Section 23 Order correspondence: FOI release

Information requested

1. Whether the Section 23 Order made by the Scottish Government Handling of Harassment Complaints Committee was discussed at Scottish Government cabinet. Please limit time period to between 1 January 2021 and the present date.

2. Any correspondence (including emails, attachments, typed or handwritten notes, letters, notes/records of phone calls, minutes of meetings, briefings or otherwise) from the First Minister’s Office regarding the Section 23 Order. Please limit time period to between 1 January 2021 and the present date'.

Response

The answer to the first part of your request is, in the date range specified, there were no discussions at Cabinet of the Section 23 Order made by the Scottish Parliament. For clarity, the Section 23 Order was issued by Parliament to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, not to the Scottish Government.

In relation to the second part of your request, regarding correspondence from the First Minister's office, while our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance the Scottish Government does not have the information you have requested. This is because having conducted appropriate and proportionate searches for the information you have requested, the Scottish Government holds no recorded information within the scope of your request. 

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

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.