§ Mr. Norman HoggTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the salary grading and scale attaching to the post of director of information at the Scottish Office; what are the duties and responsibilities of the office; and to whom the office holder is responsible.
§ Mr. LangThe post of director of the Scottish Office information directorate is graded at unified grade 5 within the civil service grading structure. At present the national rate of pay for the grade is within the range £36,019–£53,740 progression being dependent on performance.
The director is responsible for the provision of advice to Ministers and all departments of the Scottish Office on the public presentation, through press, radio and television, of Government policy and the work of the Ministers and the departments of the Scottish Office.
The post also carries responsibility for paid publicity, including advertising and publications, media arrangements for royal visits to Scotland, organising programmes and providing escorts for Foreign and Commonwealth Office-sponsored VIP visitors to Scotland, and the provision of news and radio tapes for overseas markets on behalf of the Central Office of Information.
The director is directly responsible to Ministers as regards the professional advice provided by the information directorate. Management oversight of the directorate is exercised by the deputy secretary in charge of central services within the Scottish Office.