Written question asked by Mark Hoban (Conservative) on Thursday, 17 July 2008, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 21 July 2008. It was answered by David Cairns (Labour) on Wednesday, 10 September 2008 on behalf of the Scotland Office.

Departmental Public Participation

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what (a) listening exercises and (b) public forums his Department has held in each of the last two years; what the (i) purpose and (ii) cost was in each case; and what the private contractor was and how much it was paid in each case.

Answer: The Scotland Office has undertaken two targeted and time-limited public consultations; one entitled ““Scottish Parliament Elections May 2007: Ballot Paper Design, the other, Sorting the Ballot””. The Office also participated in a joint consultation with the Ministry of Justice and the Wales Office on ““Fees for the Marked Register of Electors produced at UK Elections””. The Office has undertaken no listening exercises or public forums in the last two years.

Secondary information