Constitutional Futures Division staffing and project queries: FOI release

Information requested

1. Could you supply how many civil servants are working in the Constitutional Futures Division on this date, and this date in each of the last four years as well, as well as what level of civil service they are at?
2. Could you supply a list of projects/reports that the division has worked on in the last three months, including any examples of this work?
3. Could you supply a list of meetings held by the division, and minutes/notes from these meetings, from the last three months?

Response

Part 1

There is not a particular point in the year when Constitutional Futures Division (CFD) annually records details of its number of staff and their grades. However, it is possible to provide details of what CFD’s number of staff and their grades were at the time a Freedom of Information request is received.

The Scottish Government has answered a number of Freedom of Information requests over recent years giving details of the number CFD staff and their grades at the time the request was received and they can be found at:

Preparatory work on referendum on Scottish independence: FOI release - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

Preparations for a second independence referendum: FOI release - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

Preparations and costs of Independence Prospectus: FOI release - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

Independence referendum and prospectus resources: FOI release - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

Constitutional Futures Division: FOI release - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

Proposed Independence Prospectus: FOI release - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

Staff on Independence Prospectus: FOI release - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

Staff working on the proposed independence prospectus: FOI release - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

Independence prospectus staffing structure: FOI release - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

Staffing information regarding independence work: FOI release - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

Staff working on Independence Prospectus: FOI release - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

Civil servants working to develop the proposed independence: FOI release - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

Regarding your request for the number of civil servants that are working in the Constitutional Futures Division (CFD) on the date of your request, 14th March 2025, the CFD disbanded on 17th January 2025 and its activity has been merged into the wider Constitution Directorate. The Constitution Directorate will continue to take forward the varied forms of constitutional related work.

This is a formal notice under Section 17(1) of FOISA that the Scottish Government does not have the information you have requested.

Part 2

We have interpreted your request as asking for any project/reports that are outwith the standard day to day tasks of the division.

Prior to the CFD disbanding on 17th January 2025, officials within the division carried out work related to the Overview paper of the Building A New Scotland series, which will be the final paper in the series.

An exemption under S.30C (Otherwise prejudice effective conduct of public affairs) applies to some of the information requested. The reason why this exemption applies is explained in Annex A of this letter.

Part 3

We have interpreted your request as relating to meetings directly relevant to the work of CFD and not meetings that individuals in CFD have had relating to other Government activity or personal development, from 16th December 2024 to 17th January 2025, when the CFD disbanded.

There were twice weekly CFD meetings that had been a longstanding meeting within CFD since the divisions inception.

Officials from the CFD also took part in meetings on the following dates:

17 December – Overview paper discussion

13 January – Overview paper discussion

14 January – Overview paper discussion

15 January – Overview paper discussion

16 January – Overview paper discussion

17 January – Discussion on closure of CFD

As all the meetings were informal sessions for CFD staff to provide updates, there was no requirement for formal minutes to be recorded. This is a formal notice under S.17(1) of FOISA that the Scottish Government does not have some of the information you have requested.

About FOI

The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at https://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.