Healthy start scheme in Scotland: FOI release

FOI reference: FOI/18/00531
Date received: 14 February 2018
Date responded: 8 March 2018

Information requested

The quantity of pregnant/mothers who are eligible for the Healthy Start vouchers and the quantity of pregnant/mothers who actually use the vouchers in Scotland.

Response

Our aim is to provide information whenever possible, however, in this instance the Scottish Government does not have some of the information in the format that you have requested. The reason for this is that the Healthy Start scheme is a UK-wide scheme administered by the UK Department of Health who control the format of the management information that they provide for Scottish participants in the scheme.

This is a formal notice under section 17(1) of FOISA that the Scottish Government does not have the information you have requested.

The Healthy Start management information provided is a monthly snapshot of beneficiaries in Scotland. We have obtained permission from the Department of Health to share this information with you.

The latest report, for the four week period ending 4 February, shows that the number of individuals eligible for Healthy Start in Scotland was 36,388. For the same period, the number of vouchers unused in Scotland was 17.9%.

About FOI

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