Written Question · S6W-06152 · Session 6
How much civil service or legal time or resource has been allocated (a) since the May 2021 Scottish Parliament election and (b) for the rem…
The question
To ask the Scottish Government how much civil service or legal time or resource has been allocated (a) since the May 2021 Scottish Parliament election and (b) for the remainder of 2022 on (i) the detailed prospectus making the case for Scottish independence, (ii) governmental proposals or papers designed to further this case and (iii) the consulting on or drafting of legislation designed to hold a referendum, expressed as (A) the number of FTE staff and (B) total staff hours, and broken down by (1) which of its departments the time or resource was allocated within and (2) the associated known or estimated cost of the time or resource.
The answer
The Scottish Government’s 2021/22 Programme for Government commits to work to ensure that a legitimate and constitutional referendum can be held within this Parliamentary term, if the Covid crisis is over, and that a detailed prospectus for an independent Scotland will be prepared to allow the people of Scotland to make an informed choice over their future.
The work to prepare an independence prospectus is being co-ordinated by the Constitutional Futures Division within the Constitution and Cabinet Directorate. This division is currently comprised of one Senior Civil Servant and thirteen other officials (12.9 FTE).
The work to take forward referendum legislation will be co-ordinated by a team in the Elections and FOI Division, also in the Constitution and Cabinet Directorate. The team is currently comprised of three officials.
The staff numbers may change as the work programme evolves. Both streams of work will also draw on other civil servants who will contribute to varying extents as part of their wider responsibilities in supporting the Scottish Government.
As civil servants are not required to record the time spent on individual tasks we cannot provide a figure for total staff hours spent on taking forward these commitments.
The work to prepare an independence prospectus is being co-ordinated by the Constitutional Futures Division within the Constitution and Cabinet Directorate. This division is currently comprised of one Senior Civil Servant and thirteen other officials (12.9 FTE).
The work to take forward referendum legislation will be co-ordinated by a team in the Elections and FOI Division, also in the Constitution and Cabinet Directorate. The team is currently comprised of three officials.
The staff numbers may change as the work programme evolves. Both streams of work will also draw on other civil servants who will contribute to varying extents as part of their wider responsibilities in supporting the Scottish Government.
As civil servants are not required to record the time spent on individual tasks we cannot provide a figure for total staff hours spent on taking forward these commitments.
In the Official Report
No contribution in the Official Report cites S6W-06152 by reference.