Scottish Government Directorates

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, who sit outside the Directorates structure, but are also staffed by civil servants

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 is the most senior civil servant in Scotland. The role is currently occupied by John-Paul Marks, who replaced Leslie Evans 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

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 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