Publication - FOI/EIR release

Minister for Social Security once for Scotland approach: FOI release

Published: 17 May 2018
Directorate: Social Security Directorate
Topic: Economy, Public sector

Information request and response under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002.

FOI reference: FOI/18/00709
Date received: 13 April 2018
Date responded: 4 May 2018

Information requested

I refer to the "once-for-Scotland" approach referred to by the Minister for Social Security in the Daily Record on 24 January 2018.

Please provide any internal correspondence between Scottish Government Ministers and its staff ahead of, and following the meeting, relating to the approach that the Minister spoke of.

Please also provide the Scottish Government business case for the approach.

Response

I enclose two emails, that form an exchange between officials and the private office of the Minister for Social Security Jeane Freeman, and an extract of a note that was attached to those emails, of a meeting between Jeane Freeman and Sarah Newton MP Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work that took place on the 22 January 2018. The 'once-for-Scotland' approach you referred to in your request was briefly discussed at that meeting. All three of these documents contain redactions of either identifying information or information that was not within the scope of your request. In your letter of 13 April seeking a review, you referenced recent parliamentary questions on the 'once-for-Scotland approach. Question S5W-15106 you referred to did not fall within the scope of the request, however I enclose three background notes for parliamentary questions which did (S5W-14364, S5W-14350, S5W-14351). While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance we are unable to provide some of the information you have requested because an exemption under section 30(b)(i) (Prejudice to effective conduct of public affairs - free and frank provision of advice) of FOISA applies to that information. The relevant sections of these documents have been redacted. The reasons why that exemption(s) applies are explained in the Annex to this letter.

As previously stated in our earlier response, no business case has been written by the Scottish Government with regards to the "once-for-Scotland" approach referred to in your request.

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