Statistics of Public Bodies in Scotland: FOI release

Information requested

1. How much the Scottish Government has paid to organisations know as quangos over the past six financial years;

2. To break this down to a figure per year (for this financial year, to use the figure to the date we received this application);

3. A figure as to how many of the ‘quangos’ the Scottish Government supports financially currently, and a figure for each year covered by the scope of this request; and

4. A list of how much each quango has been awarded each year.

Response

• How much the Scottish Government has paid to organisations know as quangos over the past six financial years; and
• To break this down to a figure per year (for this financial year, to use the figure to the date we received this application).

The information you have requested is publicly available. A summary of budgeted annual expenditure for some quangos (i.e. public bodies) is available on the Scottish Government website as it is contained within the published Budget Bill each year. Please find the following links for information going back over the past six financial years:

2023/24: https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-budget-2023-24/documents/
2022/23: https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-budget-2022-23/documents/
2021/22: https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-budget-2021-22/documents/
2020/21: https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-budget-2020-21/documents/
2019/20: https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-budget-2019-20/documents/
2018/19: https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-budget-draft-budget-2018-19/documents/

The budget bill is disaggregated at different levels. Level 1 is the overall portfolio, L2 lines are the main funding areas within each portfolio and there is further disaggregation of the budget down to Level 4. The main budget bill document shows the budgets down to Level 3. A detailed spreadsheet is published alongside the budget bill, called ‘Scottish Budget - Level 4 Data’. If the arms-length bodies you are interested in is not detailed within the main Budget Bill document, this spreadsheet can be searched to find the initial allocations down to Level 4 across all the portfolios. However, the budget bill does not show every single public body separately at a disaggregated level. A lot of public bodies are individually included within the budget bill, but some, particularly the smaller ones, are merged with other areas within one L4 portfolio line. This is particularly the case with the portfolios covering Justice and Education expenditure, given the volume of public bodies in these areas.

The budget and actual funding provided by the Scottish Government to each public body in any financial year will be included in the published, audited accounts for each of these organisations. As part of the financial statements, within the Statement of Changes of Tax Payers Equity, there will be reference to Scottish Government Funding. A list of public bodies within Scotland, including links to their websites, is available on the National public bodies: directory (https://www.gov.scot/publications/national-publicbodies-directory/).

Under section 25(1) of FOISA, we do not have to give you information which is already reasonably accessible to you. If, however, you do not have internet access to obtain this information from the website(s) listed, then please contact me again and I will send you a paper copy.

• A figure as to how many of the ‘quangos’ the Scottish Government supports financially currently, and a figure for each year covered by the scope of this request.

I enclose a copy of all of the information you requested in Word format.

• A list of how much each quango has been awarded each year.

A list of public bodies within Scotland, including links to their websites, is available on the National public bodies: directory (https://www.gov.scot/publications/national-public-bodies-directory/). The budget and actual funding provided by the Scottish Government to each public body in any financial year will be included in the published, audited accounts for each of these organisations. As part of the financial statements, within the Statement of Changes of Tax Payers Equity, there will be reference to Scottish Government Funding.

A summary of budgeted annual expenditure for some public bodies is available on the Scottish Government website as it is contained within the published Budget Bill each year. Please find the following links for information going back over the past six financial years:

2023/24: https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-budget-2023-24/documents/
2022/23: https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-budget-2022-23/documents/
2021/22: https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-budget-2021-22/documents/
2020/21: https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-budget-2020-21/documents/
2019/20: https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-budget-2019-20/documents/
2018/19: https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-budget-draft-budget-2018-19/documents/

Under section 25(1) of FOISA, we do not have to give you information which is already reasonably accessible to you. If, however, you do not have internet access to obtain this information from the website(s) listed, then please contact me again and I will send you a paper copy.

About FOI

The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at https://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.

FOI 202400442732 - Information released - Annex

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