Budget allocation for the government business and constitutional policy: FOI release

Information requested

For 2018-19, 2019-20 and 2020-21.

A breakdown of what the budget allocation for the government business and constitutional policy was used for. Please break this down by type of spend and equivalent allocation in £s.

Response

The Government Business and Constitutional Relations Policy and Co-ordination budget pays for staff and associated non staff costs within the Constitution and Cabinet Directorate, Organisational Readiness Directorate and EU Exit Strategy and Negotiation Division. It mainly supports the operation of the Constitution, Europe and External Affairs portfolio. A breakdown of the allocated budget for 2019-20 and 2020-21 is detailed below.

The Scottish Government does not have the information you have asked for in relation to the budget allocation for the Government Business and Constitutional Policy and Co-ordination budget for 2018-19. There was a change to the way that Scottish Government staffing budgets were presented and total operating costs were not included within portfolio budgets until 2019-20. This is a formal notice under section 17(1) of FOISA that the Scottish Government does not have some of the information you have requested.

Government Business and Constitutional Relations Policy and Co-ordination	Budget 2019-20	*Budget 2020- 21
	£m	£m
Constitution and Cabinet Directorate	5.3	5.4
Organisational Readiness Directorate	1.2	1.8
EU Exit Strategy and Negotiation Division	0.7	0.9
Portfolio share of Scottish Government’s Corporate Running Costs	2.7	3
Total	9.9	11.1

* There was a correction after budget setting in 2020-21 as stated in Annex F of the Scottish Budget 2021-22, on the Scottish Government’s operating costs: https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottishbudget-2021-22/pages/22/

(1) The forthcoming Spring Budget Revision for 2020-21 will propose increases to the operating costs budget for 2020-21. The main drivers are staff growth resulting from the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, an increase in the Corporate Running Cost budget and a correction to the CEEA (Constitution, Europe and External Affairs) operating costs budget (which inadvertently excluded £3 million in Scottish Budget 2020-21).

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