Meetings between the First Minister and SSE PLC Chairman: FOI release

Information requested

I am writing to request information under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 regarding meetings between John Swinney, the current First Minister, and Sir John Manzoni, SSE plc Chairman who serves as a special and alleged “independent” adviser to the First Minister.

Specifically, I would like to obtain records of ALL meetings, whether in person, virtual, or otherwise, held between John Swinney and Sir John Manzoni since 6th December, 2024 until now.

Given Sir John Manzoni’s role as an adviser and his position in SSE plc. a company with multiple live planning applications with the Scottish Government’s ECU, I am extremely concerned about conflicts of interest or even the perception of such conflicts affecting critical decision-making processes within the Scottish Government with far eaching consequences on communities . I believe it is crucial for honesty, integrity, transparency, objectivity, openness and accountability, as set out in the Nolan Principles, that these interactions be documented and assessed.

Please include information such as:

1. Dates and times of all meetings.

2. Locations (or platforms, if virtual) where the meetings occurred.

3. Attendees present during the meetings, if applicable.

4. Agendas or topics discussed.

5. Any minutes or notes taken during the meetings.

If any of this information is exempt from disclosure, and there should be no reason for exemption if SSE’s live projects are never discussed, I would appreciate an explanation for the exemption. 

Response

For questions 1, 2, 3 and 5 - the information you have requested is available in our response to a previous Freedom of Information request. This can be found here: Meeting between First Minister and advisers on the Scottish Ministerial Code: FOI release - gov.scot

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(s) listed, then please contact me again and I will send you a paper copy.

For question 4 –I enclose a copy of the itinerary for the First Minister’s meeting with his Independent Advisers.

Outwith the FOI request, I thought it would be helpful to address your comments regarding Sir John Manzoni and potential conflicts of interest or perceived conflicts of interest. The appointment of Sir John Manzoni by the First Minister, as one of three independent advisers on the Ministerial Code is to provide advice to the First Minister on matters relating to the Ministerial Code. The independent advisers do not provide advice on matters of Government policy or planning matters.

The Terms of Reference for the Independent Advisers require them to declare any other professional roles they hold to ensure that a conflict of interest, or a perception of one, does not arise in their role as an Independent Adviser to the Ministerial Code. Their terms of reference can be found at: Terms of reference - The Scottish Ministerial Code: independent advisers - gov.scot.

If a conflict of interest were to arise, or the perception of one, in the consideration of a specific matter relating to the Ministerial code, an adviser would be expected to recuse themselves from advising on that particular matter.

I would also note that Sir John is not a Special Adviser to the Scottish Government. Special Advisers are appointed to serve the First Minister and other Ministers and add a political dimension to the advice and assistance available to them.

A list of current Special Advisers can be found at: Special advisers - 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 202500478775 - Information released - Annex A

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