Scottish Qualifications Authority total costs and engagement: FOI release

Information requested

The total costs incurred by the office of the Scottish Qualifications Authority from 2014 to the present day. This includes all secretariat staffing costs, daily board member fees and expenses, events, publications and office running costs.

I would also like a record of all engagement between board members and Scottish Government ministers and Cabinet Secretaries from 2014 to the present day.

Response

Question 1: the total costs incurred by the Scottish Qualifications Authority from 2014 to the present day. This includes all secretariat staffing costs, daily board member fees and expenses, events, publications and office-running costs.

While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance the Scottish Government does not hold all of the information you have requested.

Under section 25(1) of FOISA, we are not required to provide information in response to a request if it is already reasonably accessible to you. The information you requested is available from the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA). The Scottish Government only holds the financial information contained within the SQA’s Annual accounts. Should you require a further breakdown please contact SQA at customer@sqa.org.uk.

For your ease of reference I have provided you with the links to the SQA annual accounts:

Annual Report and Accounts 2014–15: https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/files_ccc/FOI-21-22-2014-15-Annual-Reportand-Accounts.pdf
Annual Report and Accounts 2015–16: https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/files_ccc/2015-16AnnualReportAccounts.pdf
Annual Report and Accounts 2016–17: https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/files_ccc/Annual_Report_and_Accounts_2017.pdf
Annual Report and Accounts 2017–18: https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/files_ccc/annual-report-accounts-17-18.pdf
Annual Report and Accounts 2018–19: https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/files_ccc/Annual_Report_and_Accounts2018-19.pdf
Annual Report and Accounts 2019–20: https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/files_ccc/2019-20-annual-report-accounts.pdf
Annual Report and Accounts 2020–21: https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/files_ccc/2020-21-annual-report-accounts.pdf

Question 2 – a record of all engagement between board members and Scottish Government ministers and Cabinet Secretaries from 2014 to the present day.

Under section 25(1) of FOISA, we are not required to provide information in response to a request if it is already reasonably accessible to you. Most of the information you requested is on the Scottish Government’s website:

For current Ministerial engagements from May 2016: https://www.gov.scot/collections/ministerial-engagements-travel-and-gifts/
For pre-May 2016 engagements: https://www.webarchive.org.uk/wayback/archive/20170401123936/http://www.gov.scot/About/People/14944/Events-Engagements/MinisterialEngagements

For your ease of reference I have attached a separate document (Annex A) which lists dates published when Ministerial engagements took place.

The Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills and the SQA Chief Executive are both members of the COVID-19 Education Recovery Group. The dates and minutes of these meetings are available online:
https://www.gov.scot/groups/covid-19-education-recovery-group/

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 202100244946 - Information released

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3 page PDF

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