Question to the Scotland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues in (a) the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and (b) HM Treasury on ring-fenced support for Scottish renewable tidal energy in the Contracts for Difference Allocation Round 4 (AR4) process; and will he make a statement.

I regularly discuss issues of importance to Scotland with Cabinet colleagues, including the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and HM Treasury. There is significant potential for Scotland to benefit from the development of tidal stream energy and I recently wrote, in my capacity as a champion of the Scottish renewables sector, urging my Cabinet colleagues in both BEIS and HM Treasury to look closely at a separate allocation to support tidal stream development in the Contracts for Difference Allocation Round 4.