Scottish Government estates and selling of alcohol: FOI release

Information requested

1. What provision is made within Scottish Government buildings of facilities which are licensed to sell alcohol?

2. Are the hours during which alcohol is sold the same as in non-Scottish Government buildings in Scotland?

3. Have any changes been made to the permitted hours within the last 12 months and, if so, what was the reason?

4. If changes were made what were they?

5. Are MSPs subject to any different rules of association within the facilities above when compared with the rest of the population of Scotland in relation to publicly accessible facilities? In other words can MSPs obtain alcohol in a Scottish Government facility later than a member of the public in a Scottish public licensed establishment?

Response

1. What provision is made within Scottish Government buildings of facilities which are licensed to sell alcohol?

There are no facilities within the core Scottish Government estate that are licensed to sell alcohol.

2. Are the hours during which alcohol is sold the same as in non-Scottish Government buildings in Scotland?

Alcohol is not for sale at any time within the core Scottish Government estate.

3. Have any changes been made to the permitted hours within the last 12 months and, if so, what was the reason?

Alcohol is not for sale at any time within the core Scottish Government estate. This position is unchanged over the period of your enquiry.

4. If changes were made what were they?

There have been no changes to the Scottish Government’s position that alcohol is not for sale across its core estate.

5. Are MSPs subject to any different rules of association within the facilities above when compared with the rest of the population of Scotland in relation to publicly accessible facilities? In other words can MSPs obtain alcohol in a Scottish Government facility later than a member of the public in a Scottish public licensed establishment?

Alcohol is not for sale at any time within the core Scottish Government estate. This applies to all users of the Scottish Government’s buildings including staff, visitors and MSPs.

While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance the Scottish Government does not have the information you have requested because the Scottish Government is not responsible for the interests of MSPs. This is a formal notice under section 17(1) of FOISA that the Scottish Government does not have the information you have requested. The Scottish Parliament, which is a wholly separate public authority from the Scottish Government, holds information regarding MSPs. You can find information on making an FOI request to the Parliament at: https://www.parliament.scot/abouttheparliament/13590.aspx

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.