Information relating to the First Minister’s recent visit to Auschwitz: FOI review

Information requested

 

Information relating to the First Minister’s recent visit to Auschwitz.

 

Response

 

Further to my email of 16 August 2018, I have now completed my review of our failure to respond to your request under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA) for information relating to the First Minister’s recent visit to Auschwitz.

In accordance with section 21(4) of FOISA, I have also reached a decision on your request.

Please accept my apologies for the delay in responding to your request. I have investigated and found that your original request was not passed to the Learning Directorate as the policy area in the Scottish Government responsible for Holocaust education in the school curriculum.

I can now provide our response to your original request and have provided an answer to each of your questions below.

1. She [the First Minister] was accompanying a party of school children. Was a PVG done for this trip?

The First Minister was not responsible for the supervision of the young people on the visit. They were supervised by teachers and educators who will have undergone checks as part of their job role. There was therefore no requirement for her to obtain PVG clearance.

2. Was she invited to visit and by whom?
3. Did she just take it upon herself to accompany the schoolchildren?
6. Who paid for the trip?

The First Minister participated in this visit to Auschwitz at the invitation of the Holocaust Educational Trust. She travelled with the other participants and incurred no direct costs or expenses.

4. Who authorised STV cameras to accompany them?

The Holocaust Educational Trust authorised STV to accompany the visit.

5. Did they get permission from the Trust at Auschwitz to take the television cameras and use the visit for promotion of Ms Sturgeon?

The Holocaust Educational Trust sought permission from the Auschwitz Museum for STV to film during the visit.

 

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