FOI/202300375981 · FOI · partially withheld
Scottish Government staffing numbers: FOI release
Information requested
1. Senior Civil Service Pay - updated from March 2023 or most recent compilation as the only recent list refers to March 2022 on the Scottish Government homepage.
2. Number of staff in each directorate of the Scottish Government.
3. Number of SCS staff in the Scottish Government.
4. Number and grades of private office staff within Ministerial Private Offices.
Response
Response to question 1:
An exemption under section 27(1) of FOISA applies to the information requested. This exemption applies because we intend to publish that information within 12 weeks of the date of your request. We consider that it is reasonable to withhold the information until that date, rather than release this routinely published information before the planned publication date.
This exemption is subject to the ‘public interest test’. Therefore, taking account of all the circumstances of this case, we have considered if the public interest in disclosing the information outweighs the public interest in applying the exemption. We have found that, on balance, the public interest lies in favour of upholding the exemption. We recognise that there is some public interest in release and this will be met by our planned publication. In the meantime, there is a greater public interest in taking the time necessary to ensure the information has been properly collated and checked before it is published as planned. Also, we see no public interest in disrupting our programme of work to release the information ahead of the intended publication date.
Response to Question 2,3 and 4:
The Scottish Government publishes workforce information on a quarterly basis which can be accessed on the Scottish Government homepage. My below responses are therefore based on the most recently published data, which was 30th June 2023.
All staffing figures provided are headcounts and comprise both, staff in post and those on paid leave (including maternity and sick leave) or outward secondments. Headcounts reflect the total number of individual staff and do not account for differences in working hours (e.g. part time working). Headcounts should not be directly compared with full time equivalent (FTE) figures provided elsewhere as the latter are adjusted to account for this. Please refer to the notes of the publication for further information on the definitions and use of this data.
Please note, the information included in this response relates to the core directorates within the Scottish Government.
Response to Question 2:
Directorate Headcount Directorate For Covid Recovery And Public Service Reform 55 Directorate For Equality, Inclusion & Human Rights 113 Directorate For Local Government And Housing 303 Directorate For Social Security 477 Directorate For Tackling Child Poverty And Social Justice 126 Directorate For Ukraine Resettlement 83 Directorate For Communications And Ministerial Support 360 Directorate For Corporate Transformation And Workplace 226 Directorate For Covid Inquiries 34 Directorate For Digital 492 Directorate For Financial Management 155 Directorate For Legal Services (Solicitor To The Scottish Government) 342 Directorate For People 308 Directorate For Propriety And Ethics 12 Scottish Procurement And Commercial Directorate 196 Directorate For Chief Economist 90 Directorate For Economic Development 319 Directorate For Economic Strategy And Fair Work 82 Directorate For International Trade And Investment 76 Directorate For Children And Families 325 Directorate For Education Reform 70 Directorate For Justice 150 Directorate For Learning 136 Directorate For Lifelong Learning And Skills 122 Directorate For Safer Communities 169 Directorate For Chief Medical Officer 77 Directorate For Chief Nursing Officer 53 Directorate For Chief Operating Officer, NHS Scotland 70 Directorate For Digital Health And Care 43 Directorate For Health Finance, Corporate Governance & Value 88 Directorate For Health Workforce 79 Directorate For Healthcare Quality And Improvement 122 Directorate For Mental Health 193 Directorate For Population Health 278 Directorate For Primary Care 70 Directorate For Social Care And National Care Service Development 228 Directorate For Agriculture And Rural Economy (Are) 1054 Directorate For Energy And Climate Change 320 Directorate For Environment And Forestry 200 Directorate For Marine Scotland 769 Directorate For Offshore Wind 23 Directorate For Budget & Public Spending 37 Directorate For Fiscal Policy And Constitution 9 Directorate For Fiscal Sustainability And Exchequer Development 15 Directorate For Internal Audit And Assurance 64 Directorate For Tax And Revenues 26 Directorate For Constitution 75 Directorate For Culture And Major Events 54 Directorate For External Affairs 118 Directorate For Performance, Delivery And Resilience 148 Directorate For Strategy 27 Eu Directorate 10 Parliamentary Counsel Office 23 Not in a Directorate[1] 17
Response to Question 3:
As of 30th June 2023 the headcount of Senior Civil Service staff directly employed by the Scottish Government was 284. This includes staff on temporary promotion into the Senior Civil Service. Response to Question 4:
Ministerial Private Offices refers to the division with that name within the Directorate for Communications and Ministerial Support. This includes those working within the Ministerial Private Offices and those working in support teams.
Substantive grade Headcount A3 [c][2] A4 51 B1 14 B2 27 B3 22 C1 [c][2] C2 8 C3 [c][2] SCS - Deputy Director 1 1
[1] Staff positioned outwith a directorate are those who are working at the DG level or for administrative reasons are not associated with a directorate.
[2] [c] indicates a figure suppressed to protect confidential information. This has been applied where a figure relates to a small number of staff or where additional suppression has been required to prevent calculation of a figure suppressed for that reason.
About FOI
The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at http://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.
Contact Please quote the FOI reference Central Enquiry Unit Email: ceu@gov.scot Phone: 0300 244 4000 The Scottish Government St Andrews House Regent Road Edinburgh EH1 3DG
Detected exemption language
Response Response to question 1: An exemption under section 27(1) of FOISA applies to the information requested. This exemption applies because we intend to publish that information within 12 weeks of the date of your request. This exemption is subject to the ‘public interest test’. Therefore, taking account of all the circumstances of this case, we have considered if the public interest in disclosing the information outweighs the public interest in applying the exemption. We have found that, on balance, the public interest lies in favour of upholding the exemption.
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