Forestry Grant Scheme applications: EIR release

Information requested

In accordance with the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002, I would be grateful if you could provide the following information:

1. The total number of applications to the Forestry Grant Scheme in each year of its operation.

2. The number of such applications which were granted.

3. The number of such applications which were refused.

4. A break-down of the most common reasons for refusing applications.

5. For the figures in 1-3 above, please provide a) a national figure and b) equivalent figures for Fife.

Response

As the information you have requested is ‘environmental information’ for the purposes of the Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004 (EIRs), we are required to deal with your request under those Regulations. We are applying the exemption at section 39(2) of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA), so that we do not also have to deal with your request under FOISA.

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, because there is no public interest in dealing with the same request under two different regimes. This is essentially a technical point and has no material effect on the outcome of your request.

Please see below for some of the information we hold in relation to your request. While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance we are unable to provide some of the information you have requested because an exception under regulation 10(4)(a) (Information not held at time of request) of the EIRs applies to some of the information you have requested.

1. The total number of applications to the Forestry Grant Scheme in each year of its operation.

2. The number of such applications which were granted.

3. The number of such applications which were refused.

Clearing Financial Year	Number of cases Accepted	Number of Cases Rejected
2015/2016	373	0
2016/2017	774	1
2017/2018	676	6
2018/2019	613	5
2019/2020	622	3
2020/2021	686	4
2021/2022	553	7
2022/2023	552	3
2023/2024	533	1

Please note that:

• Data are correct at 29/5/24.
• Data has been provided for complete financial years only.
• Figures are by financial year (i.e. 1st April – 31st March).
• The Number of Cases Accepted is defined as those cases that have gained Clearing Approval.
• The date used to classify each case into the year is the clearing round date. Please see the Scottish Forestry website for more information: Scoring criteria and clearing process (ruralpayments.org)
• Please note that that the low number of rejected applications is due to the iterative application process: where applications do not meet the minimum standard required by the Forestry Grant Scheme, Scottish Forestry works with applicants to assist them to improve their application so that it meets the scheme rules.

4. A break-down of the most common reasons for refusing applications.

Applications are refused where they do not meet the scheme rules, as set out in the Rural Payments & Services website (Forestry Grant Scheme (ruralpayments.org), or do not deliver enough benefit to meet the minimum score threshold when the application is assessed. The scoring process is described here: Scoring criteria and clearing process (ruralpayments.org).

5. For the figures in 1-3 above, please provide a) a national figure and b) equivalent figures for Fife.

This information is not held by Scottish Forestry. Fife is not set as a discrete management area for the Forestry Grant Scheme, and it is therefore not possible to provide Forestry Grant Scheme statistical analysis for Fife.

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.