By Steve Bargeton, political editor

TEN YEARS after devolution there is no role for the Secretary of State for Scotland or the Scotland office, MPs were told yesterday.

Deputy first minister Nicola Sturgeon said in terms of policy they have “next to no” responsibilities north of the border.

The Scotland Office is headed by Scottish Secretary Des Browne, who is also Defence Secretary, and is Scotland’s voice at the UK Cabinet table.

But in evidence to MPs on the Commons’ Justice Committee which was in Edinburgh yesterday taking evidence on its inquiry, “Devolution: A Decade On,” Ms Sturgeon said the UK Government should work directly with the Scottish Government of the day.

“The role of the Secretary of State for Scotland and Scotland Office is of a past era,” she said.

“Now, although it is important that some of the functions of the Scotland Office continue to be carried out and it is important that reserved Government knows what devolved government is doing, I think that co-ordination could be carried out in different ways.

“I don’t think there is a case for retaining the Scotland Office and the Secretary of State as separate entities.

“In policy areas, while the Scotland Office sometimes appears like it is representing itself as Scotland’s reserved government, in fact, in policy areas it has next to no responsibilities.”

“I think it is time 10 years on to look at the role of the Scotland Office and the Secretary of State and any critical examination would lead everyone to the view that its time has come and gone.”

Ms Sturgeon said that there were already good working relationships established between UK Government departments and Scottish Government departments.

“The real voice of Scotland is the Scottish Government working with the UK Government directly,” she said.

“In terms of the day-to-day machinery, I just wonder whether we need a Scotland Office, a Secretary of State for Scotland, with all of the expense and the bureaucracy that surrounds that.”

Sir John Elvidge, Scotland’s top civil servant, said the role of the Scotland Office had moved into “different territory.” He said he no longer regarded it as the “key interlocutor” in making contact with Whitehall.

Parliamentary business minister Bruce Crawford told the committee that joint ministerial committees (JMCs) could play a central role in co-ordinating relationships between Edinburgh and London.

He told MPs that these committees had not met since 2002 and that First Minister Alex Salmond had written to Prime Minister Gordon Brown about the matter in August, but had yet to receive a reply.

Asked if JMCs could replace the Secretary of State’s role, he said, “If we can strengthen the bi-lateral arrangements, then the need for the Scotland Office is disappearing over the horizon.”