The Permanent Secretary writes a regular update for the Scottish Government intranet, Saltire, to help put Government policy in context, recognise achievements and help staff understand their collective role as civil servants, as well as providing insight into his work.
The article is one of the most-read news stories on the Scottish Government intranet.
The intranet is an important means of internal communication, enabling the Scottish Government's staff to keep up with developments and opportunities across the organisation.
In the UK Government’s Social media guidance for civil servants, published in May 2012, Sir Bob Kerslake reinforces that ‘social media is becoming an integral part of the everyday work of the civil servants, opening the Civil Service up and allowing us to be more in touch with our staff and the public than ever before.’
The Permanent Secretary’s update has attracted some external interest and the archive of posts since Sir Peter's appointment in June 2010 is available below.
We have sought to keep redaction to a minimum. Under the exemption at section 38(1)(b) of FOISA (which applies where disclosure of personal data would contravene data protection principles) we have redacted the following:
- the names of junior staff
- the names of senior staff, where they are referred to either in relation to their private lives or how they are performing in their job, who have not given the consent required by data protection legislation
- the names of individuals outwith the Scottish Government, where they are referred to either in relation to their private lives or how they are performing in their job, who have not given the consent required by data protection legislation