Stonewall funding: FOI release

Information requested

• Details of the person responsible, their superior, and their department as it relates to FOI/18/00320
• Please provide documentation clarifying this funding for “reporting hate crime”, specifically what laws were specified and definitions, the reasoning associating hate crime with ‘inclusion in public life’, specifics on how it was to be spent etc. and the monitoring and analysis of the effectiveness of this expenditure of approx. £33K +/- of public monies.
• Which other organisations were funded in Scotland in 2015/2016 to encourage the reporting of hate crime? And, please a report of all organisations, amounts by year from 2010 to date funded for/or related to ‘reporting hate crime’.

Response

I separately attach a copy of some of the information that is within the scope of your request.
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 38(1)(b) (personal information) of FOISA applies to that information. The reasons why the exemption applies are explained in the Annex to this letter.

1. Some of the information you have requested is available from WhatDoTheyKnow.com at this address:
https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/scottish_government_funding_for_2#incoming-1107219

Under section 25(1) of FOISA, we do not have to give you information which is already reasonably accessible to you. If, however, you do not have internet access to obtain this information from the website listed, then please contact me again and I will send you a paper copy.

The name of the superior to the person who responded is exempt under section 38(1)(b) (personal information) of FOISA.
Decisions regarding the allocation of grant funding are the responsibility of Scottish Ministers.

2. The documentation accompanying this release contains information in scope relating to fund outcomes, expenditure and activities of Stonewall Scotland. This project funding for a project to facilitate better LGBT inclusion in public life focused on three key areas: access to health and social care services, reporting hate crime, and post-16 education and training. 

Although headed as reporting year 2014/15, I can confirm that this is a typographical error and the information in fact relates to 2015/16 as noted in your request.

3. The Scottish Government does not have details of funding “related to” reporting hate crime as we do not keep a record of any organisation’s objectives in that way. This is a formal notice under section 17(1) of FOISA that the Scottish Government does not have the information you have requested because we do not hold it.

Details of projects that have been funded through the Equality and Human Rights Budget Funding with a focus on hate crime more generally have been provided below.

In 2015-16 the following funded projects had a focus on hate crime in their project remit:

• Bridging the Gap - To knit the Gorbals Community more closely together through offering a range of activities to promote community cohesion, prevent hate crime and reduce isolation.
• Grampian Regional Equality Council Ltd. – With a focus on engagement with young people and education authorities will be to increase reporting of prejudice incidents and hate crimes in schools, identifying mechanisms to make reporting easier for school staff and pupils. Victims of prejudice and discriminatory bullying were provided with support through GREC's Me-Time Counselling Service and where appropriate GREC's casework service will help resolve more serious issues and incidents.
• Interfaith Scotland - this project focused on improving community cohesion, reducing the ignorance and prejudice that lead to discrimination and hate crime, and increasing civic participation by delivering an innovative programme of activities 
• SCORE Strengthening Communities for Race Equality Scotland – This project works with community members and local partners, particularly Police Scotland, to adopt co-production approaches, imaginative engagement with diverse BME communities to increase their awareness of why, where and how to report hate crime; create opportunities to shape the local agenda and enhance community safety and social cohesion.
• Show Racism the Red Card - The project focused on a three-pronged approach to using the high profile and popularity of football to tackle racial discrimination and racially aggravated hate crime.

In 2017-20 the following funded projects had a focus on hate crime in their project remit:

• YouthLink Scotland - to develop and build a new national interactive platform called Action on Prejudice and to develop a National Peer Education programme including the creation of a Hate Crime Prevention Toolkit aimed at young people and youth work practitioners.

Information regarding Equality and Human Rights Budget Funding amounts for 2016-17 and 2017-20 is available in the public domain and can be found at https://www.gov.scot/publications/equalityfunding-2016-2017/ and https://www.gov.scot/publications/equality-funding-pecf-2017-2020/.

Under section 25(1) of FOISA, we do not have to give you information which is already reasonably accessible to you. If, however, you do not have internet access to obtain this information from the website listed, then please contact me again and I will send you a paper copy.

In 2020/21, under the Ferries Accessibility Fund, the Scottish Government have awarded funding to Disability Equality Scotland (£13,363) to continue to pilot current Hate Crime Charter with Ferry Providers across Scotland as part of a national approach to tackle hate crime on public transport.
Disability Equality Scotland have also received funding since 2017/18 to work with disability organisations, disabled people organisations, local authorities and transport providers to identify what work is being done on hate crime across Scotland to ensure a joined-up approach to tackling hate crime.

• 2017/2018, total funding received £35,955.00 – 10% towards Hate Crime and Negative Behaviours = £3,595.50
• 2018/2019, total funding received £49,797.46 – 30% towards Hate Crime and Negative Behaviours = £14,939.24
• 2019/2020, total funding received £49,797.46 – 30% towards Hate Crime and Negative Behaviours = £14,939.24
• 2020/2021, total funding received £49,727.82 – 30% towards Hate Crime and Negative Behaviours = £14,918.35

The Scottish Government also continue to provide grant support to Victim Support Scotland’s hate crime third party reporting centres. The role of these centres is to bridge the gap between police services and people who have been the victim of or witness to hate crime, without a need for contact with the police directly. Further information can be found at https://victimsupport.scot/informationsupport/crime-information/reporting-a-crime/reporting-a-crime/

The Scottish Government awarded Victim Support Scotland up to the following amounts:
2010 /11 = £4,344,016
2011/12 = £4,090,016
2012/13 = £4,217,000
2013/14 = £4,217,000
2014/15 = £4,217,000
2015/16 = £4,217,000
2016/17 = £4,217,000
2017/18 = £4,217,000
2018/19 = £4,638,700 
2019/20 = £4,650,180
2020/21 = £4,708,700

ANNEX
REASONS FOR NOT PROVIDING INFORMATION
The Scottish Government does not have the information
Section 17(1) of FOISA (information not held) requires the Scottish Government to notify you if it does not have some of the information you requested. The Scottish Government does not have the information you have asked for because we do not keep a record of organisation’s objectives in that way.
This is a formal notice under section 17(1) of FOISA that the Scottish Government does not have some of the information you have requested.

An exemption applies
Section 25(1) - information otherwise accessible
An exemption under section 25(1) of FOISA (information otherwise accessible) applies to some of the information you have requested. As this information is in the public domain, we are not required to provide it.

Section 38(1)(b) – applicant has asked for personal data of a third party
An exemption under section 38(1)(b) of FOISA (personal information) applies to a small amount of the information requested because it is personal data of a third party, ie names/contact details of individuals, and disclosing it would contravene the data protection principles in Article 5(1) of the General Data Protection Regulation and in section 34(1) of the Data Protection Act 2018.  This exemption is not subject to the 'public interest test', so we are not required to consider if the public interest in disclosing the information outweighs the public interest in applying the exemption

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-202000039717 - Information released

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34 page PDF

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