SNP attacks rising costs of Scotland Office, branding it ‘zombie department’

THE UK Government has been accused of wasting millions of pounds of taxpayers’ money with its spending on the Scotland Office, branded a “zombie department” by the SNP.

Mhairi Black, the party’s spokeswoman on the office of the Scottish Secretary, said its

£8.5 million bill for 2019/20 – up more than £1.2m on the previous year –was completely unjustifiable given the Scotland Office had become little more than a “Tory propaganda unit”.

But last night the UK Government hit back, dismissing the Nationalists’ attack as “petty and baseless” and saying it was disappointing given how important disseminating public information was during the coronavirus pandemic.

It pointed out how the Scotland Office spent a “fraction” of what the SNP administration did on the costs of advertising and marketing, as well as on communications staff.

New figures have emerged about spending at the Scotland Office from a Freedom of Information request, lodged by the SNP, which showed: lspending rose from £7.3m in 2018/19 to £8.5m last year – in 2013/14, it was £4.9m; lthe communications bill increased in the 12 months to 2019 by £3,700 to £1,354,776 – in 2013/14, it was £509,343; lthe total expenditure on advertising for 2019/20 was £36,704, down from £58,406 – in 2013/14, it was nil and lthe number of communications staff rose by two to 17 in the year to 2019/20 – in 2013/14 there were eight.

Ms Black said: “After a decade of Tory austerity cuts, it beggars belief that the Tory Government is wasting millions of pounds of taxpayers’ money on this zombie department, which has completely failed to stand up for Scotland in the face of an extreme Brexit and Tory power-grab.

“The Scotland Office is now little more than a Tory propaganda unit,” added the MP for Paisley and Renfrewshire South.

However, the UK Government sought to draw a sharp comparison with the Scottish administration’s respective spending, noting: “The core Scottish Government’s reported communications expenditure in 2017/18 included £2,645,087 for press officer staffing costs alone, and a further £5,731,087 in marketing and advertising costs [a combined total of £8.4m]. By comparison, the [Scotland] Office spent £431,601 in 2017/18 on these two elements combined.”

A government spokeswoman responded: “This is a petty and baseless attack and hugely disappointing at a time when public information has never been more important.”

She added: “The Secretary of State’s communications team has been working flat out, and working closely with Scottish Government colleagues, to ensure that people and businesses across Scotland have the information they need to stay safe and deal with Covid-19.”