THERE WERE fresh calls yesterday to scrap the Scotland Office after new figures showed an increase in hospitality spending, writes Steve Bargeton, political editor.

Spending on entertainment went up by a third last year to more than £23,000, according to answers to parliamentary written questions.

And despite powers being devolved to the Scottish Executive under devolution, the department continued to employ 20 policy officials and two press officers.

According to the Liberal Democrats, the Scotland Office staff dealt with just 39 letters and queries from MPs and peers last year—fewer than the number answered by the Government’s Pesticides Safety Directorate.

But staff still managed to spend nearly £18,000 on stationery.

The Lib Dems claimed that the press office put out a press release on average once a week last year.

Lib Dem Scotland spokesman Alistair Carmichael said the Scotland Office was “more concerned with hosting soirees than communicating with Edinburgh.”

“Employing 20 staff to write an average of two official letters each year is indefensible,” he said.

“The Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland offices should merge to create a Department for Nations and Regions, with a full-time seat at the Cabinet table.”

Matthew Elliott, from the Taxpayers’ Alliance, branded the Scotland Office as “the most pointless department in Whitehall” and called for it to be abolished.

“Taxpayers shouldn’t have to foot the bill for an office and staff who are a relic of the pre-devolution era,” he said.

“When (Chancellor) Alistair Darling starts to wield the axe ahead of the Comprehensive Spending Review in the autumn, he should start with the Scotland Office.

Yesterday the Minister of State at the Scotland Office, David Cairns, leapt to its defence.

“Alistair Carmichael is just plain wrong,” he said.

“He is labouring under the delusion that the Scotland Office exists solely to answer letters from MPs when its remit is so much wider.

“The Scotland Office is a small department spending very small sums of money in a very efficient way.

“Alistair Carmichael is deliberately misusing statistics to make a hackneyed political point and wasting taxpayers’ money by asking pointless parliamentary questions.

“The Scotland Office carries out an essential role on behalf of the people of Scotland in ensuring their voice is heard at the highest level in Westminster.

“The criticism levelled against the office today is simply flat-earth thinking which takes no account of the constructive and efficient way we approach our task week in and week out.”

The cost of devolution including the salaries of 129 MSPs is estimated at over £1 billion, not including the £431 million bill for the new Scottish Parliament.