Seòmar agus comataidhean

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-02466 on 28 September 2021. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers

Since August 2021, there have been nine Cabinet Secretaries (including the Deputy First Minister), and 17 junior Ministers.

The following table sets out the numbers of (a) Cabinet Secretaries (Ministers appointed under section 47 of the Scotland Act 1998) and (b) junior Ministers (appointed under section 49 of the same Act) in each year since 1999, with the dates from which any changes were made:

Following the election, the First Minister chose to appoint a special adviser to work on behalf of her and the Deputy First Minister across government, and with stakeholders, to ensure delivery at pace of the key transformational aspects of the Scottish Government’s programme. The role reports directly to First Minister and works alongside and in partnership with the First Minister's Chief of Staff. The role provides leadership of the work of other Special Advisers in the team as required.

The position of Strategic Policy and Political Adviser was filled on 23 August 2021. Special advisers are temporary civil servants appointed in accordance with Part 1 of the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010.

The First Minister’s former Chief of Staff resigned on the suspension of parliament for the 2021 Scottish Parliament election in line with the Special Advisers Code of Conduct and ceased receiving a salary at that point.

Salary bands for current Special Advisers, including the Strategic Policy and Political Adviser, can be found in the answer to S6W-00255 answered on 23 August 2021. In line with GDPR requirements the Scottish Government publishes the number of special advisers in each salary band and does not provide personal data such as specific salary levels or comparative salary levels.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-02466 on 28 September 2021. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-02466 on‎ 28 September 2021. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers

The following table details yearly expenditure on private chauffeur hire for the last 5 years.

The Government Car Service currently has 28 operational vehicles. This comprises 24 vehicles that are allocated to drivers and 4 spare vehicles, which are used during periods of maintenance.

There are currently no plans to increase the fleet size.

The following table provides a yearly breakdown of the total number of vehicles used on the Government Car Service since 2001.

The consultation on New Year's Day trading closed on 24 August and attracted over 1,860 responses. The responses are being analysed and I will inform the Parliament of a decision once the analysis is complete.

The following table details staff headcount including the current annual budget allocation for the Scottish Government’s overseas offices, including salary costings, upkeep, day-today running and hospitality costs.

As was announced in the programme for government, we will open a Scottish Government office in Copenhagen next year to increase Scotland’s economic and cultural visibility in the Nordic region. In this parliamentary session, we will also open an office in Warsaw, as part of our continued commitment to enhancing our external reach and voice.

We anticipate that the new offices will be similar in budget and staffing numbers to existing Scottish Government overseas offices. The budget for these additional offices will be established as part of ongoing planning processes and upcoming budget considerations.