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.

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