Funding for Edinburgh International Book Festival correspondence: FOI release

Information requested

All internal or external Scottish Government correspondence related to the decision on March 28, 2025 to award £300,000 in one-off funding to Edinburgh International Book Festival.

That would include all attached documents, meeting handouts, memos, briefings to ministers, attendee lists and locations of any related meetings, notes, minutes, or OneNote memos.

Response

I enclose a copy of most of the information you requested.

Some of the information you have requested is available from : Edinburgh Book Festival 2025 funding: 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.

While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance we are unable to provide some of the information you have requested because exemptions under Sections 30 (b)(i) and (ii), Section 25(1), Section 33(1)(b), and Section 38(1)(b) of FOISA applies to that information. The reasons why these exemptions apply are explained below:

• Section 25(1) - as set out above, some of the information is already available online.
• Sections 30(b)(i) and (ii) – this exemption applies because disclosure would, or would be likely to, inhibit substantially the free and frank provision of advice. This exemption recognises the need for officials to have a private space within which to provide free and frank advice to Ministers and other officials before the Scottish Government reaches a settled public view. Disclosing the content of free and frank advice will substantially inhibit the provision of such advice in the future.
• Section 33(1)(b) - the information is sensitive financial information of a third party organisation, and disclosure would (or would be likely to) prejudice substantially the commercial interests of any person or organisation.
• Section 38(1)(b) - these exemptions regulate the relationship between FOISA, the UK General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018.

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 202500483460 - Information released - Documents

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