Scottish Government staff working in international offices: FOI release

Information requested

• The number of staff in each of the Scottish Government’s nine international offices, including London and Copenhagen.
• The pay grades of all staff in these offices, including information on the salaries of any country-based staff.
• Copies of any correspondence sent by staff at these international offices to the Scottish Government regarding the need for additional funding or resources in the last year.

I would prefer this information in an electronic format, broken down by individual office where possible.

Response

I enclose a copy of most of the information you requested in the format you asked for in the attached Annex A.

All our international offices, with the exception of Scotland House Brussels and Scotland House London, have only 3 or 4 staff and providing the individual bands of both Scottish Government Civil Servant and country based staff would make it relative easy to find out the pay rates for each individual in the specific band. Therefore while our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance we are unable to provide a small amount of the information you have requested because an exemption under section 38(1)(b) (personal information) of FOISA applies to that information. This is because it is personal data of a third party, specifically the salaries of individuals, and disclosing it would contravene the data protection principles in Article 5(1) of the General Data Protection Regulation and in section 34(1) of the Data Protection Act 2018.

It is also important to note that country-based staff working with the Scottish Government at all our International Offices overseas are employed by the FCDO under their terms and conditions relevant to that specific country and its local labour laws. Should you require any further information on country based staff in general, please contact the FCDO (information.rights@fcdo.gov.uk)

For more information on Scottish Government and Civil Service pay grades please find the links below for ease of reference;

https://www.jobs.gov.scot/about-us/financial-rewards

SCS - The terms and conditions of employment, including pay, for SCS colleagues is reserved to the UK Government and managed by the Cabinet Office
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-on-the-senior-civil-service-pay-award-202425

Further information on Senior Service pay within the Scottish Government can be found at
https://www.gov.scot/collections/senior-civil-service-pay/

In reference to your question regarding "Copies of any correspondence sent by staff at these international offices to the Scottish Government regarding the need for additional funding or resources in the last year".

An exemption under section 30(b)(i) of FOISA (free and frank provision of advice) applies to some of the information requested. This exemption applies because disclosure would, or would be likely to, inhibit substantially the free and frank provision of advice. This exemption recognises the need for officials to have a private space within which to provide free and frank advice to other officials before the Scottish Government reaches a settled public view. Disclosing the content of free and frank advice will substantially inhibit the provision of such advice in the future.

This exemption is subject to the ‘public interest test’. Therefore, taking account of all the circumstances of this case, we have considered if the public interest in disclosing the information outweighs the public interest in applying the exemption. We have found that, on balance, the public interest lies in favour of upholding the exemption. We recognise that there is a public interest in disclosing information as part of open, transparent and accountable government, and to inform public debate. However, there is a greater public interest in allowing a private space within which officials can provide full and frank advice as part of the process of exploring and refining the Government’s position until the Government as a whole can adopt a policy that is sound and likely to be effective.

An exemption under section 33(1)(b) of FOISA (commercial interests) applies to some the information requested. This exemption applies because disclosure of this particular information would, or would be likely to, prejudice substantially the commercial interests of the companies referred to in Annex B.

This exemption is subject to the ‘public interest test’. Therefore, taking account of all the circumstances of this case, we have considered if the public interest in disclosing the information outweighs the public interest in applying the exemption. We have found that, on balance, the public interest lies in favour of upholding the exemption. We recognise that there is a public interest in disclosing information as part of open and transparent government, and to help account for the expenditure of public money. However, there is a greater public interest in protecting the commercial interests of companies which tender for Scottish Government contracts, to ensure that we are always able to obtain the best value for public money.

I enclose a copy of the information we have identified at Annex B. This correspondence discusses a potential transfer from the European Relations budget to the Scottish Government Germany office budget to support and maximise opportunities afforded to promote Scotland during the UEFA European Championships by engaging an agency with a strong, wide-ranging existing network of media contacts, to ensure that the messages about Scotland’s potential as a clean energy and cultural partner for Germany reach the optimal audience. This contract was not awarded and no budget transfer was made because of restrictions on government communication activity during the pre-election period ahead of the General Election in July 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 202400442067 - Information Released - Annex A

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23.7 kB

FOI 202400442067 - Information Released - Annex B

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396.2 kB