FOI-170726 - Employee Headcount

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Published: July 23, 2026

Freedom of Information (FOI) Request

Reference Number:

FOI-170726

Fulfilment Date:

22/07/2026

Topic:

Employee Headcount

Request:

Please provide any correspondence, including letters, e-mails, or app messages, from your SG sponsor team, Ministers, or other SG officials, directing your organisation to meet or not exceed a specified headcount, or to reduce headcount by a specified amount.
Please provide any correspondence similar to the above which does not specify a particular headcount but which provides other direction in terms of savings or efficiency expectations, e.g. to paybill.
Please provide the employee headcount your organisation is aiming to meet or maintain at or by 1 April 2027, outlining whether that number was set by SG or internally.
Does the number provided in response to question 3 represent individuals or Full Time Equivalent?
Is the number provided in response to question 3 inclusive or exclusive of staff on fixed term contracts, secondees, agency workers, and workers of other irregular status?
If available, please provide a breakdown of this headcount by grade.

Response:

1.Independent Living Fund Scotland holds correspondence from Scottish Government officials relating to a pay and workforce data collection exercise commissioned by Scottish Exchequer in June 2026. This correspondence refers to Scottish Government workforce planning assumptions and targets, including guidance that overall public sector non-frontline staffing should reduce by 4% per annum in support of the Public Service Reform workforce reduction target, and requests workforce forecasts from public bodies. This correspondence does not direct ILF Scotland to meet or maintain a specified headcount, nor does it direct ILF Scotland to reduce its headcount by a specified amount.

Subsequent correspondence between ILF Scotland and its Scottish Government sponsor team acknowledged that ILF Scotland's forecast workforce growth was primarily driven by re-opening of the Fund and development of the Coming Home programme, largely comprising frontline operational roles, and recognised that any efficiencies achieved by the organisation may be offset by the additional staffing required to deliver these new responsibilities.

(For further information, please refer to Appendices 1 to 18.)

2. ILF Scotland holds correspondence from June 2026 regarding a Scottish Government pay and workforce data collection exercise. The correspondence states that the collection was intended to inform policy advice supporting the Public Service Reform Strategy and the 2027 to 2028 Budget and notes that workforce forecasts should take account of the Scottish Government's published workforce reduction target. The guidance states that overall public sector non-frontline staffing should reduce by 4% per annum in support of the Public Service Reform workforce reduction target.

Subsequent correspondence from the sponsor team sought additional information regarding efficiencies and how ILF Scotland was contributing to the Public Service Reform agenda while forecasting workforce growth. ILF Scotland explained that forecast growth was primarily related to the re-opening of the Fund and development of the Coming Home programme, and highlighted planned efficiency measures, including the use of AI-assisted tools to improve productivity.

However, ILF Scotland has identified no correspondence from Ministers, the sponsor team or other Scottish Government officials setting a specific workforce reduction, efficiency saving or paybill reduction target for ILF Scotland.

(For further information, please refer to Appendices 1 to18.)

3. As part of the June 2026 Pay and Workforce Planning Return submitted to the Scottish Government, ILF Scotland forecast: 91 FTE for 2026 to 2027; and 95 FTE for 2027 to 2028. These figures were developed internally for workforce planning purposes and were submitted to the Scottish Government as indicative planning assumptions rather than targets. The covering email accompanying the return explained that the projected increase reflected anticipated requirements associated with the Coming Home / re-opening programme and that the figures should be treated as indicative because the programme was still being scoped. As the return provides annual average FTE forecasts rather than a headcount at a particular date, ILF Scotland does not hold a specific employee headcount target for 1 April 2027.

4. The figures reported in the workforce planning return represent Full Time Equivalent (FTE) staff.

5. The workforce forecasts relate to directly employed staff only. According to the guidance accompanying the return, this includes permanent employees and fixed-term. ILF Scotland employs permanent or fixed term employees at the time of this FOI return. 6. ILF Scotland does not hold a forecast workforce breakdown by grade at this point in time due to planned growth to support the new Coming Home programme.

6. ILF Scotland does not hold a forecast workforce breakdown by grade at this point in time due to planned growth to support the new Coming Home programme.