Scottish Ministers with Scottish Government issued laptop or tablet: FOI release

Information requested

1. A list of all government ministers who have a laptop, iPad or similar tablet, or smart watch provided by the Scottish Government, what device and when this was issued.

2. A list of all government ministers who have a mobile phone provided by the Scottish Parliament, and when this phone was issued.

3. A list of all government ministers who have a laptop, iPad or similar tablet, or smart watch provided by the Scottish Parliament, what device and when this was issued.

4. A list of all costs of MSPs bills for communications (minutes, texts, data) via any of the above devices for the last 5 years, broken down by MSP and by individual bill. (E.G. MSP A's bill for January 2023 was £10 for communications on the iPad.)

5. Please detail whether any of the total bills in the above response were for roaming charges, and indicate which ones.

Response

I enclose a copy of some of the information you requested.

1. A list of all government ministers who have a laptop, iPad or similar tablet, or smart watch provided by the Scottish Government, what device and when this was issued.

The table lists the Scottish Ministers and if they have a tablet or laptop device. It has not been possible to include when the device was issued as the specific date a device was issued is not held in our records.

Minister	Current Ministerial Role	SG Laptop	SG Tablet
Humza Yousaf	First Minister	YES	NO
Shona Robison	Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Finance	YES	NO
Angela Constance	Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Home Affairs	YES	NO
Neil Gray	Cabinet Secretary for Wellbeing Economy, Fair Work and Energy	YES	NO
Mairi McAllan	Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Net Zero and Just Transition	YES	NO
Mairi Gougeon	Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands	YES	NO
Angus Robertson	Cabinet Secretary for Constitution, External Affairs and Culture	YES	NO
Michael Matheson	Cabinet Secretary for NHS Recovery, Health and Social Care	YES	YES
Shirley-Anne Somerville	Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice	YES	NO
Jenny Gilruth	Cabinet Secretary for Education & Skills	YES	NO
Siobhian Brown	Minister for Victims and Community Safety	YES	NO
Natalie Don	Minister for Children, Young People and Keeping the Promise	YES	NO
Richard Lochhead	Minister for Small Business, Innovation, Tourism and Trade	YES	NO
Fiona Hyslop	Minister for Transport	YES	NO
Elena Whitham	Minister for Drugs & Alcohol Policy	YES	NO
Tom Arthur	Minister for Community Wealth and Public Finance	YES	NO
Maree Todd	Minister for Social Care, Mental Wellbeing & Sport	YES	NO
Emma Roddick	Minister for Equalities, Migration and Refugees	YES	NO
Graeme Dey	Minister for Higher Education, Further Education (& Minister for Veterans)	YES	NO
Gillian Martin	Minister for Energy and the Environment	YES	NO
Jamie Hepburn	Minister for Independence	YES	NO
Joe FitzPatrick	Minister for Local Government Empowerment & Planning	YES	YES
Jenni Minto	Minister for Public Health & Women's Health	YES	NO
Paul McLennan	Minister for Housing	YES	NO
Patrick Harvie	Minister for Zero Carbon Buildings, Active Travel & Tenant's Rights	YES	NO
George Adam	Minister for Parliamentary Business	YES	NO
Christina McKelvie	Minister for Culture, Europe and International Development	YES	NO
Lorna Slater	Minister for Green Skills, Circular Economy and Biodiversity	YES	NO
Dorothy Bain KC	Lord Advocate	YES	YES
Ruth Charteris KC	Solicitor General	YES	NO

2. A list of all government ministers who have a mobile phone provided by the Scottish Parliament, and when this phone was issued.

3. A list of all government ministers who have a laptop, iPad or similar tablet, or smart watch provided by the Scottish Parliament, what device and when this was issued.

4. A list of all costs of MSPs bills for communications (minutes, texts, data) via any of the above devices for the last 5 years, broken down by MSP and by individual bill. (E.G. MSP A's bill for January 2023 was £10 for communications on the iPad.)

5. Please detail whether any of the total bills in the above response were for roaming charges, and indicate which ones.

The Scottish Government does not have the information you have asked for questions 2-5 because the Scottish Government is not responsible for the devices issued by the Scottish Parliament or any associated mobile charges associated with these devices, we therefore do not hold records of these.

This is a formal notice under section 17(1) of FOISA that the Scottish Government does not have the information you have requested. However, you may wish to contact the Scottish Parliament who may be able to help you.

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.