§ Lord Mackay of Ardbrecknishasked Her Majesty's Government:
What was the number of staff in the Scotland Office immediately after the transfer of responsibilities to the Scottish Parliament and Executive; and what is the number now. [HL3010]
§ Baroness Ramsay of CartvaleFollowing internal assessment, the Secretary of State and the Chief Secretary to the Treasury agreed that the size of the new Scotland Office should enable the Secretary of State and the Advocate General properly to discharge their functions. The agreement assumed that the office would build up to between 110–130 staff. On 1 July 1999 the Scotland Office (including the office of the Advocate General for Scotland) had 56 staff. There are currently 92 staff in post.