§ Mr. KirkwoodTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) whether he has any plans to relocate Home Office departments to sites in Scotland; and if he will make a statement;
(2) what proposals are currently being considered to move Home Office jobs out of Scotland to relocated sites in England;
(3) if he will make a statement on the future of the hearing section of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board currently located in Glasgow.
§ Mr. John PattenThere are no plans to relocate any Home Office departments to or from Scotland.
The future structure and staffing of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board is under consideration, in the first instance by the board, in the light of a recent wide-ranging management review by Government and private sector management consultants. This could have implications for work loads and staffing levels in both the London and Glasgow offices in due course, but no decisions have yet been taken.