25-26/013

I refer to your request for information (FOI 25-26/013) dated 28 May 2025 which we have handled under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act (FOISA).

You asked for the following:

1. The number of FTE employees who work in the General Teaching Council Scotland’s internal legal team, including all lawyers, solicitors, etc. in a) Financial Year 2022/23, b) Financial Year 2023/24, and c) Financial Year 2024/25.
2. The total amount spent by the General Teaching Council Scotland on internal legal services, including the salaries of employees in the legal team, expenses, etc. in a) Financial Year 2022/23, b) Financial Year 2023/24, and c) Financial Year 2024/25.
3. The total amount spent by the General Teaching Council Scotland on external legal services in a) Financial Year 2022/23, b) Financial Year 2023/24, and c) Financial Year 2024/25.

On 04 June 2025, you clarified that:

By "internal legal team" I am referring to anyone employed by GTC Scotland who is working in legal services - this could be solicitors, paralegals, support staff or other legal admin staff.

For Question 2, in asking for the total spend on internal legal services, I am asking for the total remuneration of those employees as above as well as any other admin costs, office supplies, or travel expenses associated with the legal team/department at GTC Scotland.

Thank you for providing us with this clarification.

We have taken a broad interpretation of what is meant by “internal legal services”. As the independent regulator for teachers in Scotland, the majority of the solicitors we employ support our regulatory enforcement activities specifically rather than what would more commonly be considered “legal services”.  

We have provided the requested information in the tables below as data extracted on 13 June 2025. The values in table 3 include Value Added Tax.

You may contact informationgovernance@gtcs.org.uk if you are dissatisfied with this response, to request GTC Scotland conduct a review of it. You should describe the original request and explain your grounds of review. You have 40 working days from receipt of this decision to submit a review request. Should you remain dissatisfied following a review by GTC Scotland, you have a right to apply for a decision to the Scottish Information Commissioner under FOISA. Information about how to make an application to the Scottish Information Commissioner can be found on the Commissioner’s website.