Rural Affairs and the Environment (RAE) Consultation on the Research Strategy for 2016-2021.

11. How to Respond

11.1 Responding to this consultation paper

We are inviting responses to this consultation document by 25 April 2014. We would be grateful if you could use the Questionnaire provided at Annex E as this will aid our analysis of the responses received.

Please send your response with the completed Respondent Information Form (see 'Handling Your Response' below) to:

RAEResearchStrategyConsultation@scotland.gsi.gov.uk

If you do not have access to e-mail, please return your comments/response with the

Respondent Information Form by post to:

If you have any queries, please contact Chris Rich at chris.rich@scotland.gsi.gov.uk

11.2 Handling your response

We need to know how you wish your response to be handled and, in particular, whether you are happy for your response to be made public. Please complete and return the Respondent Information Form at Annex E, which forms part of the Consultation Response Form as this will ensure that we treat your response appropriately. If you ask for your response not to be published we will regard it as confidential, and we will treat it accordingly.

All respondents should be aware that the Scottish Government is subject to the provisions of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 and would therefore have to consider any request made to it under the Act for information relating to responses made to this consultation exercise.

11.3 Next steps in the process

Where respondents have given permission for their response to be made public, and after we have checked that they contain no potentially defamatory material, responses will be made available to the public (see the attached Respondent Information Form) in the Scottish Government library and on the Scottish Government web pages. You can make arrangements to view responses by contacting the Scottish Government library on 0131 244 4552. Responses can be copied and sent to you, but a charge may be made for this service

11.4 What happens next?

Following the closing date, all responses will be analysed and considered along with any other available evidence to help us finalise the draft Strategy, which will provide the framework for commissioning new work over the period 2016-2021.

11.5 Consultation Process

This consultation, and all other Scottish Government consultation exercises, can be viewed online on the consultation web pages of the Scottish Government website at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Consultations.

The Scottish Government has an email alert system for consultations, http://register.scotland.gov.uk. This system allows stakeholder individuals and organisations to register and receive a weekly email containing details of all new consultations (including web links). It complements, but in no way replaces SG distribution lists, and is designed to allow stakeholders to keep up to date with all SG consultation activity, and therefore be alerted at the earliest opportunity to those of most interest. We would encourage you to register.

11.6 Comments and complaints

If you have any comments about how this consultation exercise has been conducted, please send them to Chris Rich at chris.rich@scotland.gsi.gov.uk