Scottish Government legal fees contesting Scottish Information Commissioner: FOI release

Information requested

How much has the Scottish Government spent on defending itself against the Scottish Information Commissioner over the last five years, with a breakdown per year and what the money was spent on?

Response

We have interpreted your request for costs spent on 'defending itself against the Scottish Information Commissioner' to cover legal costs incurred in court proceedings. The table below provides a breakdown of costs incurred by financial year. The amounts presented comprise court fees, counsel’s fees and judicial expenses paid to the Scottish Information Commissioner.

Financial Year	Case Name	Amount
2020-2021	Scottish Ministers v Scottish Information Commissioner & James W Hunter (XA70/20)	£9,077.67
2021-2022		£0.00
2022-2023		£0.00
2023-2024	Scottish Ministers v Scottish Information Commissioner & Benjamin Harrop (XA10/23) - Costs incurred over two financial years	£35,370.00
2024-2025	Scottish Ministers v Scottish Information Commissioner & Benjamin Harrop (XA10/23) - Costs incurred over two financial years	£35,394.00
2025-2026	Scottish Ministers v Scottish Information Commissioner & Benjamin Harrop (XA29/25)	£8,518.00
Total		£88,359.67

To note; this year, similar information to the above table has been published by the Scottish Government on our website and is accessible through the following links:

Cumulative costs of Scottish Government legal fees from 2020

External legal fees for Court of Session appeal XA10/23

Scottish Government legal fees contesting Scottish Information Commissioner

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.