Relationship between UK and Scottish Governments

John Grady, the Labour MP for Glasgow East, asked the Secretary of State for Scotland, Ian Murray, about the discussions he has had with the Scottish Government on the effectiveness of the relationship between the UK and Scottish Governments. In his response, Ian Murray stated that resetting the relationship between the two governments has been a priority for the current administration, and that he has had numerous productive meetings with Scottish Government Ministers, including the Deputy First Minister. He noted that there have been 17 days of visits across Scotland by UK Government ministers, and dozens of calls between Secretaries of State and Cabinet Secretaries. John Grady then followed up, noting that the Scottish Fiscal Commission has said that "much of the pressure comes from the Scottish Government's own decisions." The Secretary of State agreed, stating that while the new UK Government is "cleaning up the mess of the previous Conservative Government," the SNP appears to be "cleaning up its own mess." He cited reports from Audit Scotland and the Institute for Fiscal Studies that have highlighted the Scottish Government's role in the current state of Scotland's public finances. John Lamont, the Conservative MP for Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk, then intervened, congratulating both ministers on their appointments and noting his own time at the Scotland Office. He raised concerns about Labour's plans to end the winter fuel payment, which he said would negatively impact hundreds of thousands of pensioners in Scotland. The Secretary of State responded by stating that the current UK Government has had to make tough decisions to fix the "dreadful legacy" left by the previous government, and that the SNP has also made a mess of the public finances in Scotland. Stephen Gethins, the SNP MP for Arbroath and Broughty Ferry, also congratulated the Secretary of State on his appointment and acknowledged the challenges he has faced. He expressed concern about the impact of the cuts to the winter fuel payment on pensioners in their constituencies, and asked the Secretary of State to do better than giving the Scottish Government just 90 minutes' notice next time. The Secretary of State responded by pointing to the cuts announced by the Scottish Finance Secretary, and stating that the Scottish Government needs to take responsibility for its own actions.