1. Challenge accepted.

To ask the Scottish Government what the change in public sector full-time equivalent headcount has been in the last 12 months across all devolved areas. (S6O-02464)

Full-time equivalent employment in Scotland’s devolved public sector increased by 2,910 over the 12 months to March 2023. That represents a 0.6 per cent increase to a total full-time equivalent figure of 463,200. Local government showed the largest increase in employment—that figure increased by 1,620 over the period. It is for public bodies, in dialogue with their respective trade unions, to determine the target operating model for their workforces, while ensuring that plans are affordable and reflect our stated commitment to no compulsory redundancies.

Indeed—that is their priority. However, between 2021 and 2022, civil servant headcount increased by 4,500—almost twice as much as the increase in the national health service headcount, which was less than 2,500. That was at a time when the number of police, fire and further education workers flatlined or declined. What does it tell us about the Government’s priorities when it prioritises increases in bureaucracy and the number of spin doctors, rather than front-line doctors and nurses?

I do not accept that, and it does a great disservice to the hard-working civil service. I am sure that the civil service unions will be paying attention to what Daniel Johnson said.

What he has not taken into account is the impact of events such as the European Union exit and the Covid-19 pandemic, which we had to ensure that the civil service was able to respond to.

However, going forward, the workforce has to be affordable. In partnership with the trade unions, we have agreed that work will be taken forward to make sure that the operating model for the civil service delivers efficiently and can meet the needs of the organisation in a sustainable and affordable way. As I said, we will take forward that work in partnership with our trade union colleagues.

I am sure that the Deputy First Minister agrees that it is critical to deploy resources on the front line of service delivery and in support of the Government’s agenda of tackling poverty, rather than on support activities. What has been the change in core Scottish Government headcount and costs over the past three years? What work is being done to minimise those costs to ensure that maximum resources are applied to delivering the Government’s agenda on the front line?

I will not repeat the figures that I have given, but I can write to Ivan McKee with more detail.

In 2022-23, the size of the core Scottish Government decreased as enhanced recruitment controls were applied to reflect the changing economic and financial context. Effective prioritisation meant that the Government was still able to deliver on its key priorities, including our Ukraine response, our on-going net zero and new ScotWind commitments and addressing the cost of living crisis through our social security policies. The Scottish Government continually monitors the cost of its operations to ensure that resources are aligned to our programme for government commitments. As I said, I am happy to write to Ivan McKee with detailed figures.