It means that Dundee, in common with many other areas, faces an anxious wait to find out if any of the pitches the city has made for selection are successful.

The city has already made strong cases to be chosen as the location for a number of department sitings or re-sitings by the Executive, but so far without the level of success local campaigners say is necessary to redress the city’s relatively low ratio of civil service jobs to population.

The Executive has said that short lists have now been drawn up for possible locations for three new, health-related departments — NHS Education Scotland (100 jobs), NHS Health Scotland (81 posts) and NHS Quality Improvement Scotland (110 posts).

Lists have also been finalised for the relocation of the main office of the Scottish Arts Council (100 posts), the office of the body formed through the merger of the Scottish Further and Higher Education Funding Councils (165 posts), and a new office for SportScotland (133 posts).

A spokesperson for the Executive said the short listed destinations would not be made known until after discussions with staff and unions involved in the relocation process.

“The relocation policy is still in quite an early stage,” she added.

A Dundee City Council spokesman said that the local authority had put in “strong bids” for a number of civil service jobs-related projects.

The council had highlighted the “many strengths” of Dundee as a location and remained hopeful, he said.