Preparation of independence prospectus papers: FOI release

Information requested

I would like to request the following information please in relation to the Independence in the Modern wide world white paper along with any other documents produced to coincide with it.

I understand 1 Senior official and 19 others worked on the project. Can you provide the following please.

1) The total accumulative annual salary of all 20 including all PAYE, NI and Pension contributions that are a cost to the public tax payer.
2) Which date did the project commence within this group of people?
3) Which date was the final sign off the document to be released?
4) Which group of people authorised and made final sign off on the document?
5) Can you confirm if the group continue to work on additional papers after the final sign off and if so, was it the same size of group?
6) What other portfolios were the group working on alongside this paper?
7) Further to point 1, and if disclosable, the annual salary including all PAYE, NI and Pension contributions that are a cost to the public tax payer of the Senior Official alone.

Response

1) The total accumulative annual salary of all 20 including all PAYE, NI and Pension contributions that are a cost to the public tax payer. 
The work to prepare independence prospectus papers, as set out in the 2021/22 Programme for Government, is being coordinated by the Constitutional Futures Division, and this is just one of a range of tasks being taken forward by this team as part of its normal duties supporting the Scottish Government. The work on the independence prospectus papers will also draw on other officials across a range of portfolios who will contribute to varying extents as part of their wider responsibilities in supporting the Scottish Government.

You may also be interested to note that updated staffing numbers were recently published for the Constitutional Futures Division. This information can be found at: Independence referendum and prospectus resources: FOI release - gov.scot (www.gov.scot).

As the Constitutional Futures Division has not yet been established for a full financial year, annual staff costs are not yet available.

This is a formal notice under Section 17(1) of FOISA that the Scottish Government does not have some of the information you have requested.

2) Which date did the project commence within this group of people?
Work to produce ‘Independence in the modern world. Wealthier, happier, fairer: why not Scotland?’ commenced on 1 December 2021.

3) Which date was the final sign off the document to be released?
‘Independence in the modern world. Wealthier, happier, fairer: why not Scotland?’ was signed off for release on 10 June 2022.

4) Which group of people authorised and made final sign off on the document?
The document was cleared for printing by the First Minister after earlier consideration by the Scottish Cabinet of a draft of the paper.

5) Can you confirm if the group continue to work on additional papers after the final sign off and if so, was it the same size of group?
As set out previously, the Constitutional Futures Division is coordinating work to produce the papers in the independence prospectus series.

The individuals involved from Constitutional Futures Division and across portfolios will vary from paper to paper. Work to prepare the prospectus for an independent Scotland is being carried out in a range of portfolios and, in most cases, this is just one part of an individual’s role. In line with usual practice, details of individual tasks carried out by civil servants, including the number of hours spent on them, are not routinely recorded because there is no business need to do this.

6) What other portfolios were the group working on alongside this paper?
It may be helpful to explain that by “portfolio” we mean the area of responsibility of a particular Scottish Government Minister or Cabinet Secretary. As noted above, work to prepare the prospectus for an independent Scotland is being carried out in a range of portfolios and, in most cases, this is just one part of an individual’s role. The individuals involved from across portfolios will vary from paper to paper. In line with usual practice, details of individual tasks carried out by civil servants, including the number of hours spent on them, are not routinely recorded because there is no business need to do this.

This is a formal notice under Section 17(1) of FOISA that the Scottish Government does not have some of the information you have requested.

7) Further to point 1, and if disclosable, the annual salary including all PAYE, NI and Pension contributions that are a cost to the public tax payer of the Senior Official alone.
Information regarding the salary of the Deputy Director for Constitutional Futures has been previously published and can be found at: Preparations for referendum on Scottish independence: FOI release - gov.scot (www.gov.scot).

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