Cost of John Swinney and company to attend the Euros24: FOI release

Information requested

Who is paying for John Swinney and company to attend the Euros24 and what is it costing?

Response

Mr Swinney travelled to Germany on official business in his capacity as the First Minister and therefore the costs were borne by the Scottish Government. The visit followed the rules on Ministerial overseas visits as set out in the Scottish Ministerial Code. This can be accessed via:

https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-ministerial-code-2023-edition/

The cost of the visit for the First Minister and his supporting team was £12,415.08.

An exemption under section 39(1) of FOISA (health & safety) applies to some of the information you have requested. The Scottish Government does not provide information in relation to the First Minister’s security matters. This is because disclosure would, or would be likely to, endanger the physical or mental health or safety of an individual. 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 the arrangements for the First Minister’s travel, however, this is outweighed by the public interest in the safety of the First Minister.

The Scottish Government routinely publishes information on Ministerial travel. This can be viewed via:

https://www.gov.scot/collections/ministerial-engagements-travel-and-gifts

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.