National Public Bodies in Scotland: FOI release
- Published
- 16 January 2025
- Directorate
- Public Service Reform Directorate
- Topic
- Public sector, Work and skills
- FOI reference
- FOI/202400439666
- Date received
- 7 December 2024
- Date responded
- 5 December 2024
Information request and response under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002
Information requested
1. A list of arms-length bodies in Scotland as of 1 November 2024
2. A list of arms-length bodies in Scotland as of 1 January 2000
3. A list of arms-length bodies in Scotland as of 17 May 2007
4. Number of arms-length bodies in Scotland, at start of each calendar year, from 2000 to present
5. Annual expense on arms-length bodies in Scotland, by calendar and financial year, from 2000 to present
Response
1. A list of arms-length bodies in Scotland as of 1 November 2024
All of the information you have requested is available from the National public bodies: directory (https://www.gov.scot/publications/national-public-bodies-directory/). Under section 25(1) of FOISA, we do not have to give you information which is already reasonably accessible to you. If, however, you do not have internet access to obtain this information from the website(s) listed, then please contact me again and I will send you a paper copy.
2. A list of arms-length bodies in Scotland as of 1 January 2000;
3. A list of arms-length bodies in Scotland as of 17 May 2007; and
4. Number of arms-length bodies in Scotland, at start of each calendar year, from 2000 to present
I enclose a copy of all of the information you requested in Microsoft Word format, with the caveat that the dates of the lists may not align exactly with the specific dates requested.
5. Annual expense on arms-length bodies in Scotland, by calendar and financial year, from 2000 to present
a) Annual expense on arms-length bodies in Scotland by calendar year
While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance the costs of locating, retrieving and providing the information requested would exceed the upper cost limit of £600. This is due to the time it would take to retrieve and compile the data. Under section 12 of FOISA public authorities are not required to comply with a request for information if the authority estimates that the cost of complying would exceed the upper cost limit, which is currently set at £600 by Regulations made under section 12.
You may, however, wish to consider reducing the scope of your request in order that the costs can be brought below £600. This could be done by significantly reducing the number of years requested, considering whether data by calendar year or financial year best meets your reason for this request and/or limiting the number of arms-length bodies in Scotland that this request relates to. You may also find it helpful to look at the Scottish Information Commissioner's 'Tips for requesting information under FOI and the EIRs' on his website at: http://www.itspublicknowledge.info/YourRights/Tipsforrequesters.aspx.
Please also note that the Scottish Government does not have some of the information you have asked- for. Due to data archiving records, we cannot provide detailed information prior to the financial year 2012/13.
This is a formal notice under section 17(1) of FOISA that the Scottish Government does not have some of the information you have requested.
b) Annual expense on arms-length bodies in Scotland by financial year
Funding provided by the Scottish Government to each arms-length body is included in the published audited accounts for each of these organisations. As part of the financial statements, within the Statement of Changes of Tax Payers Equity, there will be reference to Scottish Government Funding. These accounts can be found online on the arms-length bodies' websites - links to these are provided on the National public bodies: directory (https://www.gov.scot/publications/national-public-bodiesdirectory/). If accounts are not published online going back to 2010, we would advise you to contact the arms-length bodies individually, as the Scottish Government does not centrally hold all these records.
Under section 25(1) of FOISA, we do not have to give you information which is already reasonably accessible to you. If, however, you do not have internet access to obtain this information from the website(s) listed, then please contact me again and I will send you a paper copy.
About FOI
The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at https://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.
- File type
- File size
- 122.4 kB
Contact
Please quote the FOI reference
Central Correspondence Unit
Email: contactus@gov.scot
Phone: 0300 244 4000
The Scottish Government
St Andrew's House
Regent Road
Edinburgh
EH1 3DG
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