Guidance or protocol relating to meetings with UK Government Ministers: FOI release

A copy of guidance notes or protocol issued to civil servants and Scot Gov ministerial offices relating to meetings held with UK Government Ministers. 

No specific guidance notes or protocol have been issued to Scottish Government ministerial offices and civil servants on meetings held with UK Government Ministers, although all meetings should comply with the guidance set out in the ScottishMinisterial Code which is available here:  https://www.gov.scot/Publications/2018/02/4516/0 and the Memorandum of Understanding between the UK Government and the Devolved Administrations which was last updated in 2013 and which is available here: /publications/devolution-mou/ 

You may also be interested in the Intergovernmental Relations: Written Agreement between the Scottish Government and the Scottish Parliament, which does not provide guidance on holding meetings with the UK Government, but does contain guidance on how those meetings should be reported to the Scottish Parliament.  That Agreement is available here: /publications/igr-agr-scotparl-scotgov/  

Under section 25(1) of FOISA, we do not have to give you information which is already reasonably accessible to you. 

You may also be interested in the following information annexed to this response, comprising:

• Extract from a jointly-owned document on the operation of the Joint Ministerial Committee (JMC).  The ownership of this document is shared with the other administrations involved in the JMC - these administrations have consented to this information being shared with you. Please note that this document was last agreed in 2013 and that officials are currently carrying out an IGR review as agreed at JMC(P).

• Extract from Internal Guidance on the Intergovernmental Relations: Written Agreement between the Scottish Government and Scottish Parliament. This has been extracted from the Scottish Government Staff Intranet.