Question to the Scotland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what assessment he has made of the potential economic impact of extending the Borders Railway line from Tweedbank to Carlisle.

The UK Government is committed to working with local partners in the Borders to boost economic growth, in line with our growth mission.

The project referred to sits within the Borderlands Growth Deal. Local partners are submitting proposals for a reset to the Deal for review by late autumn, which will set out revised plans to ensure the programme has the greatest possible economic impact.