Publication - FOI/EIR release

Total cost to Scottish Ministers making lotting decisions under the proposed Land Reform (Scotland) Bill: FOI release

Published: 10 April 2025
Directorate: Agriculture and Rural Economy Directorate
Topic: Farming and rural, Public sector
FOI reference: FOI/202500455897
Date received: 5 March 2025
Date responded: 10 April 2025

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

Information requested

You asked for the following information under the Freedom of Information legislation:

1. Correspondence to or from Mairi Gougeon within the last two years relating to the total predicted costs of making lotting decisions by Scottish Ministers under the proposed Land Reform (Scotland) Bill.

2. Any estimate of the total cost to Scottish Ministers making lotting decisions under the proposed Land Reform (Scotland) Bill.

Response

I enclose copies of some of the information you requested. This includes a PDF file and a PowerPoint file.

Some of the information you have requested is available from the Financial Memorandum and the Land Reform (Scotland) Bill – Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment which can be found here: Financial Memorandum accessible and Land Reform (Scotland) Bill - Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment. Under section 25(1) of FOISA (Freedom of Information Scotland Act), 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.

While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance we are unable to provide some of the information you have requested because exemptions under section 38(1)(b) (personal information), 29(1)(a) (formulation or development of Scottish Government policy), 29(1)(b) (ministerial communications), and 30(b)(i) (Free and frank provision of advice) of FOISA applies to that information. The reasons why these exemptions apply are explained in the Annex to this letter.

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.