Directorates of the Scottish Government
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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 Units (also sometimes referred to as Branches) and finally 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.[1] 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).[2]
The Permanent Secretary to the Scottish Government is the most senior civil servant in Scotland. The role is currently occupied by Joe Griffin who was appointed on 7 April 2025.[3]
Structure of the Directorates
[edit]The structure of the directorates as of May 2026 is given below.[4]
Director-General: Kenneth Hogg
Directorates:
- Culture and External Affairs
- EU
- Equality, Inclusion and Human Rights
- Local Government and Housing
- Social Security
- Tackling Child Poverty and Social Justice
Director-General: Miriam Craven
Directorates:
- Communications and Ministerial Support
- Corporate Operations
- COVID Inquries Response
- Digital
- Financial Management
- Legal Services (Solicitor to the Scottish Government)
- People
- Propriety and Ethics
- Scottish Procurement and Property
Director-General: Gregor Irwin
Directorates:
- Business and Better Regulation
- Chief Economist
- Economic Development
- International Trade and Investment
- Jobs and Wellbeing Economy
Director-General: Neil Rennick
Directorates:
- Children and Families
- Early Learning and Childcare
- Education Reform
- Justice
- Learning
- Lifelong Learning and Skills
- Safer Communities
Director-General: Shona Riach
Directorates:
- Constitution
- Parliamentary Counsel Office
- Performance, Delivery and Resilience
- Public Service Reform
- Strategy
Director-General and Chief Executive of NHS Scotland: Caroline Lamb
Directorates:
- Chief Medical Officer
- Chief Nursing Officer
- Chief Operating Officer, NHS Scotland
- Digital Health and Care
- Health Workforce
- Health and Social Care Finance
- Mental Health
- People, Appointments and Governance
- Population Health
- Primary Care
- Social Care and National Care Service Development
Director-General: Andy Kerr
Directorates:
- Agriculture and Rural Economy
- Energy and Climate Change
- Environment and Forestry
- Marine
- Offshore Wind
References
[edit]- ↑ "Paul Gray, Director-General Rural Affairs, Environment and Services". Scottish Government. July 1997. Archived from the original on 2012-01-23. Retrieved 7 May 2011.
This notice refers to the transfer of the DG of the Scottish Government Environment Directorates in December 2010, and thus indirectly to this re-organisation.
- ↑ "Reporting on 100 Days: Moving Scotland forward". Scottish Government. Archived from the original on 2016-06-24. Retrieved 15 August 2009.
A new structure for Scotland's Government has been put in place, transforming the Departmental structure, moving from nine Heads of Department, to a Strategic Board with the Permanent Secretary and five Directors-General (DG), with each DG having responsibility for driving one of the Government's strategic objectives. Directors-General focus on the performance of the whole organisation against the Cabinet's agenda. The new structure means that the old Scottish Executive Departments no longer exist. Instead, each DG supports and manages a number of Directors, with these Directorates leading, presenting and developing policy for Ministers.
- ↑ "Permanent Secretary". www.gov.scot. Retrieved 27 June 2025.
- ↑ "The Civil Service". Scottish Government. Retrieved 2026-05-22.
External links
[edit]- How government is run - Scottish Government
- List of directorates - Scottish Government