Portfolio Question Time – in the Scottish Parliament am ar 24 Ebrill 2024.
Edward Mountain
Ceidwadwyr
To ask the Scottish Government what the total cost has been of overseas trips undertaken by the Cabinet Secretary for Constitution, External Affairs and Culture, on behalf of the Scottish Government, since his appointment in 2021. (S6O-03330)
Angus Robertson
Scottish National Party
Details of all ministerial engagements are proactively published by the Scottish Government, as per section 9.17 of the ministerial code. Final cost details from the recent attendance at tartan week in the United States are still being finalised. I will write to the member with those details as soon as they are available.
Tartan week was a tremendous opportunity to promote Scotland as an excellent place to live, work, study, visit, invest and do business in. I am particularly grateful to the tartan week organisers in the United States and to the Scottish Government office in the United States, Scottish Development International, VisitScotland and all participants for ensuring that tartan week was such a success.
Edward Mountain
Ceidwadwyr
I am not sure that that was even an attempted answer to my questions and I am not sure why the Cabinet secretary is being so evasive. Such trips are funded by taxpayers, who deserve to hear the answer right here in their Parliament about exactly what the costs have been.
As the cabinet secretary knows, the Scottish Government has come in for a lot of criticism for meddling in issues that are reserved to the UK Government. I would like to know, and I will give him one more opportunity to say, how much has been spent on all his trips since 2021. A figure would be useful.
Angus Robertson
Scottish National Party
It is disappointing that Edward Mountain just read out the supplementary that he had prepared before arriving in the chamber and listening to the answer that I gave him—
Edward Mountain
Ceidwadwyr
You did not answer my question.
Angus Robertson
Scottish National Party
I did answer the question—[Interruption.] As I said to Mr Mountain—if he will give me the opportunity to answer the question yet again—details of all international trips are, as he knows, published regularly by the Scottish Government.
As I have made clear—[Interruption.] Mr Mountain can huff and puff as much as he likes, but it is simply a statement of fact that, given that I returned from tartan week only recently, the latest travel information has not been finally compiled. As soon as it has been, it will be published, and I have said that we will forward it to the member. That is an entirely reasonable answer to an entirely reasonable question. I am sure that the member would not wish me to pluck numbers from the sky and answer questions without having the facts, which have not yet been compiled.
Edward Mountain
Ceidwadwyr
On a point of order, Presiding Officer. We come to the chamber as members to get answers to questions, which we submit more than a week in advance. How do we expect members to be treated with respect in the chamber if they do not get answers? We are not being treated with respect if we are not being given answers, Presiding Officer. I would be grateful if you could give a ruling on whether a member has a chance to get an answer, and whether the Cabinet secretary should answer the question that has been put to him.
Liam McArthur
Democratiaid Rhyddfrydol
Mr Mountain, you will know that the content of both questions and answers is not the responsibility of the chair.
Question Time is an opportunity for MPs and Members of the House of Lords to ask Government Ministers questions. These questions are asked in the Chamber itself and are known as Oral Questions. Members may also put down Written Questions. In the House of Commons, Question Time takes place for an hour on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays after Prayers. The different Government Departments answer questions according to a rota and the questions asked must relate to the responsibilities of the Government Department concerned. In the House of Lords up to four questions may be asked of the Government at the beginning of each day's business. They are known as 'starred questions' because they are marked with a star on the Order Paper. Questions may also be asked at the end of each day's business and these may include a short debate. They are known as 'unstarred questions' and are less frequent. Questions in both Houses must be written down in advance and put on the agenda and both Houses have methods for selecting the questions that will be asked. Further information can be obtained from factsheet P1 at the UK Parliament site.
The cabinet is the group of twenty or so (and no more than 22) senior government ministers who are responsible for running the departments of state and deciding government policy.
It is chaired by the prime minister.
The cabinet is bound by collective responsibility, which means that all its members must abide by and defend the decisions it takes, despite any private doubts that they might have.
Cabinet ministers are appointed by the prime minister and chosen from MPs or peers of the governing party.
However, during periods of national emergency, or when no single party gains a large enough majority to govern alone, coalition governments have been formed with cabinets containing members from more than one political party.
War cabinets have sometimes been formed with a much smaller membership than the full cabinet.
From time to time the prime minister will reorganise the cabinet in order to bring in new members, or to move existing members around. This reorganisation is known as a cabinet re-shuffle.
The cabinet normally meets once a week in the cabinet room at Downing Street.
The cabinet is the group of twenty or so (and no more than 22) senior government ministers who are responsible for running the departments of state and deciding government policy.
It is chaired by the prime minister.
The cabinet is bound by collective responsibility, which means that all its members must abide by and defend the decisions it takes, despite any private doubts that they might have.
Cabinet ministers are appointed by the prime minister and chosen from MPs or peers of the governing party.
However, during periods of national emergency, or when no single party gains a large enough majority to govern alone, coalition governments have been formed with cabinets containing members from more than one political party.
War cabinets have sometimes been formed with a much smaller membership than the full cabinet.
From time to time the prime minister will reorganise the cabinet in order to bring in new members, or to move existing members around. This reorganisation is known as a cabinet re-shuffle.
The cabinet normally meets once a week in the cabinet room at Downing Street.
