Independence spending 2014 – June 2022: FOI release

Information requested

Since the SNP have been in power in the Scottish Government how much money have they spent on their pursuit of independence? Departments/staff, the 2014 referendum, opinion polls, and the new campaign started this month. Has this money come from Scottish Government budget or out of the SNP own finances?

Response

I am unable to provide you with a figure for staff costs for any work conducted by Scottish Government civil servants in connection with Scottish independence. This is because in line with usual practice, details of individual tasks carried out by civil servants, including the number of hours spent on them, are not routinely recorded because there is no business need to do this. This is a formal notice under Section 17(1) of FOISA that the Scottish Government does not have the information you have requested.

There is a range of published information outlining some of the associated costs concerned with the independence referendum in 2014 which is available on the Scottish Government’s and Scottish Parliament’s websites at the following links:

• S4W-20080
• S4W-18196
• S4W-21283
• S4W-23719
• S4W-21284
• S4W-23720
• S4W-22236
• S4W-27304
• S4W-27305
• http://www.gov.scot/About/People/14944/Events- Engagements/costs/CabinetEventCosts2014

In 2016, the Scottish Government took forward a public consultation on a draft Referendum Bill. Information about the costs of that exercise is available on the Publications section of the Scottish Government’s website at: https://www.gov.scot/publications/foi-17-01508/.

On 19 December 2019, the Scottish Government published the document ‘Scotland’s right to choose: putting Scotland’s future in Scotland’s hands’. Information about the production costs of this document is available on the Scottish Government’s website at:
https://www.gov.scot/publications/foi-202000011414/.

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 websites listed, then please contact me again and I will send you a paper copy.

On 22 March 2021, the Scottish Government published a draft Independence Referendum Bill. This fulfilled a commitment made in the Scottish Government’s Programme for Government for 2021. The total costs associated with this publication were £258.22.

On 14 June 2022, the Scottish Government published the first paper in the ‘Building a New Scotland’ independence prospectus series. At 16 June 2022, we had not received details of final costs incurred for the publication of Independence in the Modern World. Wealthier, Happier, Fairer: Why Not Scotland? from our contracted publishing print and design agency taking forward this work on behalf of the Scottish Government. This is a formal notice under Section 17(1) of FOISA that the Scottish Government does not have the information you have requested.

In line with usual practice, any work conducted by the Scottish Government will be funded by the Scottish Government.

The Scottish Government has not conducted any opinion polls on Scottish independence. All polls on this subject reported in the media are conducted by private companies which receive no public funding or resources for this work.

The Scottish Government does not participate in any political campaigning therefore, no costs have been incurred on any political campaigns. This is a formal notice under Section 17(1) of FOISA that the Scottish Government does not have the information you have requested.

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.