Asked by: Ian Murray (Labour - Edinburgh South)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, with reference to the Joseph Rowntree Foundation report, Uneven Growth: Tackling City Decline, published in February 2016, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the findings of that report in Dundee.
Answered by David Mundell
I refer the hon Gentleman to my answer of 4 March 2016.
Asked by: Ian Murray (Labour - Edinburgh South)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, with reference to the Joseph Rowntree Foundation report, Uneven Growth: Tackling City Decline, published in February 2016, what steps he plans to take to address the findings of that report on the relative decline of Dundee.
Answered by David Mundell
I refer the hon Gentleman to my answer of 4 March 2016.
Asked by: Ian Murray (Labour - Edinburgh South)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what recent discussions he has had with Ministers in the Scottish Government on the recent report from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, Uneven Growth: Tackling City Decline and its ranking of Dundee as seventh highest on its index of relative decline.
Answered by David Mundell
I am aware of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation report and the issues it raises. The Government is committed to growing the economy across the UK and empowering Cities to realise their potential.
Last week my Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Lord Dunlop, participated in a Jobs Summit in Dundee along with the Scottish Government, Dundee City Council and others aimed at boosting employment in the area and regenerating one of our finest Scottish cities. Following the summit we have committed to work with interested parties to drive forward investment in Dundee.
Asked by: Ian Murray (Labour - Edinburgh South)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what recent steps the Government has taken on approving the City Deal proposals for the (a) Inverness, (b) Aberdeen and (c) Edinburgh city regions; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by David Mundell
I was pleased to be in Aberdeen on 28 January to announce a £250 million City Deal for the city and region. We are currently considering the Inverness and Edinburgh proposals and hope to make an announcement on next steps shortly.
Asked by: Ian Murray (Labour - Edinburgh South)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to the Answer of 20 January 2016 to Question 22198, on asylum, what the (a) dates, (b) minutes and (c) outcomes were of the discussions referred to in that answer.
Answered by David Mundell
I refer the honourable Gentleman to my answer of 20 January 2016 and to my Written Ministerial Statement of 11 January 2016, which sets out the progress on this issue.
Asked by: Ian Murray (Labour - Edinburgh South)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what discussions he has had with Ministers in the Department for Transport on the closure of the West Coast Main Line between Glasgow and Carlisle.
Answered by David Mundell
I have remained in close contact with Ministers in both the Department for Transport and the Scottish Government since the closure of the West Coast main line between Glasgow and Carlisle. The Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Transport, the hon Member for Devizes, visited the repair works at Lamington Viaduct with the Scottish Government Transport Minister on 8 January, and she and her officials continue to be in close contact with the Scottish Government and myself.
Asked by: Ian Murray (Labour - Edinburgh South)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to the Statement of 11 January 2016 on the Smith Commission Agreement, HCWS458, what the (a) dates, (b) minutes and (c) outcomes was of any discussions or meeting held since 28 November 2014 on issues relating to asylum seekers with (i) Home Office Ministers and (ii) Ministers or Officials of the Scottish Government.
Answered by David Mundell
In the period since the Smith Commission, the UK and Scottish Governments have had regular meetings to discuss issues relating to asylum seekers. These have included discussions on the non-legislative proposals from the Commission, and a demonstration for Scottish Government officials of the asylum process at the Home Office in Glasgow. This cross-government work with the Scottish Government on asylum issues is on-going.
Asked by: Ian Murray (Labour - Edinburgh South)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what recent discussions he has had with ministerial colleagues on City Deals for (a) Aberdeen, (b) Edinburgh and (c) Inverness.
Answered by David Mundell
I have regular discussions with my Ministerial colleagues on a range of issues, including City Deals.
Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Inverness all submitted City Deal proposals to the UK and Scottish Government on 4 September. The Scotland Office is working with the Department for Communities and Local Government to study the proposals in depth, as well as discussing them with the Scottish Government to achieve outcomes that benefit both Scotland and the UK.
Asked by: Ian Murray (Labour - Edinburgh South)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what discussions he had with women's organisations in Scotland prior to his proposal to devolve responsibility for abortion legislation to the Scottish Parliament.
Answered by David Mundell
The Smith Commission considered the issue of the devolution of abortion carefully and was ‘strongly of the view to recommend the devolution of abortion' and regarded it as an 'anomalous health reservation.' The Smith Agreement said that ‘further serious consideration should be given to its devolution and a process should be established immediately to consider the matter further.’ That process took place between the UK and Scottish Governments and resulted in an amendment to the Scotland Bill to devolve responsibility for abortion law to the Scottish Parliament. Since laying that amendment the Government has been engaging with interested parties about how the process of devolution will work and it will be for the Scottish Government to set out what approach it will take once responsibility for abortion law rests with the Scottish Parliament. The 1967 Act will continue to apply in Scotland unless and until the Scottish Parliament chooses to legislate in this area, and the First Minister recently confirmed that the Scottish Government have no plans to do so.
Asked by: Ian Murray (Labour - Edinburgh South)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what recent representations he has received on measures to rehabilitate land which has been defaced by opencast mining; and what steps he plans to take in response to those representations.
Answered by David Mundell
I have had a number of meetings and discussions on the important issue of opencast restoration over recent months, including with Local Authorities affected and colleagues from HM Treasury, the Department of Energy and Climate Change and the Scottish Government.