What the total salary costs were for core civil servants in the redeployment process, broken down by Directorate-General, in each financial…

When organisational change or restructuring leaves a core Scottish Government civil servant without a substantive post, they are given priority mover status and added to the priority movers list. Priority movers continue to carry out meaningful work in their current business area while they are matched to a suitable permanent post at the same grade.The Scottish Government does not hold the total salary costs of priority movers by Director General or by financial year. Priority movers are paid for by their current business area in the same way as other staff, and their salaries are therefore not recorded separately.Snapshots of the list show that the number of priority movers at any one time is low in proportion to the size of the organisation. In the months recorded, the average number of core civil servants on the list was 13 in 2023-24, 15 in 2024-25 and 31 in 2025-26.As at 1 November 2026, there were 29 core Scottish Government civil servants on the priority movers list. Based on their grades and the Scottish Government’s average annual staff cost for each grade, at April 2026, their combined annual staff cost is estimated at £3.0 million. This figure includes salary, employer pension contributions and employer National Insurance contributions. It is an estimate based on average costs, not a record of actual pay.