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Written Question
Scotland Office: Communication
Friday 26th January 2024

Asked by: Alan Brown (Scottish National Party - Kilmarnock and Loudoun)

Question to the Scotland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how much his Department has spent on communications in each year since 1997.

Answered by Alister Jack - Secretary of State for Scotland

The Scotland Office is resourced to deliver the communications functions expected and required of a government department in its own right and on behalf of the UK Government in Scotland with a wide range of functions. These include external affairs, marketing, digital and social media, media, internal and strategic communication.

The figures for 2022-23 reflect changes made to bring the Office into line with wider UKG departmental reporting practice which saw visits and engagement staff included in the communications division.

The Office does not hold directly comparable figures for each year since the Office was established in 1999. The Office’s Annual Reports are available online.

Expenditure on staffing costs, including employer’s pensions and national insurance contributions, but excluding any VAT where applicable, to deliver these functions for the last full financial year and available years was:

Year

Staff costs (£)

2022-23

1,166,270

2021-22

944,645

2020-21

906,177

2019-20

870,159

2018-19

819, 640

2017-18

710,337

2016-17

757,868

2015-16

426,223

2014-15

348,895

2013-14

241,636

2012-13

180,954

2011-12

169,373

2010-11

108, 439

2009-10

144,084

2008-09

115,356

2007-08

113,236


Written Question
Scotland Office
Monday 15th January 2024

Asked by: Alan Brown (Scottish National Party - Kilmarnock and Loudoun)

Question to the Scotland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how many employees were in his Department in each year since 1997; what the budget was for his Department in the same period; and how much his Department spent on communications in the same period.

Answered by Alister Jack - Secretary of State for Scotland

The Scotland Office and Office for the Advocate General publish an annual report and accounts which contains the information requested. The latest version can be found at Scotland Office Annual Report 2022-23. Prior year annual reports of The Scotland Office and Office for the Advocate General are available online or can be obtained from the Library of the House.


Written Question
Energy: Scotland
Wednesday 2nd February 2022

Asked by: Alan Brown (Scottish National Party - Kilmarnock and Loudoun)

Question to the Scotland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, whether he plans to provide support to the Scottish energy sector to secure investment in the Government’s Net Zero industrial cluster funding programme, including the Acorn Project; and what assessment he has made of the potential merits of adding the Acorn Project as a third cluster to the Track 1 2025 programme.

Answered by Alister Jack - Secretary of State for Scotland

Following a robust, specialist-led assessment, the UK Government has identified the Acorn project as the reserve cluster for Track-1 as part of the Carbon Capture Usage and Storage Cluster Sequencing process. Since this was announced, the Government has engaged extensively with Acorn to allow them to continue their development and planning, with the support of over £40m in UK Government funding. As previously stated, there will be further opportunities for Acorn to deploy, including through a future allocation process for ‘Track-2’ clusters.


Written Question
Scotland Office: House of Lords
Wednesday 20th October 2021

Asked by: Alan Brown (Scottish National Party - Kilmarnock and Loudoun)

Question to the Scotland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, if he will provide (a) a list of the Ministers in his Department who have been appointed from the House of Lords and (b) the length of their period in office since 2000.

Answered by Alister Jack - Secretary of State for Scotland

Since 2000, the following Lords have been appointed to the Office of the Secretary of State for Scotland:

Lord Offord of Garvel – 4 October 2021 to present (Ennobled 14 October 2021)

Lord Duncan of Springbank – 15 June 2017 to 27 July 2019

Lord Dunlop – 14 May 2015 to 14 June 2017

Lord Foulkes of Cumnock – 26 January 2001 to 29 May 2002


Written Question
Energy: Scotland
Wednesday 7th July 2021

Asked by: Alan Brown (Scottish National Party - Kilmarnock and Loudoun)

Question to the Scotland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to the Answers of 9 and 16 June and 1 July 2021 to Questions 10486, 13125 and 21266 on Energy: Scotland, for what reason he will not publish the information referred to in advance of quarterly reporting; and if he will make a statement.

Answered by Alister Jack - Secretary of State for Scotland

I refer the honourable Gentleman to my answer of 1 July to question 21266, to my answer of 16 June to question 13125 and to my answer of 9 June to question 10486. Information about Ministerial meetings with external organisations for the period January to March 2021 is due to be published on gov.uk on 15 July 2021.


Written Question
Energy: Scotland
Thursday 1st July 2021

Asked by: Alan Brown (Scottish National Party - Kilmarnock and Loudoun)

Question to the Scotland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to the Answer of 16 June 2020 to Question 13125 on Energy: Scotland, what his planned timescale is for the publication of details of meetings he has had with representatives of Scottish renewables companies in 2021; and what discussion she has had with representatives of Scottish renewables ahead of COP26.

Answered by Alister Jack - Secretary of State for Scotland

I refer the Hon Gentleman to my answers of 9 and 16 June to questions 10486 and 13125 respectively. The government publishes details of Ministerial meetings with external organisations on a quarterly basis. Information for the period January to March 2021 is due to be published on gov.uk in July 2021.


Written Question
Energy: Scotland
Wednesday 16th June 2021

Asked by: Alan Brown (Scottish National Party - Kilmarnock and Loudoun)

Question to the Scotland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to the Answer o f9 June 2021 to Question 10486 on Energy: Scotland, if he will list the Scottish Renewable companies he has met in the last 12 months and the dates of those meetings.

Answered by Alister Jack - Secretary of State for Scotland

I refer the Hon. Member for Kilmarnock and Loudoun to the answer of 9 June 2021 to Question 10486. Ministerial meetings with external organisations are published on gov.uk.


Written Question
Energy: Scotland
Wednesday 9th June 2021

Asked by: Alan Brown (Scottish National Party - Kilmarnock and Loudoun)

Question to the Scotland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what discussions has he had with representatives of (a) Scottish Renewable Energy Companies and (b) the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the potential merits of an Innovation Power Purchase Agreement to stimulate growth of marine and tidal projects.

Answered by Alister Jack - Secretary of State for Scotland

Ministers of the Office for the Secretary of State for Scotland meet regularly with representatives of Scottish renewables companies to discuss a range of energy matters of importance to Scotland. Policy on marine and tidal projects is a matter for the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.


Written Question
Local Growth Deals: Ayrshire
Wednesday 10th February 2021

Asked by: Alan Brown (Scottish National Party - Kilmarnock and Loudoun)

Question to the Scotland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to the Answer of 2 February 2021 to Question 145055 on Local Growth Deals: Ayrshire, on what dates he has raised the matter with the Chancellor.

Answered by Alister Jack - Secretary of State for Scotland

I am in regular discussion with the Chancellor and wrote to him raising this and other matters on 2 February.


Written Question
Local Growth Deals: Ayrshire
Tuesday 2nd February 2021

Asked by: Alan Brown (Scottish National Party - Kilmarnock and Loudoun)

Question to the Scotland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the request from the three Ayrshire Council Leaders for the Ayrshire Growth Deal spending allocation to be compressed from 15 years to 10 years; and will he make a statement.

Answered by Alister Jack - Secretary of State for Scotland

I can confirm that I have regular discussions with the Chancellor on this matter.