Question to the Scotland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how many and what proportion of employees in their Department are paid at the rate of the National Minimum Wage.

The Scotland Office does not employ any 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.

However, all staff working in the Scotland Office are paid at a rate higher than the rate of the National Minimum Wage.

This Government is committed to paying people a decent living wage, which is being addressed through the statutory National Living Wage. In April 2022, the Government increased the National Living Wage to £9.50 per hour. This will rise to £10.42 an hour from 1 April 2023, an increase of 9.7%.

By 2024, the Government has committed that the National Living Wage will reach 66% of median UK earnings.

The Government will always award contracts on the basis of the best value for money for the taxpayer.

Departments must ensure that they apply the legislative increase to the National Living Wage and National Minimum Wage.