Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to the Answer of 23 October 2024 to Question 9830 on Scotland Office: Ministers' Private Offices, how much was spent on (a) new furniture and fittings and (b) other refurbishment of Ministerial offices in his Department between 4 July 2022 and 4 July 2024; and on what items this was spent.
Answered by Ian Murray - Secretary of State for Scotland
The Scotland Office has incurred no costs on new furniture and fittings or other refurbishment (including moves) of Ministerial offices during the period 4 July 2022 to 4 July 2024.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what was the total value of non-cash vouchers awarded to staff working for his Department as performance-related bonuses in (a) 2017-18, (b) 2018-19, (c) 2019-20, (d) 2020-21 and (e) 2021-22.
Answered by Alister Jack
Bonuses paid out as non-cash vouchers is a standard practice across Government. The total value of non-cash vouchers awarded to staff working in the Scotland Office as performance related bonuses in the financial years 2017-18 to 2021-22 is provided below.
Financial Years | Amount (£) |
2017-18 | 2,300 |
2018-19 | 2,705 |
2019-20 | 2,000 |
2020-21 | 1,625 |
2021-22 | 2,625 |
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what total amount of money has been paid out by his Department in severance payments for former (a) Ministers and (b) special advisers since 29 June 2022; how much of that money has subsequently been repaid to his Department as a result of individuals (A) rejecting the payment or (B) returning to new roles; and in how many cases where individuals were in post for (I) 0-3 months, (II) 3-6 months, (III) 6-12 months and (IV) more than 12 months has their full severance payment been retained as of 2 November 2022.
Answered by Alister Jack
The Provision of severance payments for Ministers is set out in legislation. Details of the severance payments made to ministers when leaving office are published in departments’ annual reports and accounts.
Similarly, the provision of severance payments for special advisers is set out in the Model Contract, which is available on gov.uk, including provisions for repayment of severance if reappointed. The cost of severance payments made to special advisers across government is published annually by the Cabinet Office.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how many people held electronic purchasing cards that allowed them to make purchases against his Department’s budget as of 31 March 2022.
Answered by Alister Jack
Three staff in the Scotland Office held electronic purchasing cards that allowed them to make purchases against the Scotland Office’s budget as of 31 March 2022.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, on how many occasions the provision of mandatory training for his Departmental staff regarding their obligations under the Equality Act 2010 has been cited by his Department as a defence against Section 109 proceedings since the commencement of that Act.
Answered by Alister Jack
On no occasion has the Scotland Office cited the provision of mandatory training for its staff regarding their obligations under the Equality Act 2010 as a defence against Section 109 proceedings since the commencement of that Act.