Written Question · S7W-04534 · Session 7
What calculation it has made of the total salary and pension costs for public sector staff engaged in redeployment processes.
The question
To ask the Scottish Government what calculation it has made of the total salary and pension costs for public sector staff engaged in redeployment processes.
The answer
The Scottish Government has not calculated the total salary and pension costs of staff engaged in redeployment processes across the public sector. Redeployment arrangements in other public bodies are a matter for those bodies, and this information is not held centrally.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.As at 1 November 2026, there were 29 core 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 (the Accruing Superannuation Liability Charge) and employer National Insurance contributions. It is an estimate based on average costs, not a record of actual pay.
In the Official Report
1 contribution mention S7W-04534-
12 Nov 2026General Question Time
Is it not clear to everyone that the public sector unions are running rings around the Government? We can take as an example the ghost workers—those on the so-called “priority movers” list. In an answer to me yesterday, Mr McKee confirmed …