Resource Spending Review: FOI release

Information requested

1. How many FTE civil servants were involved in drafting the Resource Spending Review (published 31 May 2022)?
2. The distribution of pay grades for all civil servants involved in drafting the Resource Spending Review (published 31 May 2022)
3. How many hours were spent by civil servants on drafting the Resource Spending Review (published 31 May 2022)?
4. Estimated total cost of drafting the Resource Spending Review (published 31 May 2022)
5. How many FTE special advisors were involved in drafting the Resource Spending Review (published 31 May 2022)?
6. The distribution of pay grades for all special advisors involved in drafting the Resource Spending Review (published 31 May 2022)
7. How many hours were spent by special advisors on drafting the Resource Spending Review (published 31 May 2022)?

Response

While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance we are unable to provide some of the information you have requested because an exemption(s) under section 17 (information is not held) of FOISA applies to that information. The reasons why that exemption(s) applies are explained in the Annex at the bottom of this respopnse.

Having said that, we are able to provide you with some of the information relating to your questions as follows:

1. How many FTE civil servants were involved in drafting the Resource Spending Review(published 31 May 2022)

2. The distribution of pay grades for all civil servants involved in drafting the Resource Spending Review (published 31 May 2022)

A Public Spending Division within the Directorate for Budget and Public Spending was created in February 2021 with the purpose of leading delivery of the Resource Spending Review (RSR). Its staffing resource grew during 2021 and consolidated in early 2022 after the publication of the Resource Spending Review Framework. While the team contributed to other work programmes over this period (such as the Scottish Budget), from early 2022, it was principally engaged in the co-ordination of and delivery of the RSR (published 31 May 2022). Some of these officials started work on the RSR in 2021 as a part of their existing roles, and other staff joined the Public Spending Division at later stages, with work intensifying in early 2022. At its maximum the division contained the following posts (both policy and analytical) at different grades and roles:

• One Deputy Director
• Two officials at grade C2
• Three officials at grade C1
• Four officials at grade B3
• One inward secondment

Other officials from across the Scottish Government, both from within DG Scottish Exchequer, and from other Directorates, also worked on the RSR, and did so as part of their normal duties and within normal working patterns.

Information on the pay scales for different civil service grades, as at 1 April 2022 (grades A-C), is available here
Our Reward Benefits - Work For Scotland (work-for-scotland.org)

As at 1 April 2022 the salary range for Deputy Director was between £81,893 and £85,201).

3. How many hours were spent by civil servants on drafting the Resource Spending Review (published 31 May 2022)

As civil servants are not required to record the time spent on individual tasks we do not hold information on the hours spent by each member of staff in the Public Spending Division, working on the RSR. For the same reasons, neither do we hold information on the numbers of hours spent by other members of staff across the government on the RSR.

4. Estimated total cost of drafting the Resource Spending Review (published 31 May 2022)

As a result of the above, we do not hold information on the total cost of drafting the RSR.

5. How many FTE special advisors were involved in drafting the Resource Spending Review (published 31 May 2022)

6. The distribution of pay grades for all special advisors involved in drafting the Resource Spending Review (published 31 May 2022)

7. How many hours were spent by special advisors on drafting the Resource Spending Review (published 31 May 2022)

We do not hold information on the numbers of hours spent by Special Advisers on the RSR, the distribution of pay grades of those involved, or the number of FTE Special Advisers who were involved at various stages of the process.

Annex: Reasons for not providing information

The Scottish Government does not have some of the information you have asked for because, as civil servants or special advisers are not required to record the time spent on individual tasks, such as the Resource spending Review, we do not hold all the information on the numbers of hours spent by other members of staff on the RSR.

As such, I hereby provide you with formal notice under section 17(1) of FOISA that the Scottish Government does not have some of the information you have requested.

About FOI

The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at http://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.