Grants from NHS Scotland to Stonewall UK: FOI release

Information requested

The following information on grant payments of £46,000 in 2019 and £33,324 in 2018:

• The contract, minute of agreement or other terms of grant arrangements between NHS Scotland and Stonewall UK which sets of out what Stonewall UK will provide, in measurable terms, in return for the grant.
• Any reports from Stonewall UK to NHS Scotland which set out the delivery of agreed outcomes for grants made in 2018 and 2019.
• The rationale for the grant being made to Stonewall UK and not Stonewall Scotland.
• Details of any similar agreements between NHS Scotland and Stonewall Scotland and which set out the grant details and what Stonewall Scotland provides in return for any such grants.
• What checks NHS Scotland has put in place to check whether Stonewall UK and Stonewall Scotland are the only providers of services which the grant seeks to ensure are in place.

Response

While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance exemptions under section38(1)(b) (personal information) of FOISA apply to some of the information requested.

Section 38(1)(b) (personal information) applies to a small amount of the information requested and this has been redacted. This includes personal data such as names, phone numbers, email addresses, and work addresses of third party individuals. 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.

Stonewall Equality Limited, is a registered charity in England and Wales (charity number 1101255) and Scotland (charity number SC039681), where it carries out Scotland-specific work as Stonewall Scotland. As a charity they are constituted as Stonewall UK and have one bank account to manage and report on all their finances. That is why payments will have been made to Stonewall UK.

The Scottish Government’s application process is designed to find who is best placed to provide the service based on the outcomes we wish to achieve rather than to ensure they are the only providers of a service. We follow guidance on the proper handling and reporting of public funds, as set out in the Scottish Public Finance Manual.

The organisation have been awarded funding in connection with the National Partnership Agreement between NHS Scotland and Stonewall Scotland to promote best practice on LGBT inclusion:

• *For the financial year 2017 – 2018 (31/07/2017 to 31/07/2018) NHS Scotland awarded Stonewall £40,000 for the National Partnership Agreement. This was payable over the 2017 -2018 and 2018 - 2019 financial years.
• For the financial year 2018 – 2019 (01/11/2018 to 31/10/2019) NHS Scotland awarded Stonewall £46,000 for the National Partnership Agreement. This was payable over the 2018 -2019 and 2019 - 2020 financial years.
• For the financial year 2019 – 2020 (01/11/2019 to 31/10/2020) NHS Scotland awarded Stonewall £47,380 for the National Partnership Agreement. This was payable over the 2019 -2020 and 2020 - 2021 financial years.

*Please note that Stonewall’s financial statements, which can be found here, shows that they received £33,324 between 2017 and 2018. The reason this number does not match up with the grant agreement is because Stonewall were advised by their auditors that the payment had to be treated as a grant funded consultancy, and as a result was liable to VAT. Stonewall received £39,989 in total from NHS Scotland against the £40,000 award, hence the £33,324 declared in their statutory accounts which is the total award minus the VAT charge.

A copy of these grant agreements, and the report from Stonewall outlining their work through 2018 – 2019, have been attached as per your request.

The Scottish Government remains strongly committed to advancing LBGTI rights across Scotland. We work with a wide range of third sector organisations, including 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.

We are clear that all organisations, including public sector bodies, need to take account of the Equality Act 2010 when any changes in policy are being considered. All rights must be protected.

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.

FOI - 202100205121 - Information Released - Annex

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