Question reference: S4W-30166
- Asked by: Jean Urquhart, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Independent
- Date lodged: 1 March 2016
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Current status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 18 March 2016
Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many additional staff it has recently recruited or redeployed to offices in crofting areas to help process rural payments.
Answer
The rural payments and inspections division have recruited 36 additional staff in order to help speed up processing and payments. The location of each of these staff members is shown on the following table:
| Office | Staff Recruited |
| Ayr | 2 |
| Hamilton | 0 |
| Dumfries | 3 |
| Galashiels | 4 |
| Inverness (including Portree) | 9 |
| Inverurie | 4 |
| Elgin | 2 |
| Kirkwall | 2 |
| Lerwick | 1 |
| Golspie | 1 |
| Thurso | 1 |
| Oban | 2 |
| Stornoway | 2 |
| Benbecula | 1 |
| Tiree | 0 |
| Perth | 2 |
| Total | 36 |