Portfolio Question Time – in the Scottish Parliament at on 29 January 2025.
Jamie Halcro Johnston
Conservative
To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of the constitution, external affairs and culture budget for 2024-25 was spent outside of the United Kingdom. (S6O-04257)
Angus Robertson
Scottish National Party
In 2024-25, the total allocated budget for the constitution, external affairs and culture portfolio was £332.6 million. We expect to spend £16.8 million of that on programmes and activity outside the United Kingdom, which represents 5 per cent of the total budget for the portfolio. The actual spend for 2024-25 will be available only after the end of the financial year and will be published in the final accounts after March 2025.
Jamie Halcro Johnston
Conservative
In 2023, the Scottish Government gave a total of £750,000 to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East—UNRWA—to support its operations in Gaza. Concerns were then raised about the links between some UNRWA staff and the 7 October attacks, with a number of countries pausing aid to the agency.
At the time, the then First Minister, Humza Yousaf, confirmed that, despite the allegations, the Scottish Government was not pausing or withdrawing aid to UNRWA. Can the Cabinet secretary advise what scrutiny and assessment the Scottish Government has undertaken of how those funds were spent, and say whether he is confident that all funding was used exclusively for relief work?
Given the current ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, can he advise whether there have been any discussions within the Scottish Government over providing further funding for use in Gaza?
Angus Robertson
Scottish National Party
I take the opportunity—it is the first opportunity that I have had—to welcome the ceasefire and to recognise both the loss of life in Israel from the horrific terrorist act, which also claimed the life of a Scot, and the tens of thousands, most of whom were civilians, who have died in Gaza.
We keep the relationship with UNRWA under review, as the United Kingdom Government has done. Any notion of providing funds was paused at the same time that the UK Government did so. The member is absolutely right that there will perhaps be circumstances in the future in which funding needs to be considered. I am happy to write to him to provide information about safeguards in supporting UNRWA and other United Nations agencies. However, we remain a supporter of the United Nations involvement in Gaza and the west bank through UNRWA.
Annabelle Ewing
Scottish National Party
That concludes portfolio questions on constitution, external affairs and culture and on parliamentary business.
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.
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.
