needs to be working together as Team UK, to achieve the best deal for both Scotland and the United Kingdom in the negotiations with the EU. We will fully involve the Scottish Government as we prepare for those negotiations.
Asked by: Christopher Chope (Conservative - Christchurch)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what his policy is on whether the Scottish Government can seek to negotiate a separate relationship for Scotland outside the EU compared with the rest of the United Kingdom under a devolved power.
Answered by David Mundell
Foreign affairs, including the UK’s membership of the European Union, are reserved under the devolution settlement in the Scotland Act. Our focus now needs to be working together as Team UK, to achieve the best deal for both Scotland and the United Kingdom in the negotiations with the EU. We will fully involve the Scottish Government as we prepare for those negotiations.
Asked by: Christopher Chope (Conservative - Christchurch)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to his oral contribution of 6 January 2016, Official Report, column 275, what the source is of the figures which he quoted on application rates for higher education.
Answered by David Mundell
These figures were published by UCAS on 30 January 2015. The relevant publication can be found at:
https://www.ucas.com/sites/default/files/january_application_rates_2015_final_0.pdf
Asked by: Christopher Chope (Conservative - Christchurch)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what information his department holds on the number of undergraduates studying at Scottish universities from (a) Scotland (b) the rest of the UK and (c) other EU member states.
Answered by Anna Soubry
There were 162,200 undergraduates studying in Scottish Higher Education institutions in the 2013/14 academic year (excluding Open University students). Of these some 115,700 (or 71 per cent) were of Scottish domicile. A further 19,600 students (or 12 per cent) came from other UK countries and 13,800 (or 9 per cent) were from other EU member states.