Scottish and Northern Ireland Plumbing Employers Federation (SNIPEF) correspondence, funding and press release: FOI release

Information requested

1. All correspondence between Scottish Government Ministers and Special Advisers and the Scottish and Northern Ireland Plumbing Employers Federation between 4 March 2025 and the present date (inclusive). This should include correspondence that Ministers or Special Advisers were copied into.

2. Whether the Scottish Government received a draft or final version of the following press release before it was published on 6 March 2025: https://snipef.org/news/lowering-schoolleaving-age-to-14-unworkable-and-irresponsible-for-technical-trades-warns-snipef/

3. If so, whether any edits, amendments or changes were suggested by Scottish Government officials, Ministers or Advisers to draft versions of the press release. Please provide these suggested edits, amendments or changes as well as any other feedback provided to the Scottish and Northern Ireland Plumbing Employers Federation.

4. The total amount of funding provided by the Scottish Government to the Scottish and Northern Ireland Plumbing Employers Federation in 2020-21, 2021-22, 2022-23, 2023-24, 2024-25 and 2025-26.

Response

• Correspondence between Scottish Government Ministers and Special Advisers and the Scottish and Northern Ireland Plumbing Employers Federation (SNIPEF)

The Scottish Government does not have this information as there was no correspondence between Scottish Government Ministers, Special Advisers and the Scottish and Northern Ireland Plumbing Employers Federation between 4 March 2025 and the present date (inclusive).

• SNIPEF Press Release

The Scottish Government did not receive a draft or final version of the referenced SNIPEF press release. Consequently, no suggested edits, amendments or changes as well as any other feedback was provided to SNIPEF.

• Funding provided by the Scottish Government to SNIPEF

The Scottish Government cannot provide this information as it did not provide funding to SNIPEF in 2020-21, 2021-22, 2022-23, 2023-24, 2024-25 and 2025-26.

However, SNIPEF received funding from Skills Development Scotland, and you may wish to contact them directly. Additionally, the accounts for SNIPEF are filed on Companies House and provide details of income up to 2023. These can be found at: SNIPEF LIMITED filing history - Find and update company information - GOV.UK.

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.