Staff suspended between 2010 and 2017: FOI release

FOI reference: FOI/17/02576
Date received: 27 October 2017
Date responded: 24 November 2017

Information requested

For the years 2010-11, 2012-13, 2013-14, 2014-15, 2015-16 and 2016-17 please provide:

Each staff suspension during the period with the start date, end date (unless ongoing), the allegation/reason that led to the suspension (please provide as much detail as possible within cost limits), the outcome of the suspension, and the salary of the suspended member.

Response

Our response covers staff who are subject to Scottish Government Main and Scottish Government Marine terms and conditions of employment and Senior Civil Servants in the organisations listed in Annex A.

All staff suspended were accused of a disciplinary offence under the Scottish Government disciplinary procedures.

Information on suspension is set out in the SG's discipline policy.

While our aim is to provide information wherever possible, I am unable to provide all of the information you have requested. An exemption under section 38(1)(b) of FOISA (personal information) applies to some of the information requested because it is personal data of a third party and disclosing it would contravene the data protection principles in Schedule 1 to the Data Protection Act 1998. This exemption is not subject to the 'public interest test', so we are not required to consider if the public interest in disclosing the information outweighs the public interest in applying the exemption.

Our response to your request is set out at Annex B.

Annex A

Coverage of our response

Our response covers staff employed on Scottish Government Main and Scottish Government Marine terms and conditions of employment and Senior Civil Servants in following areas:

• Scottish Government Core Directorates
• Accountant in Bankruptcy
• Disclosure Scotland
• Education Scotland
• National Records of Scotland
• Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator
• Scottish Housing Regulator
• Scottish Public Pensions Agency
• Student Awards Agency for Scotland
• Transport Scotland

Annex B

Year	No. of Suspensions
2010	6
2011	Fewer than 5
2012	6
2013	10
2014	Fewer than 5
2015	Fewer than 5
2016	13
2017	7 (up to 27 October 2017 – date of your request)

The organisations covered by this response employ around 7500 people. The numbers identified for 2017 represent less than 0.1% of staff employed.

About FOI

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