Public sector information regulations: statement of public task

Background

The Scottish Government is the executive branch of the devolved government of Scotland. We are accountable to the Scottish Parliament.

Our purpose is to focus government and public services on creating a more successful country, with opportunities for all of Scotland to flourish, through increasing sustainable economic growth.

What we do

We have legislative competence in Scotland for all issues that are not explicitly reserved to the United Kingdom Parliament at Westminster by Schedule 5 to the Scotland Act 1998; such devolved matters include health care, education, justice and policing, rural affairs, economic development and transport. We also have administrative responsibility for some matters where we do not have legislative power.

Statement

Nearly all of the data that we collect and create is done so in accordance with our Public Task. We aim to make it available unless we are constrained by legislation or rules on confidentiality or as otherwise required by law; for example personal data is covered by current data protection legislation and cannot be released except under very specific circumstances.  Commercially sensitive information will not be made available.

Scotland’s Open Data Strategy sets the context for a broader policy intent to drive proactive publication of public sector information.  The Scottish Government is committed to making information available under the re-use regulations, freedom of information legislation and in implementation of the Open Data Strategy for the Scottish public sector published in February 2015.

In licencing our data we are also committed to the principles of the Open Government Licence.

Information that we have for re-use can be found on our Information for Re-Use Register, together with details on how to request information.

We will consider any request for information that we hold that falls outside of our Public Task, in accordance with the relevant commercial terms and conditions.  We may charge for this type of information.

If you have a complaint about your request to re-use information, you can submit it using our general complaints handling process.

If you are not satisfied by this process you also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office.