Question to the Scotland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what recent assessment he has made of the effect of the suspension of European Social Fund payments on third sector organisations in Scotland.

In Scotland, the European Social Fund is administered by the Scottish Government, and therefore the impact of any suspension of payments on beneficiaries in the Third Sector is a matter for the Scottish Government to address. I would suggest the hon. Gentlemen contacts the relevant Minister in the Scottish Government directly to discuss the particular issue with ESF payments being referred to. I'm disappointed that this situation has arisen but this is a matter for the Scottish Government.