Queries about Investment into Galloway National Park: EIR release

Information requested

1. “I am all for investment into this area - it’s desperate for it! Given that there are already a number of organisations in the area whose objectives are similar with that of the National Park proposal and who are all crying out for funding, how was it concluded that investing in a National Park offered best value and most likely to achieve best outcome? What other alternatives for the investment were considered, if any? On what grounds were they dismissed or not considered? What are the alternative options? Would the budget not better be spent using some of it as grants to encourage businesses to the area who provide high wage careers which boost the economy rather than tourism minimum wage insecure jobs which keep local employees in poverty, and then spend the rest funding the many already established organisations which address local biodiversity and ecology?”

2. “I understand it is intended to invest £13,000,000 or thereabouts annually of tax payers’ money into a Galloway National Park (from herein referred to as GNP). What is the detailed breakdown of this investment? How much of this will go in wages and administration costs and how much will go elsewhere and to whom / where and why?”

3. “Given that £30,000,000 of tax payers’ money has just been spent building just one footbridge in Glasgow, is the GNP annual budget of less than half this not vanishingly small and realistically unable to properly cover the aims of and address issues caused by the GNP, which covers the size of a county and has been seriously underinvested in for decades? How was the figure of £13,000,000 arrived at seeing as it funds less than half a Glasgow footbridge? How much of this budget will be spent on the biodiversity and ecology aims of the GNP and in what way? What is a realistic true cost of fully achieving the biodiversity and ecology aims over such a large area?”

4. “How much is this investment and GNP branding expected to improve the local economy by? Who in the local economy is likely to benefit? Who is likely to be financially poorer?”

5. “How much of the anticipated improved local economy is newly created wealth and how much is merely taking from other UK tourist areas which would otherwise have received these tourists, i.e. spending £13 million annually of tax payers’ money to rob Peter to pay Paul with net zero gain for the overall UK or Scottish economy?”

6. “How many jobs paying over £15 per hour and providing career advancements is it envisaged the GNP will create? What sort of jobs will these be?”

7. “How many jobs paying under £15 per hour is it envisaged the GNP will create? How many of these jobs will be temporary seasonal or zero hours or antisocial hours or part time? Given that the GNP area is one of the poorest in Scotland how is it envisaged that such low paid, insecure jobs will pull local people out of poverty and help the local economy thrive? How many of these jobs will go to transient workers paid well below the minimum wage but with accommodation provided who do not contribute to the local economy and what plans are in place to protect them from modern day slavery as per the recent televised case locally in Annan which involved many victims and continued for many years even after it had been highlighted to authorities?”

8. “How many and which current or future jobs is it envisioned will be lost within the GNP area due to GNP status? In which other areas of the UK will they be lost if the tourism is just being moved from one area to another?”

9. “What industry is the GNP likely to attract to the area and why?”

10. “What industry is likely to leave due to the GNP and why?”

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.

Question 1

On 22 July 2024 the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands announced a proposal to establish a new National Park in Galloway. Further investigations into the area’s suitability will now commence. More information can be found here.

At this stage it is still a proposal. NatureScot has begun its investigation into the proposal for a new National Park in Galloway. This will involve extensive public consultation and stakeholder engagement over the coming weeks and months, including a formal 12-week public consultation starting in November 2024. Local residents, communities, businesses, public bodies and other interested parties including representatives from the agriculture, forestry and other land-based sectors in the area will be invited to get involved and share their views on whether Galloway should become a new national park and where the boundary for the new park should be drawn.

Alongside the reporter investigation and public consultation into the proposal that will be undertaken by NatureScot (which is due with Scottish Ministers in April 2025), the Scottish Government is starting work on a series of impact assessments. These will include:

• A Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment (BRIA) to assess the potential costs, benefits and risks that the proposal may have on the public, private, third sector or regulators;
• A Strategic Environment Assessment (SEA) to assess the likely significant environmental effects of the proposal;
• An Equality Impact Assessment (EQIA) to assess the potential impacts of the proposal on the equality groups;
• A Child Rights and Wellbeing Impact Assessment (CRWIA) to assess the potential impacts of the proposal on the rights and wellbeing of children and young people; and
• A Fairer Scotland Duty assessment to assess how the proposal could potentially reduce inequalities of outcome caused by socio-economic disadvantage. These impact assessments will be evidence-based and their results will help to inform any final decision on whether a new National Park should be designated in Galloway.

Questions 2 and 3

While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance the Scottish Government does not hold the information you have requested as the cost of the proposed Galloway National Park has not been determined. Therefore, with respect to your request this is a formal notice under Regulation 10(4)(a) of the EIRs confirming that the Scottish Government does not hold this information.

It may help if I explain that the cost of a new National Park depends on a range of factors and cannot be determined until an area has been confirmed for designation and the proposed powers, functions and governance arrangements of the National Park have been agreed.

In our proposal we have been clear that specific consideration should be given to ensuring that a newNational Park is cost efficient and provides value for money. It should also contribute to the public sector reform agenda, for example through the use of shared services, expertise and premises with other public bodies. When we receive NatureScot’s report next April we will carefully consider its findings - including the budgetary implications - before deciding any next steps.

This exception is subject to the ‘public interest test’. It is important to note that although we do not hold the information and have applied Regulation 10(4)(a) – information not held, it is a requirement that we have to apply the public interest test.

Wider guidance on the Environmental Information regime can be found in the Key Concepts section under ‘Information Not Held’ and ‘The Public Interest Test’ in the attached Scottish Information Commissioner Briefings and Guidance document. Further guidance on the public interest test can also be found on page 8 of the Scottish Information Commissioner guidance.

Question 4

As highlighted in our response for Question 1 above, the Scottish Government will conduct a series of impact assessments which will inform any final decision on whether a new National Park should be designated. The Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment (BRIA) will assess the potential costs, benefits and risks that the proposal may have on the public, private, third sector. The BRIA will be published via the publications section of the Scottish Government website once this has been completed.

Question 5

While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance the Scottish Government does not hold the information you have requested as no analysis has been conducted with regards to the potential impact(s) that the proposed Galloway National Park would have on wealth creation or on other UK tourist areas in terms of their local economy and/or revenues. Therefore, with respect to your request this is a formal notice under Regulation 10(4)(a) of the EIRs confirming that the Scottish Government does not hold this information.

As highlighted in our response for Question 1 above, the Scottish Government will conduct a series of impact assessments which will inform any final decision on whether a new National Park should be designated. These will be published via the publications section of the Scottish Government website once they have been completed.

This exception is subject to the ‘public interest test’. It is important to note that although we do not hold the information and have applied Regulation 10(4)(a) – information not held, it is a requirement that we have to apply the public interest test.

Wider guidance on the Environmental Information regime can be found in the Key Concepts section under ‘Information Not Held’ and ‘The Public Interest Test’ in the attached Scottish Information Commissioner Briefings and Guidance document. Further guidance on the public interest test can also be found on page 8 of the Scottish Information Commissioner guidance.

Questions 6 to 10

While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance the Scottish Government does not hold the information you have requested as decisions in relation to employment opportunities, staff remuneration and the location(s) and/or sites of businesses and other third parties within the proposed Galloway National Park area would be solely at their own discretion. Therefore, with respect to your request this is a formal notice under Regulation 10(4)(a) of the EIRs confirming that the Scottish Government does not hold this information.

As highlighted in our response for Question 1 above, the Scottish Government will conduct a series of iimpact assessments which will inform any final decision on whether a new National Park should be designated. These will be published via the publications section of the Scottish Government website once they have been completed.

This exception is subject to the ‘public interest test’. It is important to note that although we do not hold the information and have applied Regulation 10(4)(a) – information not held, it is a requirement that we have to apply the public interest test.

Wider guidance on the Environmental Information regime can be found in the Key Concepts section under ‘Information Not Held’ and ‘The Public Interest Test’ in the attached Scottish Information Commissioner Briefings and Guidance document. Further guidance on the public interest test can also be found on page 8 of the Scottish Information Commissioner guidance.

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.