Permission for the Health Secretary to take a guest to an event: FOI release

Information requested

In line with the ministerial code, please provide me with the written permission obtained by Neil Gray and/or staff asking the First Minister for written permission to take his child to the football with him.

Response

For the purposes of responding to this FOI request I am taking your reference to the Cabinet Secretary having taken his child to the football with him as referring to the occasions that the Cabinet Secretary was accompanied to football events by a family member or guest over 2023 and 2024, as he has set out in public statements including his statement to the Scottish Parliament on 14 November 2024.

I can confirm that there is no requirement in the Scottish Ministerial Code for Ministers to seek written permission from the First Minister when a family member is accompanying them, unless additional travelling expenses are being incurred. This is true for both the 2024 edition of the Code, and for the 2023 edition of the Code that would have applied when the occasion being referred to occurred. Extracts of the relevant provisions from each edition of the Code referring to Travelling expenses are included in the Annex.

As the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care confirmed in his statement to the Scottish Parliament on 14 November 2024, no additional travelling expenses were incurred by the family member travelling with him, so this provision does not apply.

This is a formal notice under section 17(1) of FOISA that the Scottish Government does not have the information you have requested.

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.

FOI 202500475371 - Information released - Annex

File type

PDF

File size

83.0 kB