Correspondence relating to conversion therapy in Scotland: FOI release

Information requested

Please provide all correspondence and records of discussions with the following organisations regarding conversion therapy in Scotland since 1 April 2020:

1. Equality Network
2. Scottish Trans Alliance
3. Stonewall
4. End Conversion Therapy Scotland 
5. LGBT Youth Scotland

Response

The Scottish Government is strongly supportive of the UK Government’s commitment to ban conversion therapy, which we are clear is an abhorrent practice that has no place in Scotland.

We are waiting to see the exact detail of the UK Government’s proposals in terms of whether they are likely to cover Scotland. But if the proposed actions do not result in the banning of this discriminatory and harmful practice in Scotland, we will consider our next steps in banning conversion therapy, in so far as is possible within the powers of the Scottish Parliament.

The Scottish Government is continuing to work with a wide range of third sector organisations, including The Equality Network, Scottish Trans Alliance, LGBT Youth Scotland and Stonewall Scotland, to ensure that the voices of those with lived experience can help to shape policy and practice to improve outcomes for LGBTI communities across Scotland.

While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance an exemption under section 38(1)(b) (personal information) of FOISA applies to some of the information requested which accompanies this response, please find attached document. 

Section 38(1)(b) (personal information) applies to a small amount of the information requested because it is personal data of a third party, i.e. names/contact details of individuals, and disclosing it would contravene the data protection principles in Article 5(1) of the General Data Protection Regulation and in section 34(1) of the Data Protection Act 2018.

This exemption is not subject to the ‘public interest test’, so we are not required to consider if the public interest in disclosing the information outweighs the public interest in applying the exemption. 

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

FOI - 202100204739 - Information released

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