Appointment of new Chief Executive of the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) information: FOI release
Information request and response under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002.
Information requested
All information held by the Scottish Government regarding the appointment of new Chief Executive of the SQA, which was confirmed last month: https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/114227.html. The response should include all communication, briefing, analysis, decision-making and other materials related to the appointment process, not just the specific ultimate appointment of Nick Page to the role.
Response
I enclose a copy of the information you requested.
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 of exemptions under sections 25(1), 30b(i), 30b(ii) and 38(1)(b) of FOISA.
Some of the information you have requested is available on the Scottish Government website. 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 listed below, then please contact me again and I will send you a paper copy.
Public sector pay policy: technical guide - April 2025 - gov.scot
Exemptions Under section 30(b)(i) and 30(b)(ii) – Free and Frank provision of advice/ exchange of view – apply to some of the information requested. This exemption is subject to the ‘public interest test’. Therefore, taking account of all the circumstances of this case, we have considered if the public interest in disclosing the information outweighs the public interest in applying the exemption. We have found that, on balance, the public interest lies in favour of upholding the exemption. We recognise that there is public interest in release of this information as it relates to SQA recruitment. However, release of this information could impact the relationship between the SQA and the Scottish Government and damage our ability to provide free and frank advice and views.
An exemption under section 38(1)(b) - personal information - applies to some of the information requested because it is personal data of a third party, i.e. names and contact details, and disclosing it would contravene the data protection principles in Article 5(1) of the General Data Protection Regulation and in section 34(1) of the Data Protection Act 2018. 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.
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