First Minister’s Question Time – in the Scottish Parliament at on 19 December 2024.
Collette Stevenson
Scottish National Party
When the previous Conservative Government proposed closing Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office operations in East Kilbride, I stood with the Labour council leader against that bad decision, which will remove 1,000 jobs from the town and will have a negative impact on many employees who are settled there. The then Labour candidate for Westminster rightly said that taking away those jobs would cause much damage. However, the new Labour Government has doubled down on that Tory plan, hoping to leave as soon as 2026. No updates from local Labour politicians have been forthcoming, despite recent developments.
Previous United Kingdom Government figures suggest that ploughing ahead with that move could hurt East Kilbride’s economy to the tune of £30 million. Can the First Minister confirm whether the UK Government has discussed that with the Scottish Government and whether the Labour Administration has shared an updated economic impact assessment of the cost to East Kilbride of its abandonment?
John Swinney
Scottish National Party
First, I express my thanks to the committed workforce at the FCDO in East Kilbride. There is a long history and tradition of contributing to international development activity from East Kilbride. It has been a source of great pride in that community and across Scotland.
I am not aware of any direct contact with the Scottish Government on that issue, nor of any updated economic assessment However, if any update to Collette Stevenson on that point is required, I will make sure that it is forthcoming to her, because we value that employment and recognise its importance to the East Kilbride economy.
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.
Ministers make up the Government and almost all are members of the House of Lords or the House of Commons. There are three main types of Minister. Departmental Ministers are in charge of Government Departments. The Government is divided into different Departments which have responsibilities for different areas. For example the Treasury is in charge of Government spending. Departmental Ministers in the Cabinet are generally called 'Secretary of State' but some have special titles such as Chancellor of the Exchequer. Ministers of State and Junior Ministers assist the ministers in charge of the department. They normally have responsibility for a particular area within the department and are sometimes given a title that reflects this - for example Minister of Transport.
The political party system in the English-speaking world evolved in the 17th century, during the fight over the ascension of James the Second to the Throne. James was a Catholic and a Stuart. Those who argued for Parliamentary supremacy were called Whigs, after a Scottish word whiggamore, meaning "horse-driver," applied to Protestant rebels. It was meant as an insult.
They were opposed by Tories, from the Irish word toraidhe (literally, "pursuer," but commonly applied to highwaymen and cow thieves). It was used — obviously derisively — to refer to those who supported the Crown.
By the mid 1700s, the words Tory and Whig were commonly used to describe two political groupings. Tories supported the Church of England, the Crown, and the country gentry, while Whigs supported the rights of religious dissent and the rising industrial bourgeoisie. In the 19th century, Whigs became Liberals; Tories became Conservatives.
