Scotland round-up: 8 January 2010

Written questions

• Commons Hansard: Questions on London to Glasgow rail services
• Commons Hansard: Military bases in Scotland
• Commons Hansard: Spending on Defence Medical Services in Inverness
• Commons Hansard: Maintenance costs for the military garrison at Edinburgh Castle
• Lords Hansard: Royal Bank of Scotland

In addition to oral questions, MPs and Peers can ask government ministers questions for written answer. These are often used to obtain detailed information about policies and statistics on the activities of government departments.

Early Day Motions

• EDM 551: Beauly - Denny power line
• EDM 552: Prescription charges in Scotland

Early Day Motions (EDMs) are formal motions submitted for debate in the House of Commons. However, very few EDMs are actually debated. Instead, they are used for reasons such as publicising the views of individual MPs, drawing attention to specific events or campaigns, and demonstrating the extent of parliamentary support for a particular cause or point of view.

Scottish Affairs Committee

• Scottish Affairs Committee home page

The Scottish Affairs Committee is appointed by the House of Commons to examine the expenditure, administration and policy of the Scotland Office including relations with the Scottish Parliament.

Current inquiries being undertaken by the Committee include Banking in Scotland and the Scotland Office White Paper and recommendations of the Calman Commission.

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