The Scottish and Scotland Offices

'Obviously the Scotland Office has no real function apart from using up money on needless bureaucracy, so quite clearly it should be abolished. I think the devolved parliament should develop its own relationships with Whitehall departments. There is an idea for my compatriot Gordon Brown in order to save some money and not have so many people squeezing around the cabinet table.' First Minister of Scotland, Alex Salmond MSP MP, 20 th May 2007.

The Scotland Office, 28 th June 2007 - 6 th October 2008

Labour Government under Rt Hon Dr James Gordon Brown in UK (Scottish National Party Government under Rt Hon Alex Salmond in Scotland)
Date	Secretary of State for Defence & Scotland	Minister of State
28 June 2007 New administration	Rt Hon Desmond Browne MP	Father David Cairns MP1
Date	Secretary of State for Defence & Scotland	Parliamentary Under Secretary of State
17 th September 2008 Following resignation of Father David Cairns MP as Minister of State for Scotland on the 16 th September	Rt Hon Desmond Browne MP	Anne McKechin MP
Date	Secretary of State for Scotland	Parliamentary Under Secretary of State
3 rd October 2008 Following sacking of Des Brown as Secretary of State for Defence and his resignation as Secretary of State for Scotland	Rt Hon Jim Murphy MP	Anne McKechin MP
6 th October 2008 Following a Press Release from 10 Dowing Street listing Baroness Vadera's appointment to the Scotland office	Rt Hon Jim Murphy MP	Anne McKechin MP
		Shriti Vadera, Baroness Vadera2
Date	Secretary of State for Scotland	Parliamentary Under Secretaries of State
7 th October 2008 Following confirmation that Baroness Vadera had not been appointed to the Scotland Office 2	Rt Hon Jim Murphy MP	Anne McKechin MP

¹ At Prime Minister's Question Time on the 4 th July 2007, the Rt Hon Dr James Gordon Brown MP (Labour, Kirkcaldy & Cowdenbeath) stated that the Rt Hon Des Browne (Labour, Kilmarnock & Loudoun) works full time as Secretary of State for Defence and is merely a figurehead as Secretary of State for Scotland. The Scotland Office is actually run on a day to day basis by Minister of State Father David Cairns MP (Labour, Inverclyde).

² On the 6 th of October, following a Press Release by 10 Downing Street, Shriti Vadera, Baroness Vadera, was listed as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Scotland Office, at the Cabinet Office and at the Department for Business, Enterprise & Regulatory Reform. However, subsequent information confirmed that she had not been appointed to the Scotland Office. I am grateful to the House of Lords for clarification of the situation.