The work of the
Scottish Government is carried out by Directorates, each headed by a Director. The Directorates are grouped into a number of Directorates-General families, each headed by a Director-General. However, the individual Directorates are the building blocks of the system. The Directorates are further broken down into "Divisions" and then by teams. Divisions usually consist of 25-50 people. There is no direct correspondence between the political responsibilities of the
Ministers in the Scottish Government and the Directorates, although in some cases there is considerable overlap. The Directorates are also responsible for a number of government agencies and
non-departmental public bodies. Some government work is also carried out by
Executive Agencies such as
Transport Scotland
Transport Scotland ( gd, Còmhdhail Alba) is the national transport agency of Scotland. It was established by the Transport (Scotland) Act 2005, and began operating on 1 January 2006 as an Executive Agency of the Scottish Government.
Organisa ...
, who sit outside the Directorates structure, but are also staffed by
civil servants
The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil servants hired on professional merit rather than appointed or elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leaders ...
The current system of Directorates was created by a December 2010 re-organisation. Prior to 2007 the Directorates were preceded by similar structures called "Departments" that no longer exist (although the word is still sometimes used in this context).
The
Permanent Secretary to the Scottish Government
The Permanent Secretary to the Scottish Government is the most senior civil servant in Scotland who leads more than 7000 staff within the Scottish Government and has oversight of around 125 agencies. The permanent secretary supports the Scottis ...
is the most senior civil servant in Scotland. The role is currently occupied by
John-Paul Marks, who replaced
Leslie Evans
Leslie Evans (born 11 December 1958) was the Permanent Secretary to the Scottish Government. In this role, Evans was the principal policy adviser to the First Minister and Secretary to the Scottish Cabinet.
Evans was the senior civil servant ...
in January 2022. The current structure of the directorates is given below.
Communities
Director-General, Paul Johnston
Directorates
* Equality, Inclusion and Human Rights
* Housing and Social Justice
* Local Government and Communities
* Social Security
Constitution and External Affairs
Director-General, Ken Thomson
Directorates
* Constitution and Cabinet
* COVID Co-ordination
* External Affairs
* Organisational Readiness
* EU Directorate
* Parliamentary Counsel Office
Corporate
Director-General, Lesley Fraser
Directorates
* Communications, Ministerial Support and Workplace
* Digital
* Financial Management
* Legal Services (Solicitor to the Scottish Government)
* People
* Scottish Procurement and Property
Economy Directorates
The Scottish Government Economy Directorates are a group of Directorates of the Scottish Government. They were rebranded as the Economy Directorates in July 2016, having previously been reorganised in December 2010 and then in June 2014. In July 20 ...
Director-General, Elinor Mitchell
Directorates
* Chief Economist
* Culture and Major Events
* Economic Development
* Energy and Climate Change
* Fair Work, Employability and Skills
* International Trade and Investment
Net Zero Directorates
Director-General, Roy Brannen
Directorates
* Agriculture and Rural Economy
* Energy and Climate Change
* Environment and Forestry
*
Marine Scotland
Education and Justice
Director-General, Joe Griffin
Directorates
* Advanced Learning and Science
* Children and Families
* Early Learning and Childcare
* Justice
* Learning
* Local Government and Communities
* Safer Communities
* Scottish Fire Services College
Exchequer
Director-General, Alyson Stafford
Directorates
* Budget and Public Spending
* Internal Audit and Assurance
* Performance and Strategic Outcomes
* Taxation and Fiscal Sustainability
Health and Social Care
Director-General and Chief Executive of NHS Scotland, Caroline Lamb
Directorates
*
Chief Medical Officer
Chief medical officer (CMO) is the title used in many countries for the senior government official designated head of medical services, sometimes at the national level. The post is held by a physician who serves to advise and lead a team of medical ...
* Chief Nursing Officer
* COVID Public Health
* Digital Reform and Service Engagement
* Health Finance, Corporate Governance and Value
* Health Performance and Delivery
* Health Workforce
* Mental Health and Social Care
* Population Health
* Primary Care
* Quality and Improvement
* Test and Protect
* Vaccine Strategy and Policy
Note: In the September 2011 civil service reorganisation, three Directorates were combined. These were: the Cabinet, Strategy and Performance, and International and Constitution.
References
External links
How government is run- Scottish Government
List of directorates- Scottish Government
{{Scottish Government Directorates
Scotland politics-related lists
2007 establishments in Scotland
Government agencies established in 2007