Permanent Secretary to the Scottish Government

Permanent Secretary to the Scottish Government
Scottish Gaelic: Rùnaire Maireannach Riaghaltas na h-Alba
Incumbent John-Paul Marks since 1 January 2022
Scottish Government Scottish Cabinet
Member of	Scottish Cabinet
Seat	St. Andrew's House
Appointer	First Minister of Scotland
Formation	1998
First holder	Muir Russell
Salary	£165,000-£170,000 per annum^[1]
Website	Scottish Government Permanent Secretary

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The Permanent Secretary to the Scottish Government (Scottish Gaelic: Rùnaire Maireannach Riaghaltas na h-Alba) is the most senior civil servant in Scotland who leads more than 7,000 staff within the Scottish Government and has oversight of around 125 agencies.^[2]

The permanent secretary supports the Scottish Government in developing, implementing and communicating its policy agenda. The permanent secretary is the chief official policy adviser to the First Minister of Scotland and acts as secretary during cabinet meetings.^[3]

The office holder is additionally responsible for ensuring that the government's money and resources are used effectively and properly. The role is currently occupied by John-Paul Marks, who was appointed in January 2022 by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, with the agreement of the Cabinet Secretary, Simon Case.^[4]

History

The role of permanent secretary originally headed the Office of the Permanent Secretary, which was a civil service department of the Scottish Government (at the time styled as the Scottish Executive). The departments that made up the Scottish Executive were abolished in May 2007. Functions are now delivered by over 30 separate directorates.^[5]

List of permanent secretaries

Muir Russell (May 1998–July 2003)
John Elvidge (July 2003–June 2010)
Peter Housden (June 2010–June 2015)
Leslie Evans (June 2015–December 2021)
John-Paul Marks (January 2022–present)

References

^ https://www.gov.scot/publications/senior-civil-service-pay-march-2022/#_ftn1
^ "Permanent Secretary". Scottish Government. Retrieved 2 May 2022.
^ Abbi Garton-Crosbie (12 August 2021). "Scottish Government seeks Leslie Evans's replacement as permanent secretary". The National. Retrieved 2 May 2022.
^ "New top Scottish civil servant appointed". BBC News. 18 November 2021. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
^ "Government structure". Scottish Government. Retrieved 4 October 2021.