The figures, given by Finance Minister Tom McCabe in parliamentary answers this week, show that the Executive employed 4,410 staff in April 2005. This compares with 3,336 for the same month in April 1999, a rise of 1,074.
The Scottish Conservatives criticised the rise, describing the administration as Scotland's fastest growing industry. Tory MSP Ted Brocklebank, a member of the Parliament's finance committee, said the figures
merely reflected the big government approach of the coalition Labour-Liberal Democrat Executive.
'No wonder our economy lags behind the rest of the UK when government itself is the biggest business of them all,' he added.
However, a spokesman for the Scottish Executive said current staff levels were lower than in 1993 when the figure for the former Scottish Office totalled 4,700. He argued that the workload had increased considerably since devolution.
'In the first parliamentary session, between 1999 and 2003, Parliament dealt with 50 Executive Bills by comparison to the four or five Bills a year that would have been dealt with at Westminster,' the spokesman said.
Last year, the Scottish Executive disclosed plans under its efficient government policy to save £745m a year by 2008. The strategy included cutting 800 jobs.
The figures also disclosed that the salaries, National Insurance and pensions costs for special advisers increased by 77% since devolution – from £398,062 in 1999/00 to £704,790 in 2004/05.
PFjul2005
