Scottish Funding Council letter regarding strategic recovery of University of Dundee: FOI release
Information request and response under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002.
Information requested
You asked for a copy of correspondence held by the Scottish Government that contains the following passage (or substantially similar wording):
“The SFC’s view is that it is not appropriate that such fundamental decisions on shape and structure, as posited by the current university recovery plan, which will bind the university for decades, should be taken by an interim leadership team.”
Specifically, you requested:
1. A copy of the letter or correspondence from the Scottish Funding Council to the Scottish Government and/or to the University of Dundee containing this text.
2. Any covering communications (e.g. covering emails, submission notes, or internal briefings) that accompanied this correspondence when received or circulated within the Scottish Government.
3. If the Scottish Government holds multiple versions or related correspondence, please provide each.
Response
I enclose a copy of some of the information you requested. Annex A provides the covering email when the letter was circulated to Scottish Ministers as requested in your second bullet point. The Scottish Government does not hold multiple versions or related correspondence so no information has been provided in relation to your third bullet point in the request.
Some of the information you have requested is available from the Scottish Funding Council website.
The letter requested in the first bullet point of your request is available to view at https://www.sfc.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Letter-from-SFC-Chief-Executive-to-the-Acting-Chair-of-Court-in-response-to-the-Universitys-Recovery-Plan.pdf. 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.
An exemption(s) under section s.38(1) of FOISA applies to some of the information released in Annex A. This related to the personal information of Scottish Government officials below senior civil service grades or equivalent.
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