Budgeted annual expenditure for public bodies and charities: FOI release

Information requested

Please provide detailed financial data regarding expenditure relating to:

1. Quangos (Non-Departmental Public Bodies):

• Please provide annual expenditure data from 2015 to the most recent complete year on all Quangos funded directly or indirectly by the Scottish Government.
• Include both core funding and any additional or project-specific funding.
• Where possible, break down the data by individual Quango, department or budget line, and type of funding (e.g. operational, capital, consultancy, etc.).

2. Charities and Third-Sector Organisations (the so-called "charity industrial complex"):

• Please provide a breakdown of all governmental funding provided to charities, non-profits, and third-sector organisations, also from 2015 to the most recent complete year.
• Include all forms of support, including grants, contracts, subsidies, and in-kind support.

Break down the data by:

• Recipient organisation name,
• Amount awarded,
• Purpose or description of the funding,
• Funding source (e.g. specific government department, agency, or programme).

3. Distinction Between Funding from the Scottish Government vs. Other Scottish Budget Lines:

• If applicable, please distinguish between:
• Funding disbursed directly by the Scottish Government, and
• Funding provided via other public bodies, local authorities, or devolved agencies using the Scottish budget.
• Clarify whether your records distinguish between these funding routes, and if so, please provide both sets of data.”

Response

• Part a) Quangos (Non-Departmental Public Bodies) etc:

The information you have requested is publicly available. A summary of budgeted annual expenditure for some quangos (i.e. public bodies) is available on the Scottish Government website as it is contained within the published Budget Bill each year. Please find the following links for information going back over the past six financial years:

2023/24: https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-budget-2023-24/documents/

2022/23: https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-budget-2022-23/documents/

2021/22: https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-budget-2021-22/documents/

2020/21: https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-budget-2020-21/documents/

2019/20: https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-budget-2019-20/documents/

2018/19: https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-budget-draft-budget-2018-19/documents

The budget bill is disaggregated at different levels. Level 1 is the overall portfolio, L2 lines are the main funding areas within each portfolio and there is further disaggregation of the budget down to Level 4. The main budget bill document shows the budgets down to Level 3. A detailed spreadsheet is published alongside the budget bill, called ‘Scottish Budget - Level 4 Data’. If the arms-length bodies you are interested in is not detailed within the main Budget Bill document, this spreadsheet can be searched to find the initial allocations down to Level 4 across all the portfolios. However, the budget bill does not show every single public body separately at a disaggregated level. A lot of public bodies are individually included within the budget bill, but some, particularly the smaller ones, are merged with other areas within one L4 portfolio line. This is particularly the case with the portfolios covering Justice and Education expenditure, given the volume of public bodies in these areas.

• Part b) Charities and Third-Sector Organisations (the so-called "charity industrial complex") etc:

A complete list of all charities and Third-Sector organisations funded by SG is not held centrally. No central list of funds is currently held and each policy portfolio will have funds to meet a variety of purposes – these funds are not designated as being ‘third-sector’ or otherwise due the nature and complexity of support provided to the sector. As such the information you have requested is not available. 

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 for example specifying information about SG Funds within particular business or policy area(s) or Funds with a specific purpose and narrowing the timeframe. 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: How do I ask for information? | Scottish Information Commissioner

• Part c) Distinction Between Funding from the Scottish Government vs. Other Scottish Budget Lines etc:

The budget and actual funding provided by the Scottish Government to each public body in any financial year will be 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. A list of public bodies within Scotland, including links to their websites, is available on the National public bodies: directory - gov.scot.

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.