Ref No.: 09 24
Request Type: FOI
Date Received: 11/09/24
Date Responded: 02/10/24
Category: Press, media and communications
Request
Under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002, I am requesting the following information:
- The total number of full-time equivalent (FTE) press and/or communications and/or media officers employed over the last five financial years (broken down by year).
- The total cost (including salaries, benefits, and other associated costs) of employing these press and/or communications and/or media officers over the last five financial years (broken down by year).
If possible, can I please have the information provided in a table.
Response
Many thanks for your request for information dated 11 September 2024 which asked for the following information:
- The total number of full-time equivalent (FTE) press and/or communications and/or media officers employed over the last five financial years (broken down by year).
- The total cost (including salaries, benefits, and other associated costs) of employing these press and/or communications and/or media officers over the last five financial years (broken down by year).
We have handled your request in terms of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA). FOISA provides for a right of access to recorded information held by Scottish public authorities.
All communication related activity is split between a number of roles and there is currently no dedicated post or any way of calculating how much time is spent by these roles on PR/media/comms activities. We have been able to provide relevant information for previous years when there was a dedicated communications post, however, we are withholding the associated figures under section 38(1)(b) which allows for when information constitutes personal data and to disclose would breach one or more of the data protection principles.
We therefore disclose the following information to you in response to your request:
| Organisation | 2020-21 | 2021-22 | 2022-23 | 2023-24 | 2024-25 | |||||
| Number | Cost | Number | Cost | Number | Cost | Number | Cost | Number | Cost | |
| Water Industry Commission for Scotland (WICS) | 0.6 | Withheld under section 38(1)(b) | 0.6 | Withheld under section 38(1)(b) | 0.6 | Withheld under section 38(1)(b) | - | - | - | - |
If you are unhappy with this response to your request, you may ask us to carry out a review by contacting us. Your request for review should explain why you are dissatisfied and should be made within 40 working days of receipt of this response. The review will be undertaken by staff not involved in the original process and we will reply within 20 working days of receipt.
If you are not satisfied with the outcome of the review, you then have the right to appeal to the Scottish Information Commissioner (SIC) and thereafter to the Court of Session on a point of law only. The SIC can be contacted using the details below:
Scottish Information Commissioner
Kinburn Castle, Doubledykes Road
St Andrews, Fife, KY16 9DS
Telephone: 01334 464610
Web: www.foi.scot