FOI/202500481703 · FOI · not held
Scottish Government ministerial staff statistics: FOI release
Information requested
1. The current number of staff that currently report directly to each Scottish Government Minister (please can you break this down by each Scottish Government Minister).
2. The total amount currently paid in salaries to staff supporting each Scottish Government Minister (please can you break down total amounts by each Scottish Government Minister).
3. The total staff turnover for each Scottish Government Minister across the last four years. (Please can you break down total turnover by each current and past Scottish Government Minister).
Response
I enclose a copy of some of the information you requested.
The attached table provides a breakdown of the staff currently supporting each Scottish Government Minister and the total salary costs for these roles. This breakdown is based on a snapshot of staff as at the time of request – these are not fixed roles and there is movement within the Ministerial Private Office on a flexible and regular basis to support Ministerial priorities. We have also provided the average salary costs per grade. For note, these staff do not report directly to the Minister, they report within the Civil Service hierarchy.
While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance the Scottish Government does not hold the information you have requested in item 3. This is because the staffing of Private Offices is incorporated within, and managed as part of, the overall resourcing of the Ministerial Private Office Division, which also includes other functions.
This is a formal notice under section 17(1) of FOISA that the Scottish Government does not have the information you have requested.
About FOI
The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at https://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.
Detected exemption language
This is a formal notice under section 17(1) of FOISA that the Scottish Government does not have the information you have requested.