Question to the Scotland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, when he plans to give effect to the provisions of the Scotland Act 2016 not yet in force.

We have made significant progress since the Scotland Act 2016 reached Royal Assent in March 2016 and a large number of provisions of the Act are already in force, giving the Scottish Parliament responsibilities in new policy areas. Most recently, new welfare powers came into force on 5 September 2016 and the Joint Ministerial Working Group on Welfare continues to meet to discuss the implementation of welfare powers, as well as the commencement and implementation of remaining welfare provisions.

Implementation dates for a number of the tax and fiscal responsibilities in the Scotland Act 2016 are set out in the Fiscal Framework for Scotland.

We are working constructively with the Scottish Government on the commencement of sections of the Scotland Act 2016 and I will meet regularly with Derek Mackay MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Finance and the Constitution in the Scottish Government, to discuss progress. I will ensure the UK Parliament is kept informed about this important work.