Directorate for Communications and Ministerial Support staffing, specific spend details and Ministerial code guidance: FOI release

Information requested

1. The total number of staff employed in the Directorate of Comms, Ministerial Support and Facilities (also known as Communications and Ministerial Support Directorate) in each of the following financial years: 2020-21, 2021-22, 2022-23, 2023-24 and currently in 2024-25, broken down by pay scale.

2. What training course was purchased on 29 January 2024 from 2U Getsmarter (Us) Llc for £2200, which ministers and/or special advisers attended this course and what the purpose of purchasing this training course was.

3. What business services were purchased on 22 May 2024 for £1006.80 from PayPal which was classified as an ‘external conference’ according to Scottish Government spend over £500 documentation. Please state the topic the conference was on and which ministers and special advisers attended.

4. Who the platinum services meeting facilities were purchased for on 19 June 2024 for £1355.46, at which airport and what the trip was for. For clarity, please state which ministers used these services, what the service provided and whether it has been included the cost of the relevant minister’s travel as per the Scottish Government’s ministerial engagement publication for that month.

5. What digital goods and audio-visual services were purchased from Westminster Insight on 11 July 2024 for £753.84 which was classified as an ‘external conference’. Please state the topic the conference was on and which ministers and special advisers attended.

6. What external event took place that required the purchasing of services from City Nation Place for £1,188 on 2 July 2024. Please state the topic of the external event and which ministers and special advisers attended.

7. Any other training sessions that were provided by the directorate to Scottish Ministers in 2024. Please state when these training sessions were held, what these training sessions were about, which ministers attended and whether there were any costs paid to external companies for the provision of these training sessions and if so to which company.

8. Any guidance documents the directorate has produced for Scottish Ministers on the topics of the ministerial code, their media appearances, the use of social media, the handling of ministerial communications, the use of government credit cards (such as the ePurchasing Card) and foreign trips abroad. Please provide any such guidance documents that have been produced by the directorate since 13 May 2021.

Response

The answer to your questions are as follows:

1. The table below contains the number of full-time equivalent staff employed in the Directorate for Communications and Ministerial Support, by pay band, between March 2020 and November 2024.

Pay Band (Full-Time Equivilent)

Point In Time	A Band	B Band	C Band	Senior Civil  Service
31-Mar-20	180	231	77	9
31-Mar-21	187	233	94	9
31-Mar-22	66	213	85	5
31-Mar-23	60	191	75	5
31-Mar-24	69	223	90	7
20-Nov-24	74	242	89	8

As the number of staff employed varies throughout the financial year, we have set out the number of staff employed on March 31st of each year along with a current year figure for November 2024. These figures are a 'snapshot' at a point in time: they do not represent either a total number or average number of staff employed in the year.

Across the reference period there have been a number of structural changes within the Directorate for Communications and Ministerial Support Directorate. As a result, the constituent parts of the Directorate and the functions carried out by staff employed within the Directorate are different at each point in time.

2. On 29 January 2024 one ticket was purchased from 2U Getsmarter (Us) Llc for an 8 week Sustainable Marketing course. The Sustainable Marketing, Media, and Creative course is designed for marketing, media, and creative professionals who wish to spearhead the sustainability revolution. This programme equips marketers at all levels of management, including brand, product, account managers, and salespeople, with a forward-thinking skill set to broaden their influence in this rapidly expanding field. The course was attended by one member of the Scottish Government Marketing & Brand Team. No ministers or special advisers attended.

3. On 22 May 2024 two tickets were purchased via Paypal for a 2 day Digital Content Course in London. This was a foundation course, learning how to find out about your users, understand their behaviour, and create content that meets their needs. The course was attended by two members of the Scottish Government Digital and Content Team. No ministers or special advisers attended.

4. The costs cover service purchased on 19 June 2024 for use in Dublin Airport on 21 June 2024 in support of the First Minister’s security arrangements. This is because the return flights from the British Irish Council meeting on the Isle of Man on 21 June 2024 were routed via Dublin. Details of the First Minister’s security costs are not part of the Scottish Government travel itinerary and are not included in published travel costs.

5. On 11 July 2024 two tickets were purchased from Westminster Insights for a conference about Public Sector Complaints, held on 18 July 2024. The conference was attended by two members of the Scottish Government Complaints Team. No ministers or special advisers attended.

6. On 2 July 2024 two tickets were purchased via from City Nation Place for a 2 day conference in London. The City Nation Place Global 2024 brings together over 200 delegates from all corners of the world, to share ideas and best practice in place branding and marketing. The course was attended by two members of the Scottish Government Marketing & Brand Team. No ministers or special advisers attended.

7. The Directorate for Communications and Ministerial Support have not provided any training sessions for Scottish Ministers in 2024. Therefore we do not hold the information you have requested. This is a formal notice under section 17(1) of FOISA that the Scottish Government does not have the information you have requested.

8. The Scottish Ministerial Code provides guidance to Ministers on how they should act and arrange their affairs to uphold the highest standards of propriety and is designed to speak for itself (a copy of the current Code can be found at Scottish Ministerial Code: 2023 Edition - gov.scot (www.gov.scot). As such, no general guidance on it is provided to Ministers alongside the Code. On assuming office Ministers have, however, received guidance on the operation of Cabinet which touches on the Scottish Ministerial Code and this is provided at Annex [X]. The parts of the guidance that are out of scope of this request have been redacted.

On joining or changing roles within Government, Ministers are invited under the requirements of the Scottish Ministerial Code to provide a list of their private interests. This is to ensure that no conflict arises, or could reasonably be perceived to arise, between their public duties and their private interests. A letter is issued from the Permanent Secretary to Ministers for this purpose but does not constitute a guidance document so has been judged to be out of scope of this request. Ministers declarations of interest are available on the Scottish Government website at: https://www.gov.scot/publications/list-ofministers-interests/pages/interests-by-minister/ 

Guidance has been produced for Ministers and senior civil servants to support them in undertaking media appearances. This is attached at Annex [Y].

Ministers have not been provided with any guidance on their use of social media beyond the guidance that is provided in paragraphs 10.10 and 10.11 of the Scottish Ministerial Code. As noted in the Code, Ministers are personally responsible for ensuring that any social media activity in their name complies with their obligations to Parliament and their duty to observe the principle of collective responsibility.

The Scottish Government has clear policies on matters relating to communications, financial management and overseas travel for staff. Ministers are expected to follow the same policies. Detailed guidance is provided to Ministers on travel, including overseas travel, in section 9 of the Scottish Ministerial Code (which is available on the Scottish Government website through the link provided above).

The First Minister has committed to publish a new edition of the Scottish Ministerial Code before the end of 2024.

About FOI

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

FOI 202400437904 - Information released - Annex X

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FOI 202400437904 - Information released - Annex Y

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