To ask the Scottish Executive how many staff it has had on secondment from other organisations since May 1999; from which organisations these staff were seconded; at whose cost the relevant salaries were paid, and how many of these secondees were given employment by the Executive having left the employment of the organisation they were originally from.
The total number of staff on secondment to the Scottish Executive from other organisations during the period stated is 119. The organisations are as follows:
Aberdeenshire Council
Angus Council
Argyll & Bute Council
Audit Scotland
Borders Primary Care Trust
British Council
Brodies Solicitors
Cardonald College
Central Council for Education and Training in Social Work
City of Edinburgh Council
Common Services Agency
CoSLA
Dumfries and Galloway Council
Dundee City Council
East Ayrshire Council
East of Scotland Water Authority
East Renfrewshire Council
Edinburgh College of Art
Falklands Islands Government
Fife Careers Ltd
Fife Council
Fife Health Board
Glasgow City Council
Glasgow College of Nautical Studies
Highland Council
House of Commons
Islay & Jura Council for Voluntary Service
Lanarkshire Careers Service
Lanarkshire Primary Care
Lothian and Borders Police
Lothian Health
Mental Welfare Commission
National Health Service
North Lanarkshire Council
Paisley Partnership Regeneration Company
Perth and Kinross Council
Perth Royal Infirmary
Project Management International
Renfrewshire Council
Robert Gordon University
Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service
Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations
Scottish Enterprise
Scottish Enterprise Borders
Scottish Enterprise Glasgow
Scottish Federation of Housing Associations
Scottish Homes
Scottish Library & Information Council
Scottish Natural Heritage
Scottish Power
Shepherd & Wedderburn Solicitors
South Ayrshire Council
South Lanarkshire Council
Stagecoach
Stevenson College
Stirling Council
Strathclyde Euro Partnership
Strathclyde Fire Board
Strathclyde University
Summerhill Education Centre
The TASC Agency
University of Aberdeen
University of Dundee
University of Glasgow
University of Sheffield
University of Stirling
Volunteer Development Scotland
West Lothian Council
Yorkhill Hospital NHS Trust
Inward secondees normally continue to be paid by the employing organisation with the costs reimbursed, either fully or partially, by the Scottish Executive. Of these 119 inward secondments, 113 were fully reimbursed, one was partially reimbursed and five were seconded at no cost to the Scottish Executive.
Recruitment to the civil service is governed by the Civil Service Commissioners' Recruitment Code. This stipulates a range of measures to ensure that all recruitment to the civil service is through fair and open competition. Conversion of an inward secondment to a permanent appointment is permitted only in exceptional circumstances and approval must be sought from the Commissioners in all cases. None of the inward secondments listed has been converted to a permanent appointment.