Asked by: Pete Wishart (Scottish National Party - Perth and Kinross-shire)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, whether the Government plans to respond to the publication entitled Your Right to Decide, published by the Scottish Government on 4 September 2025.
Answered by Kirsty McNeill - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Scotland Office)
The UK Government’s priority is delivering for people in Scotland. The Scottish Government should be focussed on working collaboratively with us on our Plan for Change - to grow the economy, improve our public services, and put more money in people’s pockets. That is what people in Scotland want to see.
Asked by: Pete Wishart (Scottish National Party - Perth and Kinross-shire)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how many officials of the Office of the Advocate-General for Scotland have been allocated to work on the Scotland Analysis programme; and if he will estimate the cost to the public purse of that work.
Answered by David Mundell
Work on the Scotland analysis programme has been undertaken in the course of normal business across Government by policy and legal experts in relevant areas. In the Office of the Advocate General, any work relating to the Scotland analysis programme and any associated costs have been absorbed by existing teams within the Office of the Advocate General in addition to their day-to-day responsibilities and from existing budgets. Therefore there have been no additional costs involved in work of the Office of the Advocate General on the programme.
Asked by: Pete Wishart (Scottish National Party - Perth and Kinross-shire)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what meetings (a) he and (b) officials of the Office of the Advocate-General for Scotland have had with the right hon. Member for Edinburgh South West as part of the Scotland Analysis programme; and what was discussed at each such meeting.
Answered by Alistair Carmichael
As Secretary of State for Scotland, I have met the Rt hon Member for Edinburgh South West on two occasions where we discussed issues of importance to the people of Scotland. Officials in the Office of the Advocate General have not had any meetings with the Rt hon Member for Edinburgh South West.
Asked by: Pete Wishart (Scottish National Party - Perth and Kinross-shire)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what work the Office of the Advocate-General for Scotland has commissioned by external consultants in relation to work on the Scotland Analysis programme; which consultants were used; and how much such consultancy has cost.
Answered by David Mundell
The Office of the Advocate General, jointly with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Cabinet Office, instructed independent legal experts, Professor James Crawford and Professor Alan Boyle, to provide the legal Opinion Referendum on the Independence of Scotland – International Law Aspects, which was published as an annex to the UK Government’s paper Devolution and the Implications of Scottish independence. This consultancy was paid from existing budgets.
Asked by: Pete Wishart (Scottish National Party - Perth and Kinross-shire)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what (a) external organisations and (b) officials in the Office of the Advocate-General for Scotland he has engaged with as part of the Scotland Analysis programme; and what was discussed at each such consultation.
Answered by David Mundell
The Scotland analysis programme has been the most detailed examination ever undertaken of Scotland’s contribution to the UK and the benefits that Scotland gets from being part of the UK. The UK Government has engaged with a wide range of organisations in the development of and distribution of the analysis, including business organisations, academics and lawyers. The Office of the Advocate General for Scotland provides the UK Government with advice on Scots law and has been involved throughout the production of all of the Scotland analysis papers, along with officials from across Whitehall.