The Scottish Government has a range of functions aimed at enhancing and improving the quality of public services. It administers an annual budget of more than £30 billion, which it distributes through local authorities and public bodies.
The Scottish Government promotes Scotland and Scotland's interests and identity both at home and abroad. It contributes towards the promotion of Scotland as a nation and to the advancement of Scotland's place in Europe and the wider world. It seeks to maximise Scotland's influence with the European Union and to build mutually beneficial links with other countries including the USA and China. It contributes towards international development, ensuring Scotland acts as a responsible nation in the world.
This class describes information relating to our internal functions including financial management, policies and procedures for staff, procurement, our environmental management, and project delivery. It also includes information about our outward-facing activity in Scotland such as with local government, public bodies, and internationally such as international relations and promoting Scotland globally.
In particular, information on the following is available:
- Public Service Reform, which includes Best Value, Efficient Government, and Community Planning.
- Promoting Scotland, which includes the Fresh Talent Scheme and working with people of Scottish descent across the world.
Research.
Guidance.
- Our international activity, which includes our policy on international development, our international framework and various plans which fall out of that, a list of Consulate Missions in Scotland, information on Ministerial Visits Overseas (published annually), including the purpose of the visit, the location, cost and number of officials in attendance, and Europe:
European Affairs:
Forthcoming inward and outward high level European visits.
Ministerial attendance at Councils and official Ministerial EU visits.
Scottish Government responses to Commission consultations.
Ministerial responses to the European and External Relations Committee (EERC) of the Scottish Parliament.
EU Conferences and events:
- Ministerial speeches.
- Sub Rosa reports.
EU Forward Look.
Action Plan on European Engagement:
Guide to Action Plan and discussion forum.
Current EU Priorities and Key EU Political Objectives.
EU Legislation:
Scottish guide to transposing EU legislation.
Twice yearly transposition reports to the EERC.
Infraction information released under FOISA.
- Openscotland, which includes Open Source Software, Geographic Information, Digital Inclusion, Public Sector Information and Communication Technology, the OneScotland Portal, and Scottish Government ICT strategies.
- Finance
- Information on the Scottish Budget, which includes the Spending Review, the Draft Budget, the Budget (Scotland) Bill Supporting Document, and the Spring and Autumn Budget Revision Supporting Documents.
- Annual Financial Report and Consolidated Accounts.
- The Scottish Public Finance Manual (as this is a very large document it is only available electronically - no paper copies of the full manual are available under this Publication Scheme, however extracts in hard copy will be made available on request).
- Policy for Scottish Public Sector Pay Groups and Senior Public Appointments.
- Finance Guidance Notes.
- Public-Private Partnerships: covers the work of the Financial Partnerships Unit and contains information on infrastructure investment which supports better and modern public services and growth in the Scottish economy. Information available includes:
- Facts and statistics are published on individual Public Private Partnerships (PPP) which includes:
- Capital value.
- Procuring body.
- Description of the project.
- Procurement timescales.
- Advisers to the project.
- Contact names.
- Information on total 'done deal' projects.
- Information on total 'future deal' projects.
- Guidance published to assist with procuring and managing PPP projects which includes:
- Value for Money assessment.
- Capital injections.
- Refinancing.
- Insurance.
- Standard contract documentation.
- Staffing.
- Key Stage Reviews.
- Operational projects.
- Presentations given by the Scottish Government at seminars on issues related to PPP.
- Contracts and Final Business Cases for PPP projects (where information is not exempt): Where the Scottish Government is not the procuring body, we may not hold this information. A more appropriate contact for this information is the procuring body itself.
- Policy developments relating to infrastructure investment.
- Local government, which includes Local Government Elections, Local Government Finance, Ethical Standards, Alcohol Licensing, and the Quality of Life Funding Allocations to Local Authorities.
- Environmental Management, which includes promoting effective environmental management across the Scottish Government.
- Sewel Convention, which includes an explanation of the Sewel Convention and links to Legislative Consent Memorandums.
- Data Sharing and Standards, which includes:
Technical documents, which provide a description of the eCare application framework, network and server infrastructure, data policy and data models and security architecture and infrastructure.
Current data standards documents, which cover Generic Core Person Data, Children's Services, Learning Disability and Single Shared Assessment.
- Human Resources, which includes:
- Staff Handbook: The Scottish Government Staff Handbook is a statement of the terms and conditions of service for staff in the Scottish Government Main collective bargaining unit and for Senior Civil Servants in the Scottish Government and its associated bodies and a summary of our employment policies and procedures that form part of those terms and conditions. The staff handbook sets out, in 13 chapters, what is expected from staff, and what staff can expect from the Scottish Government as an employer. It does not, however contain all the rules that require to be followed. For example, the rules for those involved in financial work are set out in the Scottish Public Finance Manual and Finance Guidance Notes, and those involved in procurement follow instructions in our Procurement Policy Manual. These are available separately on the website and under this Publication Scheme.
- Policies and Guidance: The HR policies and procedures which staff need for working in the Scottish Government are categorised as follows:
- Attendance - sick absence procedures.
- Conduct - includes Standards (such as propriety and confidentiality), Civil Service Code, Grievance, Appeals, Discipline, and Whistle blowing.
- Diversity - information, advice and guidance on Diversity and Equal Opportunities for all staff.
- Leaving the Scottish Government - all aspects of leaving Scottish Government Employment.
- Health and Welfare - includes Counselling and Welfare Services, and Employee Assistance Programme.
- Pay and Benefits - includes all policies relating to pay, non-pay benefits, leave, pensions, allowances, and grading.
- Performance - guidance on the Performance Management System.
- Senior Civil Service - additional information relevant to Senior Civil Service staff.
- Skills and Learning - The Skills and Learning Strategy
- Resourcing - policies in relation to all aspects of resourcing, including filling vacancies, interchange, and workforce planning.
- Programme and Project Delivery, including the Gateway review process and guidance.
- Public Bodies:
- Information on the public bodies that are the responsibility of the Scottish Government.
- The Scottish Public Bodies directory.
- The Code of Practice regulating the making of public appointments made by the Scottish Government.
- Current vacancies.
- Information on appointments made.
- Public body sponsorship guidance.
- Procurement: The Scottish Procurement Directorate (SPD) is part of the Scottish Government's Economy Directorate. Its role is to define the policy and operating practices for procurement by the Scottish Government's Directorates, Agencies and Non Departmental Public Bodies. The SPD also provides policy guidance and advice to all other areas of the Scottish Public Sector, for example: Local Authorities, Universities and Colleges, NHS Scotland, Fire and Police. Such guidance covers EU and Scottish procurement legislation, best-practice standards and procurement procedures. The SPD is also available to offer advice to business. Information is available on the following:
Public Procurement Reform Programme: The Public Procurement Reform Programme was initiated in response to a review of public procurement in Scotland carried out by John F McClelland CBE. The Programme aims to improve procurement across the Scottish Public Sector. It takes its strategic direction from the Reform Board, chaired by the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth, and received recommendations from its industry Advisory Board. Details of the Reform Programme's activities, including Reform and Advisory Board membership is available.
Policy and Guidance:
Procurement Policy Manual
Construction Procurement Manual
Procurement Instructions Manual
Scottish Procurement Policy Notes
Local Authority Procurement Circulars
Scottish Public Sector Procurement Freedom of Information Guidance and responses to Freedom of Information requests
Best Practice: The SPD toolkit is an online source of information regarding Procurement. It offers guidance and procedures and processes, together with templates, and recommends further guidance on particular topics, with appropriate links.
Support to suppliers: The SPD promotes the support of Small and Medium Enterprises and suppliers to the public sector through:
The Suppliers Charter: a code of good practice. List of Charter signatories is published.
Single point of Enquiry: a web based service addressing supplier queries and issues.
Details of Government contracts: A list of contracts that have been put in place on behalf of Scottish Ministers.
Corporate and Social Responsibility: Guidance for buyers and procurement authorities on environmental and sustainability issues.
Public Procurement Policy Forum: The Review of Public Procurement in Scotland identified the need for a public sector-wide Procurement Policy Handbook to be developed, issued and maintained by the SPD. A Policy Forum to inform this work has been established and a handbook will be published during 2008. Membership and minutes of the Policy Forum are published.
Supplier Portal: The SPD is currently establishing an e-portal for suppliers to the Scottish public sector. The portal, which will progressively become operational during 2008, will give details and process tenders for public contracts throughout the Scottish public sector.
- Information services and information systems
The business of the Scottish Government is reliant on the use of current, accurate and comprehensive information. To provide this, we must have information systems which are resilient, secure, accessible and easy to use, and IT and information governance structures that ensure that we hold and use information in accordance with legislation and good practice.
The Scottish Government is generally committed to following the IT and information governance standards set out by the UK Government's Cabinet Office and those of the Open Scotland Information Architecture Framework (OSIAF). We seek to follow the guidance of ISO 17799 (information security) and ISO 15489 (records management) among other standards.
The Scottish Government and it Agencies are Crown bodies and accordingly the information we create is generally Crown Copyright. Most of our information is available for reuse under the terms of the OPSI Click-Use Licence.
In particular, information on the following is available:
Information service and systems strategic approaches: the IS Strategy, the Technical Strategy, and the Information Management Strategy, among others.
Information relating to our records management practices and processes, including our electronic file types and disposal schedules, and arrangements for the transfer of records to the National Archives of Scotland.
Advice and guidance issued to staff on record-keeping and the management of information, including copyright, email management, protective markings and media handling.
Advice and guidance issued to staff on data protection and privacy issues, and on the handling of subject access requests under the Data Protection Act 1998.
Advice and guidance issued to staff on the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 and the Environmental Information Regulations, which includes links to relevant legislation and Codes of Practice, guidance provided to the public, staff and other public authorities on operation, information which merits wider dissemination released in response to requests, and the Agenda, minutes and papers of the Scottish Public Information Forum.
Adopted standards for the management of information and data within the SG, including controlled vocabularies, metadata schema and other
The Scottish Government's Information Asset Register, being compiled as part of our commitments under ISO 17799 and under the Re-Use of Public Sector Information Regulations 2005
Where the information within this class can be located
This class of information can be located within the ' Government' section of the Scottish Government website or through one of the alternative routes described under section 5 of this scheme.