Pay rise for Scottish Government ministers: FOI release
Information request and response under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002
Information requested
1. All correspondence between the First Minister, the First Minister’s staff, and the Scottish Parliament relating to the recent pay rise for Scottish Government ministers.
2. Confirmation of whether the First Minister has received a pay rise as part of this change. If so, please provide details of the amount and effective date of the increase.
Response
In response to your first question, I enclose a copy of the the information you requested at Annex A. An exemption under section 38(1) of FOISA applies to some of the information you have requested. I have redacted the names and contact details of Scottish Government staff below the grade of Senior Civil Servant and I have also redacted the personal data of third parties at the Scottish Parliament. This exemption is not subject to the 'public interest test', so we are not required to consider if the public interest in disclosing the information outweighs the public interest in applying the exemption.
In response to your second question, I can confirm that the First Minister has not received a pay rise and both the Ministerial and MSP elements of his pay remain frozen at 2008-09 levels.
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