Scottish Office to hire PR staff for parliament

The Scottish Office is drawing up the job description for a PR

chief to head media services at the new Scottish Parliament.

The PR officer will be responsible for media services, press

accreditation, and circulation of documents to the parliament and the

media.

The appointee will report to a communications director, a post which the

Scottish office has yet to fill.

Both posts are expected to be filled before elections to the parliament

on 6 May.

The communications director will oversee a staff of 60 working in media

relations, public information, IT, and producing the parliament’s

official record, an equivalent to Westminster’s Hansard.

Scottish office press officer Alistair McNeill, who has been acting as

media co-ordinator for the new parliament, was widely tipped to take on

the job of PR officer at the parliament. But he has decided to leave the

Government Information and Communication Service to pursue other

interests.