Asked by: Deidre Brock (Scottish National Party - Edinburgh North and Leith)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what overseas visits he and his predecessors have made to promote Scottish exports since 2010, and what the outcome was of those visits.
Answered by David Mundell
Since 2010, there have been eleven international visits to promote Scottish exports by respective Secretary of States for Scotland. Each of these visits has promoted Scotland’s businesses and exporters to overseas stakeholders. For example this year I have visited a range of countries promoting Scottish and UK trade and investment. These visits have included ministerial-level meetings, as well as engagements with Scottish and UK companies in country and companies interested in investing in Scotland and the UK.
Asked by: Deidre Brock (Scottish National Party - Edinburgh North and Leith)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how much his Department has spent on social media advertising in each month since May 2017.
Answered by David Mundell
The Office of the Secretary of State for Scotland’s social media expenditure for the given period is as follows:
Month | Facebook/Instagram | |
2017-2018 | ||
June | £468.68 | £0.00 |
July | £0.00 | £400.29 |
August | £0.00 | £499.93 |
September | £0.00 | £490.75 |
October | £0.00 | £499.82 |
November | £1,460.51 | £3,436.95 |
December | £1,812.41 | £3,090.28 |
January | £590.49 | £2,435.23 |
February | £16.32 | £96.39 |
March | £3,025.32 | £6,875.66 |
2018-2019 | ||
April | £20.00 | £285.45 |
May | £202.21 | £736.11 |
June | £32.70 | £2,944.14 |
July | £0.00 | £1,105.28 |
August | £667.37 | £1,068.14 |
September | £1,051.35 | £214.62 |
Asked by: Deidre Brock (Scottish National Party - Edinburgh North and Leith)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how much his Department has spent on non-social media advertising in each month since May 2017.
Answered by David Mundell
The Office of the Secretary of State for Scotland has spent the following on advertising on Google. We have not purchased advertising on any other non-social media channel.
2017-18 | |
Month | |
March | £1,647.38 |
2018-2019 | |
August | £0.33 |
September | £15.48 |
Asked by: Deidre Brock (Scottish National Party - Edinburgh North and Leith)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what the cost to the public purse was of his Department's communications team in the most recent financial year for which information is available.
Answered by David Mundell
The communications team in the Office of the Secretary of State for Scotland is resourced to support the Secretary of State and Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Scotland with effective engagement and communication with the public.
This includes supporting communications on: the UK Government’s preparations and plans for EU Exit, the delivery and implementation of significant new powers over tax and welfare to the Scottish Parliament through the Scotland Act 2016, and information on UK Government policies and initiatives including City Deals, the UK Industrial Strategy, UK aid, pensions, security and foreign affairs. The communications team also supports other UK Government departments with providing information to the public in Scotland.
The cost of the communications team in the Office of the Secretary of State for Scotland in the financial year 2017-2018 was £713,225.90
Asked by: Deidre Brock (Scottish National Party - Edinburgh North and Leith)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, whether it is his policy to place adverts on Facebook after that company introduces its transparency register.
Answered by David Mundell
Digital advertising is a cost-effective way for the Government to reach audiences with important information on UK Government policies such as pensions, start-up loans, cyber security, minimum and living wage rates, support for childcare costs and other important information the public needs to be aware of.
All of the Office of the Secretary of State for Scotland’s Facebook posts are made publicly available to general audiences in Scotland.
Asked by: Deidre Brock (Scottish National Party - Edinburgh North and Leith)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how much his Department has spent on social media advertising in each month since May 2017.
Answered by David Mundell
The Office of the Secretary of State for Scotland’s social media expenditure for the given period is as follows:
Month | Facebook/Instagram | |
2017-2018 | ||
June | £468.68 | £0.00 |
July | £0.00 | £400.29 |
August | £0.00 | £499.93 |
September | £0.00 | £490.75 |
October | £0.00 | £499.82 |
November | £1,460.51 | £3,436.95 |
December | £1,812.41 | £3,090.28 |
January | £590.49 | £2,435.23 |
February | £16.32 | £96.39 |
March | £3,025.32 | £6,875.66 |
2018-2019 | ||
April | £20.00 | £285.45 |
May | £202.21 | £736.11 |
June | £32.70 | £2,944.14 |
July | £0.00 | £1,105.28 |
August | £667.37 | £1,068.14 |
September | £1,051.35 | £214.62 |
Asked by: Deidre Brock (Scottish National Party - Edinburgh North and Leith)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how many bonuses were awarded to senior civil servants working at his Department and its agencies in each of the last six years; and what the total cost of those bonuses was.
Answered by David Mundell
Two bonuses were awarded to senior civil servants working in the Scotland Office at a total cost of £20,000.
Asked by: Deidre Brock (Scottish National Party - Edinburgh North and Leith)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what external agencies or consultants have been contracted by his Department to carry out work in each year since 2010.
Answered by David Mundell
Other than for minor or bespoke purchases, the Scotland Office does not normally undertake direct procurement or tendering of external agencies or consultant contracts. It utilises existing service contracts between suppliers and the Scottish Government, Cabinet Office or the Ministry of Justice.
Asked by: Deidre Brock (Scottish National Party - Edinburgh North and Leith)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, for what reasons his Department's responses to Freedom of Information requests have not been published on the publications section of his Departments web pages since 21 August 2014; and where those responses are now published.
Answered by David Mundell
There is no obligation to publish responses to requests made under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. The Department is currently reviewing its practices on publication of responses.
Asked by: Deidre Brock (Scottish National Party - Edinburgh North and Leith)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to the Answer of 6 October 2017 to Question 105441 on Scotland Office: Social Media, the Answer of 15 December 2017 to Question 119818 on Scotland Office: Advertising and the Answer of 8 January 2018 to Question 121531 on Scotland Office: Advertising when his Department started using Carat Ltd and whether the Departmental procurement card is still used for social media advertising costs.
Answered by David Mundell
Procurement cards continue to provide the most efficient way of paying for social media, given the relatively small amounts involved and need for flexibility.
Carat was awarded the UK Government’s 4-year media buying contract in November 2014.