Digital, data and technology (DDaT) staff pay reduction queries: FOI release

Information requested

Please provide the following information in relation to the removal of the Digital Profession DDaT supplement:

1. Confirm the exact number of staff who will have this supplement removed in 2027.
2. Do the Scottish Government recognise this is a significant pay cut of up to £5000 per person for staff members and has it been acknowledged that this will put some staff in significant financial hardship. What analysis was done around this and what help is being made available for staff?
3. Confirm the reasons why marked time (pay protection) was not put in place or considered as an acceptable outcome for the longer term removal of the supplement.
4. Confirm how much the DDaT profession supplement cost annually in financial year 2025/26 to provide for all Scottish Government DDaT staff (including agencies etc)
5. Confirm how much in savings this is expected to save in financial year 2027/28 overall including operational costs, pension contributions, leavers salaries etc
6. Confirm the cost of an average C band recruitment campaign, interview process, and onboarding.
7. Provide details of the analysis conducted during the review which looked at retention/supplement – examples would include but not limited to – are staff staying with the government because of the supplement, what happens if the supplement is removed, what is the impact of staff work to standard roles only and not outside the standard role profiles.
8. Provide analysis and report outcomes on the impact to staff who are in reality losing £5,000 of their salary and subsequent pension contributions because of their service and top band positions.
9. Confirm the impact to pension on average for a C1 maximum grade including:

1. Provide the exact figure of how much will be lost in pension contributions per individual on the top of a C1 grade on an annual basis
2. Provide the Impact analysis of how this supplement removal is expected to impact staff turnover and retirement age of staff involved
3. Confirm what analysis was done on the impact to the overarching pension fund with the reduction of contributions from the digital profession
4. Confirm what analysis was done to impact the overall pension contributions and pension fund should there be a significant number of leavers following this removal

Response

Question 1

The answer to your question is:

All 1,659 members of the Digital, Data and Technology (DDaT) Profession will have the DDaT pay supplement removed when it is replaced with a new Government Digital and Data (GDD) Profession pay supplement. From May 2027, 499 will receive the new GDD Profession pay supplement. This number is correct at the time of responding to this request.

Question 2

The answer to your question is:

Scottish Government recognises that the withdrawal of a supplement will have significant individual impacts, particularly for those in roles moving out of scope. These impacts were explicitly acknowledged and the 12‑month notice period, alongside commitments to active management support, engagement, redeployment opportunities, learning pathways, and clearer career progression, are intended to help mitigate the effects at an individual level where possible.

An Equality Impact Assessment was undertaken.

The business case considered impacts at a role, grade, and workforce‑segment level, rather than modelling impacts for individuals. This approach reflects both the policy purpose of a pay supplement review and the constraints around the appropriate use of personal pay data.

The objective of the review was to assess whether there remained robust market evidence to justify maintaining a role‑based pay supplement, rather than to assess individual affordability or personal circumstances. Analysis therefore focused on: the relative position of Scottish Government pay ranges against external market medians by role and level; recruitment and retention indicators (vacancies, turnover, contingent labour); distributional impacts by grade, supplementation group, and protected characteristics (via the Equality Impact Assessment).

While Scottish Government has strong analytical capability, modelling impacts at an individual level would not have changed the underlying evidence test required by the Pay Supplement Policy, nor the conclusions reached about whether specific roles continue to meet the criteria for a market‑based supplement. In addition, individual‑level modelling may have raised data protection and fairness considerations, particularly where outcomes could not be acted upon through differential or personalised mitigation.

The profession will continue to monitor impacts following implementation and use both quantitative workforce data and qualitative feedback to inform future reviews and any targeted interventions.

Question 3

The answer to your question is:

The Scottish Government Pay Supplement Policy stipulates the terms and process that apply following a withdrawal or reduction of pay supplement. This is an established policy agreed with the Council of Scottish Government Unions (CSGU).

Question 4

The answer to your question is:

Details of the Digital, Data and Technology Pay Supplement have previously been published and can be found using FOI reference 202600513287.

Under section 25(1) of FOISA, we do not have to give you information which is already reasonably accessible to you. If, however, you do not have internet access to obtain this information from the website(s) listed, then please contact me again and I will send you a paper copy.

Question 5

The answer to your question is:

Replacing it with a targeted Government Digital and Data Pay Supplement may result in a saving estimated at £7.4 million from financial year 2027/28. Costs will be dependent on the final configuration of qualifying roles. No inclusive or specific analysis has been undertaken on combined operational costs, pension contributions or leavers salaries.

Question 6

While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance the Scottish Government does not have the information you have requested. As such, I hereby provide you with formal notice under section 17(1) of FOISA that the Scottish Government does not have the information you have requested.

Question 7

While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance the Scottish Government does not have the information you have requested because this analysis at this level was not carried out. As such, I hereby provide you with formal notice under section 17(1) of FOISA that the Scottish Government does not have the information you have requested.

Question 8

While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance the Scottish Government does not have the information you have requested because this analysis was not carried out. As such, I hereby provide you with formal notice under section 17(1) of FOISA that the ScottishGovernment does not have the information you have requested.

Question 9

1. The Scottish Government does not hold an exact quantified figure showing the annual amount of pension contributions that would be lost per individual at the maximum of the C1 grade specifically as a result of the removal of the supplement. This is a formal notice under section 17(1) of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 that the Scottish Government does not hold the information requested.

2. The Scottish Government does not hold any formal impact analysis assessing the expected effects of the supplement removal on staff turnover rates and the retirement age of affected staff. No forecasting was undertaken that specifically considered behavioural impacts such as increased attrition through earlier retirement decisions linked to pension outcomes arising from this change. This is a formal notice under section 17(1) of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 that the information requested is not held.

3. The Scottish Government does not hold analysis assessing the impact of reduced pension contributions from the digital profession on the overall pension fund. No profession‑specific assessment of contribution changes and their effects on the wider pension scheme was carried out in relation to the removal of this supplement. This is not a required assessment under the Pay Supplement Policy. This is a formal notice under section 17(1) of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 that the information requested is not held.

4. The Scottish Government does not hold analysis modelling or estimating the impact on overall pension contributions or the pension fund arising from a potential increase in leavers following the removal of the supplement. No scenario modelling or contingency analysis was conducted that considered the effect of increased staff departures on contribution levels or fund sustainability. This is not a required assessment under the Pay Supplement Policy. This is a formal notice under section 17(1) of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 that the information requested is not held.

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