ICT data statistics regarding accessing Sottish National Party systems: FOI Review

Information requested

1. For each calendar or financial year for which records are held:
a) the number of @gov.scot (government employees) email user accounts which have accessed SNP party email or data transfer systems from a Scottish Government device (including laptops, desktops, tablets and mobile phones). Please include the role title and directorate if possible, if not please include the directorate.
b) for each of the individual accounts identified in part (a) above, broken down by month or year as your system reports allow, please provide a total number of hours logged into these SNP party systems from a government device.

2. For each calendar or financial year for which records are held:
a) the number of emails sent to @SNP.org (SNP party) email addresses.
b) the number of emails received from @SNP.org (SNP party) email addresses

3. For each calendar or financial year for which records are held:
a) total number of searches and clicks to pages on SNP.org (SNP party website).

Response

Further to my letter of 13/5/2022, I have now completed my review of our failure to respond to your request under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA) for ICT Data - access to SNP Party systems. Its reference number was 202200293258.

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

I apologise for the delay. This was primarily due to unexpected staff changes and the need to analyse large amounts of web access records.

I can now provide our response to your original request.

1. For each calendar or financial year for which records are held:
a) the number of @gov.Scot (government employees) email user accounts which have accessed SNP party email or data transfer systems from a Scottish government device (including laptops, desktops, tablets and mobile phones). Please include the role title and directorate if possible, if not please include the directorate.
b) for each of the individual accounts identified in part (a) above, broken down by month or year as your system reports allow, please provide a total number of hours logged into these SNP party systems from a government device.

None. The Scottish Government internal network does not permit such access to external systems.

2. For each calendar or financial year for which records are held:
a) the number of emails sent to @SNP.org (SNP party) email addresses.
b) the number of emails received from @SNP.org (SNP party) email addresses

Only one year's records are retained. For the period 20 April 2021 to 19 April 2022 : - Received from @snp.org 1,543 Sent to @snp.org 8,036

3. For each calendar or financial year for which records are held:
a) total number of searches and clicks to pages on SNP.org (SNP party website).

Only six months’ website access records are retained. In the six months ending 9/5/22, 2,028 individual sessions clicked to the website.

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.