Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how many and what proportion of people employed in his Department in each financial year since 2008-09 were press and communications employees.
The total number of staff working at the Office is recorded in the Annual Report and Accounts, which are available online at www.gov.uk/scotland.
The Office is resourced to deliver all of the communications functions and activities expected and required of a government department in its own right and on behalf of the UK Government in Scotland.
Along with media handling, the operating model requires communications divisions to deliver the following functions: campaigns and marketing, digital communications, internal communications, strategic communications, stakeholder engagement and external affairs - including ministerial visits, events, committee meetings, and activities.
The Office does not hold staff records for team-level staffing prior to 2009/10.
The number of staff working at the Office to deliver communications functions, including visits and events, on 31 March in each financial year since 2009/10 is as follows:
Financial Year | Office communications staff |
2009-2010 | 6 |
2010-2011 | 8 |
2011-2012 | 6 |
2012-2013 | 8 |
2013-2014 | 8 |
2014-2015 | 9 |
2015-2016 | 11 |
2016-2017 | 15 |
2017-2018 | 14 |
2018-2019 | 15 |
2019-2020 | 17 |