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Scotland Office: National Security

Asked by Mr Tanmanjeet Singh DhesiLabourScotland OfficeTabled Answered 10 March 2026UIN 116880

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, with reference to paragraph 88 of the UK Government Resilience Action Plan, how many meetings Ministers in their Department have attended related to the Home Defence Programme.

Answered by Kirsty McNeill

The Secretary of State for Scotland has regular discussions with officials, external experts and ministerial colleagues on a range of national security, defence and resilience issues.

The Home Defence Programme was established in August 2024 to provide defence, security and resilience planning, focused on aligning military and civil effort in the event of a period of crisis and international hostilities affecting the UK. It is informed by and reflects the recommendations from government strategies, including the Strategic Defence Review, National Security Strategy and Resilience Action Plan.

The Scotland Office is actively supporting this by working closely with other UK Government Departments to ensure effective delivery in Scotland and coordination with the Scottish Government where responsibilities for resilience are devolved.

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