Top civil servant plans split from UK

Published on Saturday 26 July 2008 22:43

THE Scottish Government is drawing up plans to split from the UK civil service machine, following demands from SNP ministers.

Sir John Elvidge, the top civil servant at the Edinburgh administration, has revealed that he has begun a "substantial exercise" to examine how the 15,000-strong civil service department may become an independent organisation.

Currently, the Scottish Government is still part of the UK-wide civil service structure, unlike the Northern Irish Executive, which is an autonomous body.

Work is now under way to see how the Scottish Government can follow the Northern Irish model.

Sir John has also made a clear statement that he sees the SNP-run Scottish Government as no longer part of the UK Government.

"My responsibilities are, clearly, wholly to the Scottish Government… for all practical purposes, I work for a separate government," he said. No Scottish civil servants had any "division of loyalties" between the Scottish Government and the UK Government, he added.

He said: "It was a manifesto commitment of the SNP that there should be a separate Scottish civil service modelled on the existing separate Northern Ireland civil service. Clearly, it's something that they are committed to pursuing in government."

Sir John's comments underline the huge change of culture within the Scottish Government since the SNP victory last year, which has included a change of its name from the old 'Scottish Executive'.

Sir John has also disclosed that he has held meetings with union leaders in Scotland to discuss the reform to create a separate civil service. One potential concern will be the question of whether civil servants will be able to continue to automatically move from one UK Government office – including the Scottish Government – to another.

The Cabinet Office, which is responsible for the civil service, has stressed that any change to the status of the Scottish civil service would have to be agreed by Westminster.