The union representing senior civil servants has claimed Scottish prosecutors face staffing budget cuts.

The FDA has demanded an urgent meeting with Justice Secretary Michael Matheson saying any further savings would "leave the proper administration of justice in jeopardy".

The union said that the Scottish Government was preparing to cut £1.1m from the Crown Office's personnel budget just as the amount of work prosecutors do goes up.

The Crown, however, insists that it is getting a real increase in its budget, not a cut, and said new technological innovations were reducing workloads.

But Fiona Eadie, Secretary of the FDA Procurators Fiscal Section, said:

"Unless this budget cut is reversed, we cannot see how COPFS can continue to deliver current or improved standards of service with fewer staff. We fear that there will inevitably be an impact on the wider justice system and the service provided to the public.

"The reported underspend in the Justice budget, when our members are operating at the very edge of capacity, is frightening and to impose further cuts on Scotland's prosecutors will have repercussions for the whole of Scottish society."

The FDA has cited a 20 per cent rise in cases being prosecuted on petition since 2012. The number of cases going to a full trial is up 12 per cent.

These changes come despite a decline in overall crime to its lowest levels since the early 1970s.

A spokesman for the Crown Office said: "Our budget has not been cut.

"On the contrary It has increased by £3.4 million - a 1.5 per cent rise in real terms.

"The use of new technology has helped us to reduce some costs ensuring as much of our budget as possible is directed towards our frontline staff who work to secure justice for the people of Scotland."