Costs associated with the Distance Aware campaign: FOI release

Information requested

All costs associated with the Distance Aware campaign launched by the Scottish Government including any Scottish Government staff working on the campaign. Please provide the costs for the financial years of 2021-22, 2022-23 and any additional years for which spending on this campaign is forecast. For reference, I am referring to this campaign: https://www.gov.scot/news/distance-aware/.

Response

I am able to provide you with some of the information you have requested:

As of 25 January 2022 we had purchased Distance Aware badges and lanyards at a cost of £44,679.06 in this financial year 2021-22.

The cost of promoting the Distance Aware Initiative was £10,542.00 in this financial year 2021-22.

There is no current spend planned for 2022-23, however we will monitor and evaluate uptake and impact of the scheme.

In relation to your specific request for staff costs associated with the Distance Aware Scheme, the Scottish Government does not have the information you have requested. This is because this initiative was delivered through the work of two teams within the COVID Highest Risk Division responsible for (a) providing support to people at Highest Risk; and, (b) communications and engagement with people at Highest Risk. This work was carried out alongside a wide range of workstreams and day-to-day activities to support, engage and communicate with people on the Highest Risk List. There was no requirement to record staff time dedicated to this one particular scheme.

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.

Please note that in the period since your request was received a little more information has been received by the Scottish Government. Unfortunately this information is out of scope of this request by reason of date. Should you wish to consider please submit a further request.

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.