§ Mr. BaconTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland who the Finance Director of(a) the Scotland Office and (b) the Registers of Scotland is; what accountancy qualifications each Director holds; and on how many occasions there has been a qualified opinion on (i) the resource accounts and (ii) other accounts in each of the last five years. [183456]
§ Mrs. McGuire[holding answer 14 July 2004]: The Scotland Office a distinct entity within the Department for Constitutional Affairs. The Head of Finance at the Scotland Office is Norman Kernohan. He does not hold a professional accountancy qualification but he has full access to advice from professionally qualified staff in both the DCA and the Scottish Executive. The Scotland Office was established on 1 July 1999 and since that date none of its accounts have received a qualified opinion.
Questions about the Registers of Scotland are a matter for the Scottish Executive.