New Scots Refugee Integration Delivery Project: FOI release

Information requested

You asked for who was responsible for initiating the phrase 'new scots' and also how much the Scottish government spends on the 'new scots' project annually and what the costs for this to-date have been?

Response

While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance the Scottish Government does not have some of the information you have requested. This is because Scottish Government does not hold information which can answer your question of who was responsible for initiating the phrase ‘new scots’. 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.

Although not the answer to your question, it may be helpful to outline that the Scottish Government (and previously the Scottish Executive), as well as others, have used the term at various points. In particular, the Scottish Government uses the term in association with work on the New Scots refugee integration strategy. The first New Scots strategy was published in December 2013. Over the year prior to publication work to develop the strategy was taken forward in partnership by Scottish Government, COSLA and the Scottish Refugee Council. This work brought together a wide range of agencies working to support the integration of refugees in Scotland’s communities, including representatives of refugee community groups. A multi-agency group, including involvement from across the public sector, third sector and academia, oversaw the process and the New Scots strategy was the result of this joint work.

With regards to your second question, in 2020 the New Scots partnership secured funding from the EU’s Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund for a project to support refugee integration in line with the New Scots refugee integration strategy. In total, funding for the project is £6.6M, with 90% of this funding provided by the EU and the Scottish Government required to provide the remaining 10% match funding. This EU funding will end in December 2023, following the UK’s withdrawal from the EU. This project is known as the New Scots Refugee Integration Delivery Project.

The annual cost to the Scottish Government of providing this match funding for the New Scots Refugee Integration Delivery project have been:

• 1 October 2020 – 31 March 2021 - £16,883.86
• 1 April 2021 – 31 March 2022 - £160,953.06
• 1 April 2022 - 31 March 2023 - £220,396.72
• 1 April 2023 - 30 September 2023 - £154,425.78

As at 30 September 2023, the total cost to the Scottish Government of providing match funding to the New Scots Refugee Integration Delivery Project was £552,659.42. Costs for 1 October – 31 December 2023 have not yet been finalised, as this final quarter is currently still in progress.

About FOI

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