Departmental Official Engagements

Mr. MacNeil
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland at what speaking events (a) he and (b) his Under-Secretary of State has been represented by (i) a special adviser and (ii) another elected official from the Scotland Office since October 2007; for what reasons John McTernan withdrew from the Reform Scotland debate scheduled for 4 February 2010; on what date his Department informed Reform Scotland that he was unavailable to attend that debate; by what form of communication his Department informed Reform Scotland that John McTernan would take part in that debate; on what date this communication was sent; and on what date his Department informed Reform Scotland that the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State would attend the event.

Mr. Jim Murphy
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (PuSofS) and I have never been represented by a special adviser at a speaking event and the Scotland Office does not have elected officials.

The Scotland Office confirmed with Reform Scotland on 18 January 2010 that PuSofS would attend this debate if timing of parliamentary business allowed for this.