View source for Scotland Office

{{Short description|Ministerial department of the UK Government}}
{{For|the pre-1999 body|Scottish Office}}
{{EngvarB|date=January 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2014}}
{{Infobox government agency
| agency_name     = Scotland Office
| native_name     = 
| agency_type     = [[Departments of the Government of the United Kingdom#Ministerial departments|Ministerial department]]
| type            = Department
| seal            = Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (Government in Scotland).svg
| seal_size       = 150px
| seal_caption    = [[Coat of arms of the United Kingdom#Government|Royal arms]] used by the Scotland Office
| seal_alt        = 
| logo            = Scotland Office logo.svg
| logo_width      = 180px
| logo_caption    = Logo of the Scotland Office
| image           = Scotland Office, Dover House, Whitehall 01.jpg
| image_size      = 
| image_caption   = [[Dover House]], the historic [[Whitehall]] base of the Scotland Office in London
| formed          = 
| preceding1      = [[Scottish Office]]
| dissolved       = 
| superseding     = 
| jurisdiction    = [[Government of the United Kingdom]]
| headquarters    = {{tree list}}
*'''Edinburgh'''
** Queen Elizabeth House, Edinburgh, EH8 8FT
* '''London'''
** [[Dover House]], Whitehall, London, SW1A 2AU
{{Tree list/end}}
| employees       = 85 [[full-time equivalent|FTE]] (2023)<ref>{{cite web |title=Scotland Office and Office of the Advocate General for Scotland Annual Report and Accounts 1 April 2022 - 31 March 2023 |url=https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/64afdecefe36e000146fa8cf/SO_Report_2022-23_-_web_version.pdf |website=[[GOV.UK]] |access-date=9 December 2023}}</ref>
| budget          = £8 million for 2011–12<ref>{{cite book|title=Spending Review 2010|year=2010|publisher=HM Treasury|location=London|url=http://cdn.hm-treasury.gov.uk/sr2010_completereport.pdf|access-date=28 December 2011|page=88|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101122101034/http://cdn.hm-treasury.gov.uk/sr2010_completereport.pdf|archive-date=22 November 2010|df=dmy-all}}</ref>
| minister_type   = Secretary of State
| minister1_name  = [[The Right Honourable|The Rt Hon]] [[Douglas Alexander]] [[Member of parliament|MP]]
| minister1_pfo   = [[Secretary of State for Scotland]]
| minister2_name  = [[Kirsty McNeill]] MP
| minister2_pfo   = [[Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Scotland]]
| chief1_name     = Laurence Rockey
| chief1_position = Director
| chief2_name     = Alasdair Macdonald
| chief2_position = Deputy Director, Policy
| chief3_name     = Anna Macmillan
| chief3_position = Deputy Director, Communications
| chief4_name     = Rachel Irvine
| chief4_position = Deputy Director, Constitutional Policy
| chief5_name     = Laura Crawforth
| chief5_position = Joint Deputy Director, Corporate Services
| chief6_name     = Alison Evans
| chief6_position = Joint Deputy Director, Corporate Services
| child1_agency   = 
| website         = {{URL|https://gov.uk/scotland-office}}
| footnotes       = 
}}
{{Politics of the United Kingdom}}

The '''Scotland Office''' ([[Scottish Gaelic]]: ''An Oifis Albannach''), known as the '''Office of the Secretary of State for Scotland''' from 2018 to 2024, is a [[Departments of the Government of the United Kingdom|department]] of [[Government of the United Kingdom|His Majesty's Government]] headed by the [[Secretary of State for Scotland|secretary of state for Scotland]] and responsible for [[Politics of Scotland|Scottish affairs]] that lie within HM Government's responsibility.

The department evolved from the [[Scottish Office]] which was formed in 1885. It was renamed the Scotland Office in 1999 following [[History of Scottish devolution|devolution in Scotland]], where the majority of its responsibilities were transferred to the [[Scottish Government|Scottish Executive]] (since renamed the Scottish Government).

==Responsibilities==
The office is responsible for the representation of [[Scotland]] and Scottish affairs in the UK Government, facilitating the smooth operation of [[Devolution in the United Kingdom|devolution]], liaising between the central Government and the [[Scottish Government]] at [[Edinburgh]] and the administering of certain [[Reserved matters (Westminster)|reserved matters]] of government relating to Scotland.

The department sponsors one non-departmental public body, the [[Boundary commissions (United Kingdom)|Boundary Commission for Scotland]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/boundary-commission-for-scotland|title = Boundary Commission for Scotland}}</ref>

==History==
Until the advent of the [[Scottish Parliament]] and the devolved Scottish Government, the [[Scottish Office]] (the precursor to the Scotland Office) was a major UK government department dealing with most aspects of the domestic governance of Scotland, a position known as "administrative devolution".

Since devolution, its powers are limited to those relating to reserved matters that are not dealt with by other departments of HM Government as well as relations with the devolved bodies. Along with the [[Wales Office]], the Scotland Office has shared administrative functions first with the 2007 [[Department for Constitutional Affairs]] and later the [[Ministry of Justice]]. The Secretary of State for Scotland also holds certain powers of oversight over the operation of the Scottish Parliament under the [[Scotland Act 1998]].

[[Donald Dewar]], who held the office from 1997–99, resigned to become the inaugural [[First Minister of Scotland]] following devolution on 17 May 1999. Under the [[Premiership of Tony Blair|Blair Ministry]] and [[Brown Ministry]], the office of [[Secretary of State for Scotland|secretary of state for Scotland]] was sometimes held along with another Cabinet role. These cases were [[Alistair Darling]], who served as Secretary of State for Scotland between 2003 and 2006 while also being [[Secretary of State for Transport]]. When [[Douglas Alexander]] took on the role in 2006 he also held the additional Transport office. His successor [[Des Browne]], who was Secretary of State from 2007–08, was simultaneously the [[Secretary of State for Defence|secretary of state for defence]]. [[Jim Murphy]] was appointed to the office in 2008, which remained his only government position until the [[Cameron–Clegg coalition|Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition]] gained power in 2010. The position was then held by [[Liberal Democrats (UK)|Liberal Democrat]] Members of Parliament until the [[Second Cameron ministry|Conservative government]] came into office following the [[2015 United Kingdom general election|2015 general election]].

Between 2015 and 2018, the Scotland Office rebranded much of its output under a UK Government in Scotland branding, with the office itself then becoming known as the Office of the Secretary of State for Scotland. Similar changes were made in relation to the [[Wales Office]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/16203710.scotland-office-name-change-make-british/|title='Scotland Office' name change to make it more British}}</ref> Both departments reverted to their original names in 2024.

==Ministers==

The Scotland Office ministers are as follows, with cabinet members in bold:<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/office-of-the-secretary-of-state-for-scotland|title=Our ministers|work=GOV.UK|access-date=17 June 2022}}</ref>

{| class=wikitable
! width=95x | Minister
! Portrait
! Office
! Portfolio
|-
| '''[[Douglas Alexander]]''' <small>MP</small>
| [[File:Official portrait of Douglas Alexander MP crop 2, 2024.jpg|106x106px]]
| [[Secretary of State for Scotland]]
| The secretary of state for Scotland is the UK Government Cabinet Minister representing Scotland. They act as the custodian of the Scottish devolution settlement, represent Scottish interests within the UK Government, and advocate for the UK Government’s policies in Scotland.

They also promote partnership between the UK Government and the Scottish Government, as well as relations between the UK and Scottish Parliaments.<ref>{{cite web |title=Secretary of State for Scotland |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/ministers/secretary-of-state-for-scotland|website=GOV.UK |publisher=UK Government |access-date=11 March 2024}}[[File:Open Government Licence logo.svg|30px]] Text was copied from this source, which is available under an [http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/  Open Government Licence v3.0]. © Crown copyright.</ref>
|-
| [[Kirsty McNeill]] <small>MP</small>
| [[File:Official portrait of Kirsty McNeill MP crop 2.jpg|106x106px]]
| [[Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Scotland]]
| Supporting the secretary of state in their duties.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ministerial Appointments: July 2024 |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/ministerial-appointments-july-2024 |access-date=2024-07-10 |website=GOV.UK |language=en}}</ref>
|}

==Location==
The department is based across two sites, one in Edinburgh and the other in London. [[Dover House]] in [[Whitehall]] has been used as the London base of the office and its predecessors since 1885. It also provides accommodation for the [[Advocate General for Scotland|Office of the Advocate General for Scotland]] and other government bodies.

Since 2020, its base in Edinburgh is Queen Elizabeth House, which was earmarked to be a UK Government hub in the city bringing together around 3,000 UK Government civil servants across a variety of government departments.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/flagship-uk-government-hub-in-edinburgh-named-queen-elizabeth-house|title = Flagship UK Government Hub in Edinburgh named 'Queen Elizabeth House'}}</ref> Between 1999 and 2020, it was located in premises at [[List of listed buildings in Edinburgh/21|Melville Crescent]].

Prior to devolution, the Scottish Office had a number of facilities in Scotland that are now generally operated by the devolved Scottish Government. This includes [[St Andrew's House]] and [[Victoria Quay, Edinburgh|Victoria Quay]].
<gallery>
Scotland Office, Dover House, Whitehall 02.jpg|[[Dover House]], London base, from [[Whitehall]]
Queen Elizabeth House, Edinburgh.png|Queen Elizabeth House, Edinburgh base since 2020
Horseguards Parade with the London Eye, London SW1 - geograph.org.uk - 1409546.jpg|Rear of [[Dover House]] from [[Horseguards Parade]]
1-3 MELVILLE CRESCENT.JPG|1 Melville Crescent, Edinburgh base (1999-2020)
</gallery>

== Management ==
The following have been head of the Scotland Office (since 2009, this position has been called ''Director of the Scotland Office''):<ref>The dates and names prior to 2020 are taken from their entries in ''Who's Who''.</ref>
* 1999–2002: Ian William Gordon (as Head of Department)
* 2002–2005: David Jonathan Crawley (as Head of Department)
* 2005–2007: James Richmond Wildgoose (as Head of Department)
* 2007–2009: David Fraser Middleton (as Head of Department; later CBE)
* 2009–2012: Alisdair Douglas McIntosh
* 2012–2015: Alun Trevor Bernard Evans, CBE
* 2015–2017: Francesca Osowska
* 2017–2020: Gillian McGregor, CBE<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/people/gillian-mcgregor|title=Gillian McGregor CBE|accessdate=10 August 2023}}</ref>
* 2020–present: Laurence Rockey<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/people/laurence-rockey|title=Laurence Rockey|accessdate=10 August 2023}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Government of the United Kingdom]]

==References==
*''The Scottish Secretaries'', David Torrance. (Birlinn 2006)
{{Reflist|30em}}

== External links ==
* {{Official website}}

{{Office of the Secretary of State for Scotland}}
{{Secretaries of State for Scotland}}
{{Departments of the United Kingdom Government|type=Ministerial}}{{Scottish devolution}}{{Scotland topics}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Government of Scotland|Office]]
[[Category:Ministerial departments of the Government of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Organisations based in Edinburgh]]
[[Category:Government bodies based in London]]