Police Scotland and Scottish Fire Service VAT: FOI release

FOI reference: FOI/17/01911
Date received: 22 August 2017
Date responded: 19 September 2017

Information requested

1. A list of dates and attendees of all meetings held between the UK Government and the Scottish Government when the issue of the Police Service of Scotland paying VAT was discussed.

2. A list of dates and attendees of all meetings held between the UK Government and the Scottish Government when the issue of the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service paying VAT was discussed.

3. The minutes for all meetings held between the UK Government and the Scottish Government when the issue of Police Service of Scotland paying VAT was discussed.

4. The minutes for all meetings held between the UK Government and the Scottish Government when the issue of the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service paying VAT was discussed.

5. A copy of all correspondence between the Scottish Government and the UK Government regarding the Police Service of Scotland paying VAT.

6. A copy of all correspondence between the Scottish Government and the UK Government regarding the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service paying VAT.

Response

In regard to questions 1 to 4 the only meeting between UK Government and Scottish Government where the issue of the Police Service of Scotland and the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service paying Vat was specifically discussed was in a Finance Ministers' Quadrilateral meeting held on 14 February 2017 in St Andrews House, Edinburgh under any other business.

Attached as a pdf is a copy of a letter to Bruce Crawford MSP, Convener, Finance and Constitution Committee from the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and the Consititution, Derek Mackay, informing the committee of his intention to raise the issue of Police and Fire VAT at the aforementioned meeting and the agenda/attendees. Also attached is a copy of a letter to the Finance and Constitution committee giving a readout of the 14 February Quadrilateral meeting. There are no formal minutes of the meeting.

The answers to questions 5 & 6 can be found in the following Freedom of Information requests previously issued which are also now available on the Scottish Governments website and attached as a separate document.

About FOI

The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at http://www.gov.scot/foi-responses

foi-17-01911 related correspondence.pdf

File type

78 page PDF

File size

2.7 MB

FoI-17-01911 Answers to Questions.pdf

File type

3 page PDF

File size

84.9 kB