Corporate spend savings correspondence and calculations: FOI Review

Information requested

Original request: 202500472708

1. How the Scottish Government calculated that a 20% reduction in public body corporate costs would result in a £1 billion in annualised savings as per its Public Service Reform Strategy published on 19 June 2025. Please set out the total costs that the Scottish Government currently estimates is being spent on corporate costs (using the same definition that’s in the strategy) and how the savings will be achieved in the financial years until 2029-30 when £1 billion in savings will be made.

2. All correspondence from the Minister for Public Finance to other Scottish Ministers and officials within the relevant Scottish Government directorate discussing the £1 billion target in annualised savings by 2029-30. Please include all correspondence relating to this subject including emails, letters and meetings (both virtual and in person – and including minutes of those meetings) since 1 January 2025.

Response

I have completed my review of our response to your request under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA) for:

1. "How the Scottish Government calculated that a 20% reduction in public body corporate costs would result in a £1 billion in annualised savings as per its Public Service Reform Strategy published on 19 June 2025. Please set out the total costs that the Scottish Government currently estimates is being spent on corporate costs (using the same definition that’s in the strategy) and how the savings will be achieved in the financial years until 2029-30 when £1 billion in savings will be made."

2. "All correspondence from the Minister for Public Finance to other Scottish Ministers and officials within the relevant Scottish Government directorate discussing the £1 billion target in annualised savings by 2029-30. Please include all correspondence relating to this subject including emails, letters and meetings (both virtual and in person – and including minutes of those meetings) since 1 January 2025."

You subsequently submitted a request to review the FOI response on the basis that:

• “Several redactions were made on the grounds of formulation of Scottish Government policy, section 29(1)(a), and the free and frank exchange of views, section 30(1)(b)(ii).”
• “All redactions made are subject to the public interest test and I believe it has been incorrectly applied in this case. The Scottish Information Commissioner previously noted in decision 128/2022 that where Scottish Ministers have made a policy commitment, it is in the public interest to understand the advice commissioned to inform policy development (paragraph 41) and required ministers to disclose information that the Scottish Government had previously redacted on similar grounds. This provides a clear precedent to provide the information that has been redacted on these grounds, so I am requesting it in full.”

I was asked to carry out the review because I was not involved in handling your original request. I have looked at the case afresh to establish whether the original response should be confirmed, with or without modifications as appropriate, or whether a fresh decision should be issued.

As part of this review I carefully considered the information that was released and redacted for this FOI response, and I have spoken with key members of staff who were directly involved in developing or contributing to the FOI response. I have also considered in detail the exemption guidance on the Scottish Information Commissioner’s web page, in particular the information on applying sections 29 and 30 - FOISA exemptions | Scottish Information Commissioner

Firstly please accept my apologies that the original response to your request advised that it was enclosing “a copy of all of the information requested” when there was information being withheld. The initial response should have confirmed that it enclosed most of the information requested. It should also have specified each of the exemptions that were being applied and outlined the public interest test for each exemption, where it is applicable, in order to meet our obligations under the legislation. Please accept my apologies that this was not done and I have now provided this below.

I have concluded that the following exemptions should continue to apply to some of the information that you have requested.

• Section 29(1)(a) – Formulation of Scottish Administration Policy
• Section 30(b)(ii) – Free and Frank exchange of views for the purposes of deliberation
• Section 38(1)(b) – Personal Information

A detailed explanation of why each exemption applies, and my reconsideration of the public interest test where it has been applied, can be found at Annex A.

Summary conclusions

Five documents were shared with you as part of the original FOI response. As part of this review I have considered each document in detail:

• A Ministerial meeting note summary document – I have upheld the exemption decisions applied to this document.
• A SCANCE extract – 28 April 2025 – In my view this document includes information which is out of scope of the original FOI request. This information was redacted in the earlier response under section 29. I do not believe that this is correct and I attach an amended document as part of this response.
• A Private Office email summary – In my view this document includes information which is out of scope of the original FOI request. This information was redacted in the earlier response under section 29. I do not believe that this is correct and I attach an amended document as part of this response. Although your review did not express a dissatisfaction on the application of section 38(1)(b) - Personal Information – of FoI(S)A, I noticed as part of my review that there was a small clerical error in this document on pages twelve and thirteen. The error was to withhold the personal information of a Special Adviser whose details were released elsewhere within the same document. I have for consistency released this information and apologise for this oversight. I have also highlighted the clerical error to the original case handler for future awareness.
• A Ministerial submission dated 22 May – I have upheld the original redactions to this document with one change. My view is that the redacted material initially considered exempt under Section 30(b)(ii) has a more appropriate fit with Section 29(1)(a) because the document offers Ministers advice in respect of early policy formulation. I attach an amended document as part of this response.
• A Ministerial submission dated 30 May – I have upheld the original redactions to this document with two changes. I believe that the information redacted in this document should be redacted under Section 29(1)(a). I also noted that this document contained material in paragraphs 11 and 14 that I consider to be out of scope of the original FOI. This information was redacted in the original response under Section 30(b)(ii) which I believe is incorrect. I attach an amended document as part of this response.

I hope that this information is helpful to you. I would also highlight two recent publications released on 25 June 2025 that may be of interest to you because of the close linkages with the recently published Public Service Reform Strategy – the Medium term Financial Strategy and the Fiscal Sustainable Delivery Plan. Here are web links to these documents.

Scotland's fiscal outlook: medium-term financial strategy - gov.scot

Fiscal sustainability delivery plan - gov.scot

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 - 202500477100 - Information released - Annex A

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PDF

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174.2 kB

FOI - 202500477100 - Information released - Annex B

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PDF

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763.9 kB