Question to the Scotland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what discussions he has had with the Scottish Government on support for the development and rollout of low‑cost, low‑carbon mine water geothermal heating systems in Scotland.

Answered by Kirsty McNeill - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Scotland Office)

Whilst building energy efficiency policy is devolved to the Scottish Government, I recognise the potential of low carbon technologies, including geothermal, to help us achieve net zero at the lowest cost. The UK Government is working closely with the Scottish Government to ensure our respective net zero strategies align.

Moreover the Mining Remediation Authority, which works with a range of partners across Great Britain, has released ‘opportunity maps’, to inform the potential for mine water heat applications:

Mine water heat - GOV.UK

Question to the Scotland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, whether he plans to discuss concerns about the former legal firm WW&J McClure Ltd with the Law Society of Scotland and Police Scotland.

Answered by Kirsty McNeill - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Scotland Office)

The Secretary of State is aware that the closure of WW & J McClure Limited has caused anguish and worry to many of its clients, and hopes the matter can be brought to a satisfactory conclusion. As crime and justice are devolved in Scotland, it would not be appropriate for the Secretary of State to discuss this matter with the Law Society of Scotland as the regulator and Police Scotland as the investigating authority.

I am aware however that the Solicitors Regulation Authority and the Legal Ombudsman have been responding to the implications for clients in England and Wales of the firm’s closure.

Question to the Scotland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, whether his Department has (a) implemented a domestic abuse policy for staff and (b) trained line managers to effectively respond to staff who are experiencing domestic abuse.

Answered by Kirsty McNeill - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Scotland Office)

The Scotland Office does not employ staff directly, all staff that join, do so on an assignment, loan or secondment from other Government bodies, principally the Ministry of Justice and the Scottish Government, who remain the employers.

The Ministry of Justice and the Scottish Government provide extensive domestic abuse guidance and support for employees and their managers.

Question to the Scotland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help ensure that UK public bodies in Scotland implement the For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers Supreme Court judgment.

Answered by Kirsty McNeill - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Scotland Office)

The Equality and Human Rights Commission has shared its updated draft statutory code of Practice for Services, Public Functions and Associations with my Right Honourable Friend, the Minister for Women and Equalities. She will consider it fully and make a decision in due course. It is important we take the time to get this right.

The Code of Practice will apply to service providers, public bodies and associations across Great Britain. It is for the Scottish Government, of course, to ensure that its own public bodies comply with their legal obligations under the Equality Act 2010.

Question to the Scotland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of changes to Agricultural Property Relief and Business Property Relief on Scottish family farms.

Answered by Kirsty McNeill - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Scotland Office)

We are striking a fair balance between supporting farmers and fixing the public services on which our rural communities rely.

Our reforms to the Agricultural Property Relief means that the majority of those claiming relief, three quarters, will not be affected. The vast majority of farmers will not be affected at all. They will be able to pass the family farm down to their children just as previous generations have always done.

This is a fair and balanced approach that protects the family farm while also fixing the public services that we all rely on.

Question to the Scotland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, whether Police Scotland has had discussions with his Department on its investigation into McClures Solicitors asset protection trusts.

Answered by Kirsty McNeill - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Scotland Office)

Police Scotland has not had discussions with the Scotland Office regarding its investigation into McClures Solicitors' asset protection trusts. It would not be appropriate for the Secretary of State or Scotland Office officials to discuss this matter with Police Scotland as the investigating authority. I am aware however that the relevant authorities have been considering any implications for the firm’s clients in England and Wales.

Question to the Scotland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what assessment he has made of the impact of the Windsor Framework on trade between Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Answered by Douglas Alexander - Secretary of State for Scotland

The Government is committed to the UK internal market. That commitment was set out in Labour’s manifesto and we have made meaningful progress on it.

We have established Intertrade UK to promote trade across the full UK internal market. Over 15,000 businesses are now registered to use the UK internal market scheme to benefit from trading across all four nations.

Earlier this month, an independent report confirmed that 96% of goods moving between Great Britain and Northern Ireland did so within the UK internal market.

Question to the Scotland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what discussions he has had with the Scottish Government on support for transport services for Scottish islands.

Answered by Douglas Alexander - Secretary of State for Scotland

It is vital that Scotland’s island communities continue to thrive. Reliable, affordable transport connections are a critical part of that.

The Scottish Government has failed to deliver that, and island communities, rightly, are demanding a credible plan for sustained improvements.

The Scottish Government has received a record devolution settlement, and has the powers and resources to address this issue. Our island communities deserve better.

Question to the Scotland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what assessment he has made of the impact of the Scottish Government's real terms reduction in College Funding since 2021 to the delivery of the industrial strategy in Scotland.

Answered by Kirsty McNeill - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Scotland Office)

Colleges have a critical role in ensuring the young people of Scotland can access secure, skilled jobs, and in fostering innovation, developing a skilled workforce, and driving economic growth.

This is why we have committed to hundreds of millions of additional funding for colleges in the Industrial Strategy.

However, the funding of colleges in Scotland is a matter for the Scottish Government. Scotland’s colleges have had their funding cut by 20% between 2021/22 and 2025/26. The Spending Review was historic for Scotland and delivered the largest real terms settlement for the Scottish Government since devolution, with an average £50.9 billion per year between 2026-27 and 2028-29. Last week’s Budget has boosted this by a further £820m.

As the UK Government has delivered a record funding settlement to the Scottish Government, it is up to them to ensure that young people will benefit from these investments.

Question to the Scotland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, for the total spend on (i) LinkedIn membership fees (ii) other subscriptions by his Department in the last financial year.

Answered by Kirsty McNeill - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Scotland Office)

The Scotland Office and its associated arm’s length bodies have spent £0 on LinkedIn membership fees and £797 on other subscriptions in the last financial year.

Question to the Scotland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what assessment he has made of the expected breakdown of the £14.5 million allocated to Grangemouth, including funding for site remediation, feasibility work, infrastructure upgrades, skills programmes, and any other defined purposes.

Answered by Kirsty McNeill - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Scotland Office)

The UK and Scottish Governments are working together to assess and progress all investment at Grangemouth. To support this, at Autumn Budget 2025 the Chancellor announced up to £14.5 million of UKG funding for Grangemouth to support future projects.

At this moment in time, we cannot provide further information on allocation of this funding due to commercial sensitivities. Funding for projects will only be dispensed after thorough due diligence and Accounting Officer checks have been completed by the UK Government, but the UK Government remains committed to delivering a successful low-carbon future for Grangemouth.

Question to the Scotland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how the £14.5 million announced for Grangemouth at the November 2025 Budget will be allocated; and what project milestones or conditions must be met before funds are released.

Answered by Kirsty McNeill - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Scotland Office)

The UK and Scottish Governments are working together to assess and progress all investment at Grangemouth. To support this, at Autumn Budget 2025 the Chancellor announced up to £14.5 million of UKG funding for Grangemouth to support future projects.

At this moment in time, we cannot provide further information on allocation of this funding due to commercial sensitivities. Funding for projects will only be dispensed after thorough due diligence and Accounting Officer checks have been completed by the UK Government, but the UK Government remains committed to delivering a successful low-carbon future for Grangemouth.

Found: establishment of the UK Soft Power Council, and we celebrate the recent MoU we signed with the Scotland Office

Found: The bulk of the staff in Abercrombie House in East Kilbride, which is the FCDO’s Scotland office, are

Found: The bulk of the staff in Abercrombie House in East Kilbride, which is the FCDO’s Scotland office, are

Found: UK Government – through DCMS, Scotland Office (and Secretary of State for Scotland), Home Office, and

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much funding has been allocated to the Minister for the Union every year since the office was established.

Answered by Chris Ward - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The title of Minister for the Union has been held by the Prime Minister since its creation in 2019. Departmental responsibility for the delivery of union policy has been split between the Cabinet Office and MHCLG during that period. The Scotland Office, Wales Office, and Northern Ireland Office also have responsibility for ensuring the government delivers for every nation in the UK. Budgets are allocated to departments, rather than specific ministerial roles.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, which Government Departments use a ministerial car.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

The Government Car Service (GCS) provides Departmental Pool Cars (DPC) to the following Government departments:

• Attorney General’s Office

• Cabinet Office

• Department for Business and Trade

• Department for Culture, Media and Sport

• Department for Education

• Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

• Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

• Department for Health and Social Care

• Department for Science, Innovation and Technology

• Department for Transport

• Department for Work and Pensions

• HM Treasury

• Home Office

• Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government

• Ministry of Justice

• Scotland Office

Found: ; BLDNG MGMT - MAINTENANCE & REPAIRS

Found: ; BLDNG MGMT - MAINTENANCE & REPAIRS

Found: ; BLDNG MGMT - MAINTENANCE & REPAIRS

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