Alistair Carmichael on Scotland Office waste

A press release from Alistair Carmichael reveals some startling facts about the work of the Scotland Office post devolution:

The Scotland Office employs 20 policy officers with a responsibility for answering correspondence, despite receiving just 39 letters from MPs and Peers in the past year.

and

The department’s press office has managed to write an average of one press release per week during the past year.

Alistair's remedy sounds sensible too:

"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."