Documentation relating to the Scottish Government’s commitment to increase annual culture budgets: FOI release

Information requested

All documentation held by the Scottish Government, including correspondence and received (including internal), minutes/notes from meetings, briefings and analysis, about the Scottish Government’s commitment to increase culture budgets by £100 million annually by 2028-29, from the last three months.

Response

Interpretation of the Request

We have interpreted your request as seeking documentation about the Scottish Government’s commitment to increase culture budgets by £100 million annually by 2028-29. This means the scope of the request is limited to material that specifically discusses or analyses this commitment, such as how the increase will be implemented, communicated, or reported on.

Accordingly, documents that merely mention the £100 million commitment in passing, without substantive discussion or relevance to the commitment itself, have not been included in the scope of this response.

Response to your request

I enclose a copy of some of the information you requested in ANNEX A, subject to the exceptions under sections 25(1), 38(1)(b) and 30(b)(i) as noted below.

Some of the information you have requested is available from Scotland as a cultural leader - First Minister's speech - 31 July 2025 - gov.scot and Culture Fair Work Taskforce minutes: September 2025 - 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 websites 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 of exemptions under sections 38(1)(b) and Section 30(b)(i).

The Section 38(1)(b) exemption (personal information) has been applied to some of the information you have requested because it is personal data of a third party, i.e. names, professions 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.

Exemption Section 38(1)(b) 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.

The Section 30(b)(i) exemption has been applied to some of the information you have requested because releasing it would, or would be likely to, inhibit the free and frank provision of advice. This means that if officials or advisers feel they cannot speak openly because their advice might later be made public it could affect the quality of decision-making. This exemption is designed to protect the policy development process, ensuring that Ministers and senior officials receive honest, candid advice without concern that it will be prematurely disclosed.

Exemption Section 30(b)(i) is subject to the 'public interest test'. In considering all relevant circumstances, an assessment was made as to whether the public interest in disclosing the information outweighs the public interest in applying the exemption.

There is a recognised public interest in transparency and accountability, particularly regarding public spending. However, this is outweighed by the need to protect the integrity of the decision-making process. Disclosure at this stage could inhibit the provision of full and frank advice to Ministers during budget formulation, potentially undermining the quality and effectiveness of future policy development.

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 202500488090 - Information released - ANNEX A

File type

PDF

File size

180.1 kB