Payments made to HM Chief Inspector of Prisons for Scotland: FOI release

Information request and response under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002.


Information requested

1. Could you supply how much in total has been paid out to Wendy Sinclar-Gieben, HM Chief Inspector of Prisons for Scotland, while she has been in the role, and how much she received for leaving, and a breakdown of these totals?

2. Could you supply any documentation held by your organisation surrounding her resignation? – Including correspondence, minutes/notes from meetings, briefings?

Response

Request 1

Most of the information you have requested in your first ask is available as a published FOI which can be found at the following link:

HM Chief Inspectorate salaries: FOI release - gov.scot

Under section 25(1) of FOISA, we do not have to give you information which is already reasonably accessible to you. I recognise, however, that the previously published FOI does not include all of the data requested, I have provided appropriate information in the table below. Your ask requests exact figures which I am unable to disclose under section 38(b) of FOISA, as it is considered personal information pertaining to an individual which is exempt from disclosure. In place of exact amounts paid, I have provided salary band information in this response.

I note your request also asks how much the former HM Chief Inspector of Prisons for Scotland received for leaving her role. I can confirm that Ms Sinclair-Gieben received no monetary compensation outwith the salary designated to this post and any unused leave entitlement.

Financial Year

22/23

23/24

24/25

Salary band

£80,000 - £84,999

£85,000 - £89,999

£85,000 - £89,999

Request 2

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. The reason for this is that to locate and retrieve that information we would need to conduct a search of all of the records of the Scottish Government. It may help if I explain that we file our information according to the subject matter, not by reference to the names of individuals/organisations with whom we have corresponded. 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. For example, you could restrict your request for documentation to a specific timeframe as this would allow us to limit the searches that would require to be conducted. 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.

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.

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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