§ Mr. SwinneyTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) if he will provide a breakdown of the running costs of his office to cover(a) staff salaries, (b) office accommodation, (c) residential accommodation, (d) administration and (e) others; and if he will make a statement; [94055]
(2) if he will provide a breakdown of the difference between the funds allocated to him by Parliament and the funds to be included in the Scottish Consolidated Fund for the years (a) 1999–2000, (b) 2000–01 and (c) 2001–02; and if he will make a statement; [94054]
(3) if he will make a statement on the discussions he has had with the First Minister of the Scottish Executive on the proportion of the funds allocated to the Secretary of State for Scotland that he proposes to use to perform his duties. [940571
§ Dr. ReidThe provision for grant payable to the Scottish Consolidated Fund, other grants and the running cost provision for my Department are set out in the Estimates for Class XIII, Vote 1. Details for the current year were set out in the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Eastwood (Mr. Murphy) on 11 June 1999,Official Report, columns 412-13.
I have since been reviewing the role and functions of my Department and I have discussed these matters with the First Minister on a number of occasions. I will make a further statement in due course. No decisions have yet been taken about the provision for the Scotland Office for future years.