Scottish Government breaking purdah rules: FOI release

FOI reference: FOI/17/01472
Date received: 28 June 2017
Date responded: 5 July 2017

Information requested

" … the instances in which complaints have been made about the Scottish Government breaking purdah rules for the 2017 General Election, 2017 Local Elections, 2016 Scottish Parliament Election, 2014 Independence Referendum, 2014 European Elections, 2012 Local Elections, 2011 Scottish Parliament Elections and 2009 European Elections. I would like occasions where the complaint has been upheld and where it has been disregarded. I would also like to know the number of complaints received in total for each election."

Response

The information you requested on complaints received under the terms of the Scottish Government's published election and referendum guidance, and which we held as at the date of your request, is supplied in the Annex to this letter. I have also included information on the 2015 UK General Election, which was not included in your list.

Complaints Received by the Scottish Government under Election and Referendum Guidance

Election / Referendum	Number of Complaints	Outcome
European Parliament Elections 2009	None	n/a
Scottish Parliament Elections 2011	None	n/a
Local Government Elections 2012	One	Not upheld.
European Parliament Elections 2014	None in 2014 (see below )	n/a
Independence Referendum 2014	None	n/a
UK General Election 2015	None in 2015 (see below)	n/a
Scottish Parliament Elections 2016	None	n/a
Local Government Elections 2017	One	Not upheld. The complaint referred to announcements in advance of the 2017 Local Government Elections and also, retrospectively, to the 2014 European Parliament Election and the 2015 UK General Election.
UK General Election 2017	Two	Responses not yet issued as at the date of this request.

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FoI-17-01472.pdf

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