To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will announce his decisions on the recent report by management consultants on the Scottish Office superannuation division.

The consultants made a number of recommendations about the future status, organisation and management of the Scottish Office superannuation division. One of these was that the division should be designated as an executive agency within the Scottish Office under the Government's "next steps" programme. I have now decided that that recommendation should be accepted, with a view to launching the new agency by the autumn of this year. I shall announce a firm date in due course. Other recommendations from the review are at various stages of consideration and implementation.