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Written Question
United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child: Scotland
Wednesday 19th July 2023

Asked by: Patrick Grady (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North)

Question to the Scotland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what recent discussions he has had with the Scottish Government on the status of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (Incorporation) (Scotland) Bill.

Answered by Alister Jack - Secretary of State for Scotland

The Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Shirley-Anne Somerville MSP, wrote to me on 29 June, setting out the Scottish Government's proposed course of action to bring their United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (Incorporation) (Scotland) Bill in line with the 2021 Supreme Court judgment. It has always been the responsibility of the Scottish Government to determine how they will comply with the requirements of the Supreme Court judgment.


Written Question
Devolution: Scotland
Wednesday 12th February 2020

Asked by: Patrick Grady (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North)

Question to the Scotland Office:

What the Government’s policy is on maintaining the Sewel Convention.

Answered by Douglas Ross

This Government remains fully committed to the Sewel Convention and the related practices and procedures for seeking legislative consent.

We will continue to uphold the spirit and the letter of the devolution settlement, as every Government has done consistently throughout the last twenty years.


Written Question
Scotland Office: Cambridge Analytica and SCL Group
Wednesday 28th March 2018

Asked by: Patrick Grady (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North)

Question to the Scotland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, whether his Department or its agencies has entered into contracts with SCL group or Cambridge Analytica.

Answered by David Mundell

The Scotland Office and its arm’s length body, the Boundary Commission for Scotland, have not entered into any contracts with the SCL group or Cambridge Analytica.


Written Question
Brexit: Scotland
Monday 29th January 2018

Asked by: Patrick Grady (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North)

Question to the Scotland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to his oral contribution of 6 December 2017, Official Report, column 1021, on what date officials were first instructed to prepare amendments to Clause 11 of the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill for its Report stage.

Answered by David Mundell

We have committed to amend Clause 11 of the Bill in agreement with the Scottish and Welsh Governments. As I have made clear, we had not reached agreement in time to table amendments for Report. Our commitment to amending the Bill is absolute, we have intensified discussions and as these progress we will reflect these by bringing forward changes to the Bill in the House of Lords.


Written Question
Devolution: Scotland
Tuesday 7th March 2017

Asked by: Patrick Grady (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North)

Question to the Scotland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to his oral contribution of 1 March 2017, Official Report, column 280, whether he intends to bring forward orders under the terms of section 30 of the Scotland Act 1998 to devolve further powers to the Scottish Paliament.

Answered by David Mundell

The Scottish devolution settlement was created in the context of the UK’s membership of the EU. As we leave the EU, our priority will be ensuring the right powers are returned to Westminster and the right powers are passed to the devolved administrations. Our guiding principle will be ensuring that no new barriers to living and doing business are created within the United Kingdom. On this basis we will work with the devolved administrations to determine the level best placed to make new laws and policies on these issues. We have already committed that no decisions currently taken by the devolved administrations will be removed from them and we will use this opportunity to ensure more decisions are devolved.


Written Question
Devolution: Scotland
Tuesday 7th March 2017

Asked by: Patrick Grady (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North)

Question to the Scotland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to his oral contribution of 1 March 2017, Official Report, column 280, whether he plans for the Scottish Parliament to be able to assume legislative competence over areas which are currently exercised by the EU and are not listed in schedule 5 of the Scotland Act 1998 after the UK leaves the EU.

Answered by David Mundell

The Scottish devolution settlement was created in the context of the UK’s membership of the EU. As we leave the EU, our priority will be ensuring the right powers are returned to Westminster and the right powers are passed to the devolved administrations. Our guiding principle will be ensuring that no new barriers to living and doing business are created within the United Kingdom. On this basis we will work with the devolved administrations to determine the level best placed to make new laws and policies on these issues. We have already committed that no decisions currently taken by the devolved administrations will be removed from them and we will use this opportunity to ensure more decisions are devolved.


Written Question
Devolution: Scotland
Tuesday 7th March 2017

Asked by: Patrick Grady (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North)

Question to the Scotland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to his oral contribution of 1 March 2017, Official Report, column 280, whether he intends to bring forward primary legislation to devolve further powers to the Scottish Parliament.

Answered by David Mundell

The Scottish devolution settlement was created in the context of the UK’s membership of the EU. As we leave the EU, our priority will be ensuring the right powers are returned to Westminster and the right powers are passed to the devolved administrations. Our guiding principle will be ensuring that no new barriers to living and doing business are created within the United Kingdom. On this basis we will work with the devolved administrations to determine the level best placed to make new laws and policies on these issues. We have already committed that no decisions currently taken by the devolved administrations will be removed from them and we will use this opportunity to ensure more decisions are devolved.


Written Question
Devolution: Scotland
Tuesday 7th March 2017

Asked by: Patrick Grady (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North)

Question to the Scotland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to his oral contribution of 1 March 2017, Official Report, column 280, what further powers he expects to be exercised by the Scottish Parliament once the UK leaves the EU.

Answered by David Mundell

The Scottish devolution settlement was created in the context of the UK’s membership of the EU. As we leave the EU, our priority will be ensuring the right powers are returned to Westminster and the right powers are passed to the devolved administrations. Our guiding principle will be ensuring that no new barriers to living and doing business are created within the United Kingdom. On this basis we will work with the devolved administrations to determine the level best placed to make new laws and policies on these issues. We have already committed that no decisions currently taken by the devolved administrations will be removed from them and we will use this opportunity to ensure more decisions are devolved.


Written Question
Scotland Bill: Lords Amendments
Friday 20th November 2015

Asked by: Patrick Grady (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North)

Question to the Scotland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, whether the Government plans to table amendments to the Scotland Bill in the House of Lords.

Answered by David Mundell

The Government tabled substantive amendments to the Scotland Bill at Report Stage of the Bill in the House of Commons. The Bill subsequently passed third reading without division. The Government’s amendments strengthened the Bill and put beyond doubt that the Smith Commission Agreement has been delivered in full. The Bill is now before the House of Lords where it will be scrutinised further.




Written Question
Devolution: Scotland
Tuesday 21st July 2015

Asked by: Patrick Grady (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North)

Question to the Scotland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to his contribution in the House on 8 June 2015, Official Report, column 926, what comparative assessment he has made of the scope of powers devolved to the Scottish Parliament, if the Scotland Bill is passed, and comparable European and North American legislatures.

Answered by David Mundell

The Scottish Parliament will be one of the most powerful devolved legislatures in the world once the Scotland Bill is enacted. Compared to the average position of sub-central governments within the OECD, the Scottish Parliament will be among the most powerful in terms of tax and spending powers just behind Canadian provinces and Swiss cantons, and ahead of devolved legislatures in Australian states and German Länder.