Engagement of agency workers information: FOI release

Information requested

1. Specific Agency Engagement Referenced in the 2024/25 Consolidated Accounts

Please provide all documentation relating to the engagement of the agency worker referenced in paragraphs 16–18 of the 2024/25 Audit of the Scottish Government Consolidated Accounts, specifically the individual engaged on a part-time basis for four months at a cost of £85,612, later extended to ten months at a total cost of £220,689. This role was described as a technical post relating to the closure of the European Structural and Investment Funds.

This information should include (but not be limited to):

• The business case or justification for the appointment

• Approval documentation

• Contract details

• Any performance evaluations or deliverables

• Internal correspondence referencing the role or its objectives

2. Re-engagement of Former Civil Servants via Agencies

Please provide the number of former Scottish Government civil servants who have been re-engaged through external agencies between May 2021 and October 2025. For each case, please provide:

• The role or job title

• The department or directorate

• Duration of the contract

• Total cost of the engagement

• Whether any cooling-off period was observed prior to re-engagement

Response

1. In response to your first question relating to the specific agency engagement of an interim worker, referenced in the 2024/25 Consolidated Accounts, we have provided attached supplementary information in an FOI release pack which relates to a number of the specific points you listed in your request.

Some information you have requested is not available. There is no business case for the appointment. In the FOI release pack, we have provided detailed information on the rationale and requirement for the appointment. There were no documented performance evaluations. This was not required as part of the contract or appointment. There was ongoing review of the delivery and output, demonstrated and referenced in some of the supporting information in the FOI release pack.

While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance we are unable to provide some of the information you have requested. I am providing details of the exemptions that apply and the reasons they are applied.

An exemption under section 38(1)(b) (personal information) of FOISA applies to some of the information you have requested because it is personal data of a third party, i.e. names and contact details of individuals, and disclosing it would contravene the data protection principles in Article 5(1) of the General Data Protection Regulation and section 34(1) of the Data Protection Act 2018. The 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 this exemption. Accordingly, some information within the attached documents has been redacted.

An exemption under section 33(1)(b) of FOISA, which exempts disclosure of information whose release would be likely to cause substantial harm to the commercial interests of the supplier or ourselves by withholding detailed costing information. Disclosure would allow competitors undue insight into pricing strategy, undermining market position. While there is a public interest in accountability and transparency in contract expenditure, this does not outweigh the public interest in protecting commercial sensitivity to ensure effective market participation and value for money.

2. The Scottish Government does not have the information you have asked for regarding Re-engagement of Former Civil Servants via Agencies.

This information is not held by the Scottish Government because agency workers are employed by the respective agency. As such, details relating to their employment, including any re-engagement arrangements, are managed and retained by the agency itself.

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

FOI 202500492558 - Information released - Annex

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