Thank you for your recent request for information, which was received by SPS on 2 April 2009. This gave a statutory deadline for responding of 20 working days under the terms of the terms of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002.

You specifically asked that the Scottish Prison Service provide details of how many job vacancies they were advertising both internally and externally on 1 April 2009. The information is as follows:

External vacancies - 12

Internal vacancy - 1

If you are dissatisfied with any aspect of the way in which we handled have your request, you do have the right to request us to review it. Your request should be made within 40 working days of the date of the original 20-day deadline, and we will reply within 20 working days of receiving your request. Under section 20(3)(c)(ii) of the Act your request should outline your reason for seeking a review. If our decision is unchanged following a review and you remain unsatisfied with this, you then have the right to make a formal complaint to the Scottish Information Commissioner.

If you require a review to be carried out, please write to Mike Ewart, Chief Executive, Scottish Prison Service, Room 342, Calton House, 5 Redheughs Rigg, Edinburgh, EH12 9HW. The review will be undertaken by staff not involved in the original decision making process.”

Issued 10 April 2009