Scottish Government staff data: FOI release

Information requested

The following information for every Scottish Government department:

1. The total number of performance reviews, broken down by year, conducted over the last five years.
2. The total number of staff, broken down by year, employed over the last five years.
3. The total number of unsatisfactory (or equivalent) performance ratings recorded, broken down by year, over the last five years.
4. The total number of staff dismissals, broken down by year, over the last five years.
5. The total number of “managing poor performance” cases, or equivalent, broken down by year over the last five years.
6. The total number of staff deaths in service, broken down by year, over the last five years.

Response

You have asked for information about Scottish Government departments. Our response therefore covers the Scottish Government Core Directorates-General business areas (See annex A for details). Information for agencies or NDPBs should be requested directly from those bodies.

1. Total number of performance reviews conducted (last five years)
The Scottish Government appraisal year runs from 1 April to 31 March. Each member of staff is required to complete an annual performance review.

The SG does not maintain a separate count of completed reviews. With the exception of a small number of staff who do not qualify for an appraisal review due to absence, all permanent and fixed-term staff are required to participate in the annual appraisal process. The total number of performance reviews each year should therefore closely align with the total number of staff in post in each appraisal year – see Question 2.

2. Total number of staff employed (last five years)
The number of staff employed by the Scottish Government is published as Official Statistics on a quarterly basis and is available here:

https://www.gov.scot/publications/workforce-information/

These publications include a timeseries of workforce data covering the period requested and clearly set out which categories of staff are included within the headcount figures. In particular, the final “Total” column should be used when considering total staffing levels, as this incorporates all directly employed staff, including those on fixed term appointments.

As this information is already publicly available and published in line with the Code of Practice for Statistics, we are not required to replicate the figures within this response. We consider that directing you to the published statistics fulfils our obligations under FOISA and ensures the information is interpreted correctly and consistently.

The most recent publication (December 2025) provides data up to the quarter ending 30 September 2025.

3. Total number of unsatisfactory (or equivalent) performance ratings (last five years)
Performance is recorded using the SG marking system. A “Partly Effective” or “Not Effective” marking reflects unsatisfactory performance:

Table 3: Number of staff recorded with “Partly Effective” or "Not Effective” (Unsatisfactory) markings (including probation markings):

Appraisal Year	Number of unsatisfactory ratings
2020–21	9
2021–22	14
2022–23	30
2023–24	25
2024–25	42

4. Total number of staff dismissals (last five years)
Scottish Government HR records centrally the number of dismissals under disciplinary, poor performance, unsatisfactory attendance and settlement.

Table 4: Total dismissals (all reasons), by financial year

Year	Total dismissals
2020–21	8
2021–22	12
2022–23	7
2023–24	9
2024–25	17

5. Total number of “managing poor performance” cases (last five years)
The Scottish Government’s performance management policy requires informal support first. SG does not hold central records of informal performance activity, as these are managed locally by line managers.

SG does hold central records for formal performance management cases. The totals for staff on formal performance plans are outlined in the table below:

Table 5: Number of Staff on formal performance plans (last five years), excluding probationers:

Appraisal Year	Formal performance plans (Bands A–C + SCS)
2020-21	0
2021–22	4
2022–23	4
2023–24	4
2024–25	9

6. Staff deaths in service (last five years)
The Scottish Government’s HR records include the following number of deaths in service.

Table 6: Staff deaths in service

Year	Deaths in service
2020–21	16
2021–22	9
2022–23	11
2023–24	13
2024–25	≤5

Where numbers are fewer than five, the Scottish Government will consider whether disclosure risks identifying individuals. In these cases, an exemption under Section 38(1)(b) (personal information) may be applied.

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 202600510252 - Information Released - Annex

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