Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions he has had with Ministers in the Scottish Government on (a) Scottish Government borrowing by means of (i) the National Loans Fund, (ii) private financial institutions and (iii) the issuing of Scottish Government bonds and (b) Scotland's Fiscal Framework in general.

As part of the Scotland Act 2012 the Government agreed that the Scottish Government would be able to borrow up to a limit of £2.2 billion for capital investment. The Scottish Government is able to borrow for this purpose by any means, including from the Government, private markets, or the issuing of bonds. The current Scotland Bill will be underpinned by a new fiscal framework, allowing the new powers in the Bill to be used effectively. Ministers have committed to agreeing the framework in the autumn and a final agreement will be published in due course.