How many staff the Parliament's full complement of security staff comprises; how many security staff have left since May 1999; what the rea…

The full complement comprises 87 full time operational staff, 60 of whom are employed on a shift-rota system with the remainder on permanent day shift. All shifts are of 8 hours duration. In addition, the Parliament Security Office employs 6 administrative staff.Since 1 May 1999, 18 operational staff have resigned for a variety of reasons: these include taking up full time study, relocation, securing employment matching qualifications, domestic circumstances and finding employment with higher remuneration.It is difficult to compare directly the salary levels of Parliament Security staff with security positions in the private sector because of the wide range and disparate nature of duties undertaken as well as the different terms and conditions of service which exist in the security industry. On a simple comparison of hourly rates of pay, the Scottish Parliament Corporate Body is aware that some sectors of the private security industry do have higher rates of remuneration. While the Scottish Parliament Corporate Body acknowledges that remuneration levels have been a factor in causing some staff to leave it also recognises that there have been other reasons.I take this opportunity to record the many grateful observations from members of the public about the helpfulness and courtesy of our security staff on duty.