Declined invitation to meet Pentlands farmers 1 February 2023: FOI release

Information requested

With regards to Lorna Slater, Minister for Green Skills, Circular Economy and Biodiversity and for the period 21 October 2021 to 21 April 2023:

1. how many meetings requests the Minister received from representative bodies for business (and of those, how many were declined or accepted)
2. how many meetings requests the Minister received from environmental charities (and of those, how many were declined or accepted)
3. for what reason did the Minister’s officials decline an invitation sent on 14 November 2022 for the Minister to meet with farmers in the Pentland Hills on 1 February 2023?

Response

1

Requests received: 88

Requests accepted: 46

Requests declined: 42

2

Requests received: 43

Requests accepted: 28

Requests declined: 15

3

According to our records, no invitation was received by Lorna Slater on 14 November 2022 to meet with farmers in the Pentland Hills on 1 February 2023, though a previous invitation had been made and arrangements postponed due to parliamentary business. An invitation was received by Mairi McAllan, then Minister for Environment and Land Reform and Mairi Gougeon, then Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and Islands on 14 November 2022.

I have attached a copy of those invitations and the response to this letter for ease of reference, The invitation was subsequently passed to Ms Slater as it fell within her portfolio. This visit then took place on 22 May 2023.

You may also find information contained within the Scottish Ministerial Engagements database useful, each month the database is updated with information about Ministerial engagements, overseas travel, car journeys, domestic travel and gifts received: Ministerial engagements, travel and gifts - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

About FOI

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FOI - 202300352855 - information released

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