Parliamentary Portfolio Questions session of 20th March 2024 on Constitution, External Affairs and Culture: FOI release

Information requested

1. The date on which the Parliamentary Portfolio Questions session of 20th March 2024 on Constitution, External Affairs and Culture was entered into the Ministerial Diary of the Cabinet Secretary for Constitution, External Affairs and Culture

2. Any other engagements in the Cabinet Secretary's diary on 20th March 2024 and the details of these engagements including:

• Who requested the Cabinet Secretary's attendance
• The date on which attendance was requested
• The date on which the engagement was entered into the Cabinet Secretary's diary
• The date on which the Cabinet Secretary's office confirmed his attendance
• Whether the Cabinet Secretary or his office requested any alternative dates for the engagement, and if not whether there was a reason that an alternative date couldn't be sought
• The purpose of the engagement 
• Whether consideration was given to passing the engagement to another member of the Scottish Government
• The date on which any travel and accommodation was booked for the engagement
• The cost of any travel and accommodation

3. Whether the Cabinet Secretary for Constitution, External Affairs and Culture informed the Presiding Officer that he was unavailable to attend Parliament on this date, and the date on which this was communicated to the Presiding Officer

Response

The Scottish Government does not have some of the information you have asked for because, as the Cabinet Secretary was unable to attend Parliament on 20th March, Parliamentary business for the day is not included within his diary. There is no requirement for Ministers to advise the Presiding Officer of their absence from a Portfolio Question Time session and rule 13.7(1) of the Standing Orders of the Scottish Parliament allows for Portfolio Questions to be answered by any member of the Scottish Government or a junior Scottish Minister.

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.

The Cabinet Secretary for Constitution, External Affairs and Culture was invited on 31st January 2024 by the Head of the Scottish Government's Nordic Office to carry out a series of engagements in Copenhagen to develop Scotland’s opportunities for trade and investment in energy and other key sectors, and around community learning from the Nordic model of democracy and governance. The visit was timed to coincide with a number of high-profile events in key sectors for Scotland aligning with the priorities of the Scottish Government.

The visit was included in the Cabinet Secretary's diary on 1st February and his attendance was confirmed on the 20th February.

Alternative dates for the engagements could not be sought due to them being organised by a number of external stakeholders. The Cabinet Secretary was the most appropriate Scottish Government representative due to the nature and profile of these engagements.

The Cabinet Secretary's travel was booked on 23rd February. Ministerial engagements, as well as travel and accommodation costs are routinely published on the Scottish Government website and as such, an exemption under section 27(1) of FOISA applies to this information. This exemption applies because we intend to publish the information within 12 weeks of the date of your request.

This exemption is subject to the 'public interest test'. Therefore, taking account of all the circumstances of this case, we have considered if the public interest in disclosing the information outweighs the public interest in applying the exemption. We have found that, on balance, the public interest lies in favour of upholding the exemption. We recognise that there is some public interest in release however this is outweighed by the public interest in taking the time necessary to ensure the information has been properly collated and checked before it is published as planned.

About FOI

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