Question to the Scotland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to the Answer of 27 April 2022 to Question 155783, for what reason his Department does not employ staff directly.

As with other, comparable small Ministerial departments e.g. the Northern Ireland Office, Wales Office, the Scotland Office benefits from access to the recruitment services of larger organisations. In the case of the Scotland Office, it is the Scottish Government and the Ministry of Justice.

This supports our commitment to managing the public finances in a responsible way, promoting intergovernmental relations and providing easily accessible, rewarding career opportunities for civil servants.