£20 million budget for independence: FOI release

Information requested

1. How many free school dinners for poor families would the £20 m buy

2. How many food banks would the robbed sum provide for

3. How many domestic fuel costs would that buy for low income families in Scotland

4. What was the cost of the Government chauffeur car service for you and your 38 Ministers in the last 12 months

5. What is the cost of supplying you and your aides with free meals , alcoholic drink , laundry and maid service in Bute House in the last 12 months

6. How many chauffeur car trips has Mr Harvey used since appointed and how many Hotel costs has he incurred in the last 12 months

7. How much money has your political party paid towards your Independence campaign

Response

1. How many free school dinners for poor families would the £20 m buy
2. How many food banks would the robbed sum provide for
3. How many domestic fuel costs would that buy for low income families in Scotland

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

This is a formal notice under section 17(1) of FOISA that the Scottish Government does not have the information you have requested.

4. What was the cost of the Government chauffeur car service for you and your 38 Ministers in the last 12 months.

Some of the information you have requested is available from the Scottish Government website. Under section 25(1) of FOISA, we do not have to give you information which is already reasonably accessible to you. However, in the interests of being helpful, we have provided links to the relevant material below: Government Car Service (GCS) and Ministerial car travel statistics: FOI release - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

Police Scotland are responsible for providing security arrangements for the First Minister. The Scottish Government does not comment on any aspect associated with that security provision. This is a formal notice under Section 39(1) for FOISA that the disclosure of the information would, or would likely to, endanger the physical or mental health or the safety of an individual.

5. What is the cost of supplying you and your aides with free meals , alcoholic drink , laundry and maid service in Bute House in the last 12 months.

There is no maid service at Bute House. Laundering of household items only, such as tablecloths, is part of the wide ranging duties of the Bute House Scottish Government cleaning contractors. It is important to be clear that the cleaning contract does not include the provision of free personal laundry services for any Ministers, civil servants, or aides.

The Scottish Government only meets the cost of hosting official events at Bute House. No meals or alcoholic drinks are provided by Scottish Government for individual Ministers or staff working at Bute House.

6. How many chauffeur car trips has Mr Harvey used since appointed and how many Hotel costs has he incurred in the last 12 months

Patrick Harvie MSP has never used a Ministerial car on any occasion.

Information on Ministerial hotel costs is available on the Scottish Government website. Under section 25(1) of FOISA, we do not have to give you information which is already reasonably accessible to you. However, in the interests of being helpful, we have provided links to the relevant material below: Ministerial engagements, travel and gifts - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

7. How much money has your political party paid towards your Independence campaign

While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance the Scottish Government does not have the information you have requested. This is because the Scottish Green Party is a separate organisation.

This is a formal notice under section 17(1) of FOISA that the Scottish Government does not have the information you have requested.

The Scottish Government was elected with a clear democratic mandate to offer the people of Scotland a choice over Scotland’s future. The 2021 Holyrood election resulted in a majority of MSPs, 72 of 129, even more than in the 2011 election, elected on manifestos that commit them to an independence referendum during this Parliament. Just as following the 2011 election, the Scottish Government is acting to implement that clearly expressed mandate from the electorate. The Bute House Agreement reached between the Scottish Government and the Scottish Green Party commits them to working together to deliver an independence referendum.

You may also be interested to know that on 17 October 2022, the third publication in the Building a New Scotland series, “A stronger economy with independence” was published. This publication sets out proposals for the economy of an independent Scotland and how new powers, combined with existing strengths, would give Scotland the opportunity to build a better future for everyone who lives here.

The publication describes how an independent Scotland could move away from the inequality, low investment, and low productivity experienced under the UK economic model, and grow Scotland’s international trade by re-joining the EU. It explains how Scotland’s abundant renewable energy resources could be used to build an economy based on low-cost, renewable energy. It sets out proposals for supporting fair work by improving access to flexible working and strengthening workplace rights, and for investment in infrastructure through a Building a New Scotland Fund. It also includes proposals on migration, currency, borders and fiscal sustainability.

Publications to come later in the series will cover matters including pensions and social security, EU membership and trade, and defence and security.

The Building a New Scotland series will continue to be published at the following link over the coming months: www.gov.scot/newscotland.

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.