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234:, told the media "Liz Lloyd is taking a period of leave following the election. The First Minister has asked Colin McAllister to take on the role as acting Chief of Staff until Ms Lloyd’s return to government". McAllister later became the permanent Chief of Staff to the First Minister following Lloyd's decision to stand down from the role in 2021 after her transfer to the position of First Minister's Strategic Adviser. McAllister previously served as a special adviser to the
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Following the 2021 Scottish
Parliament elections, then chief of staff, Liz Lloyd, took a period of "leave of absence" from the position and was temporarily replaced by the head of policy of the Scottish Government, Colin McAllister, who assumed the title of Acting Chief of Staff. A spokesperson for
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detailing the number of special advisers and their associated costs. Any special adviser within the
Scottish Government, including the chief of staff, is appointed under the terms of Part 1 of the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010. Special advisers within the Scottish Government remain
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The role of the Chief of Staff to the First
Minister is principally to support the First Minister in their duties, including the co-ordination of the Special Adviser team within the Scottish Government and Office of the First Minister department. The chief of staff is solely responsible for the
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The incumbent serving first minister is responsible for all appointments of special advisers within the
Scottish Government, including the position of Chief of Staff to the First Minister. Consequently, the first minister is required to prepare an annual report to present to the
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strategic programme of the First
Minister whilst the First Minister is the head of the government and serves as the special ddviser for Finance & the Constitution as well as inter-governmental relations between Scotland and other countries.
194:, and is supported by a number of special advisors such as the Head of Communications and Strategic Political Adviser, Head of Policy and Strategic Political Adviser, Senior Special Adviser and the Senior Constitution Special Adviser.
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Additional responsibilities of the chief of staff to the first minister include being the First
Minister's senior intermediary with key internal and external stakeholders, co-ordinator of the Special Adviser team and prior to the
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430:"Nicola Sturgeon's chief of staff Liz Lloyd to leave role for new post"
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the responsibility of the incumbent first minister whilst in office.
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558:"My role in the downfall of Henry McLeish Top aide reveals all"
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482:"Numbers of Special Advisers since 2011: FOI release"
456:"Switch of role for Sturgeon's chief of staff Lloyd"
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184:Ceannard an Luchd-obrach don Phrìomh Mhinistear
35:Ceannard an Luchd-obrach don Phrìomh Mhinistear
947:Permanent Secretary to the Scottish Government
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888:Constitution, External Affairs and Culture
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533:"Dewar aide quits in 'death threats' row"
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968:Chief of Staff to the First Minister
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25:Chief of Staff to the First Minister
959:Minister for Parliamentary Business
531:Seenan, Gerard (10 December 1999).
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141:At the First Minister's pleasure
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274:List of Chief of Staff
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773:Deputy First Minister
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236:deputy first minister
988:Politics of Scotland
840:Education and Skills
294:2014–2021: Liz Lloyd
288:2007–2011: Alex Bell
1009:Scottish Government
852:Net Zero and Energy
791:Cabinet Secretaries
664:www.parliament.scot
614:www.parliament.scot
511:www.parliament.scot
384:www.parliament.scot
308:Scottish Government
279:1999: John Rafferty
267:Scottish Parliament
259:Scottish Government
203:Scottish Government
192:Scottish Government
95:Scottish Government
49:Scottish Government
966:Colin McAllister (
923:May attend cabinet
804:Economy and Gaelic
747:Swinney government
685:"Special advisers"
590:. 24 November 2001
329:"Special advisers"
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165:£101,088–£107,149
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