Report Summary
Issued 9 June 2025, this FOI response provides information on the number of FTE employees in the Authority's legal team and spend on internal and external legal services from 2022/23 to 2024/25.
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Response
The Scottish Police Authority has considered your request under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act (FOISA).
The Authority can confirm information is held. This is provided below in the format requested.
No. of FTE internal legal team employees in 2022/23 total 3; in 2023/24 total 3; in 2024/25 total 3.
Amount spent on internal legal services in 2022/23 total £257,249; in 2023/24 total £274,287; in 2024/25 total £259,539.
Amount spent on external legal services * in 2022/23 total £98,856; in 2023/24 total £179,006; in 2024/25 total £68,195.
* We would note that the figures for ‘external legal services’ are based on total expenditure from a specific legal budget. However, a significant proportion of expenditure from this budget, particularly for 2023/24, did not relate to the cost of instructing external legal advisers to represent the Authority in litigation. For example, the Authority is legally responsible for administering Police Appeals Tribunals, which hears appeals from police officers who have been dismissed or demoted, and is required to pay the fees of Tribunal members. The Authority is also required under legislation to pay certain expenses arising from misconduct proceedings.
