Correspondence regarding £180k payment for Nexo Championships and President of the United States dinner information: FOI release

Information requested

Any and all correspondence by government Ministers and civil servants regarding the £180,000 payment for the Nexo Championships, as announced by the First Minister on July 26, 2025.

Any economic assessment surrounding this decision.

Any correspondence between the Scottish Government and the organisers of the Nexo Championship prior to the funding announcement.

I would also like to request all information regarding John Swinney's dinner with Donald Trump on July 28th, including details of the venue, menu for dinner, who else was in attendance and any briefing notes provided to the first minister in relation to this dinner. Please include any correspondence between the Scottish Government and UK Government in relation to the meeting.

Response

While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance the Scottish Government does not have information you have requested in relation to:

Any economic assessment surrounding this decision.

However, you may wish to contact VisitScotland who provided funding to the DP World Tour.

Any correspondence between the Scottish Government and the organisers of the Nexo Championship prior to the funding announcement.

The Scottish Government had no contact with the DP World Tour who were the event organisers.

I enclose a copy of some of the information you requested in the format you asked for in relation to your other two questions. The answer to your questions is provided in the attached PDF document.

An exemption under section 38(1)(b) of FOISA (personal information) applies to some of the information requested because it is personal data of a third party, i.e. names and contact details of individuals, 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.

An exemption under section 30(b)(1) of FOISA (free and frank provision of advice and deliberation) apply to some of the information. This exemption applies because disclosure would, or would be likely to, inhibit substantially the free and frank provision of advice for the purposes of deliberation. This exemption is subject to the 'public interest test’ and we have considered if the public interest in disclosing the information outweighs the public interest in applying the exemption in this particular case.

An exemption under section 30(b)(ii) of FOISA (free and frank exchange of views) applies to some of the information requested. This exemption applies because disclosure would, or would be likely to, inhibit substantially the free and frank exchange of views for the purposes of deliberation.

This exemption recognises the need for Ministers and officials to have a private space within which to discuss and explore options before the Scottish Government reaches a settled public view. Disclosing the content of free and frank discussions will substantially inhibit such discussions in the future, particularly because these discussions relate to a sensitive or controversial issue.

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 a public interest in disclosing information as part of open, transparent and accountable government, and to inform public debate. However, there is a greater public interest in allowing Ministers and officials a private space within which to explore and refine the Government’s position certain issues, until the Government as a whole can adopt a position that is sound and likely to be effective.

This private thinking space is essential to enable all options to be properly considered, so that good policy decisions can be taken. Premature disclosure is likely to undermine the full and frank discussion of issues between Ministers and officials, which in turn will undermine the quality of the decision-making process, which would not be in the public interest.

An exemption under section 32(1)(a)(iv), international relations, of FOISA applies to some of the information that you requested. This exemption applies because disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice substantially the promotion or protection by the UK of its interests abroad.

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 a public interest in disclosing information as part of open, transparent and accountable government, and to inform public debate. However, there is a greater public interest in ensuring the protection of the Uk’s interests abroad.

Exemptions under section 33(1)(b) (Commercial sensitivities) of FOISA also applies to some of the information you have requested. Information is exempt under section 33(1)(b) if its disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice substantially the commercial interests of any person. "Person" includes a public authority, company and partnership, in this case the Scottish Government.

This exemption is subject to the 'public interest test'. We have found that, on balance, the public interest lies in favour of upholding the exemption. We recognise that there is a public interest in disclosing information as part of open and transparent government, and to help account for the expenditure of public money.

However, there is a greater public interest in protecting the commercial and financial interests of the Scottish Government and our stakeholders, to ensure that we are always able to obtain the best value for public money. 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.

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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 202500478126 - Information released - Documents

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PDF

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1.4 MB