Scottish Government engagement with the government of Northern Ireland: FOI release

Information requested

1. Which types of engagement have taken place between Northern Ireland governmental officials and counterparts in Scotland, including First Minister level.

2. A timeline of the dates of the engagement instances identified in response to Question 1.

3. A list of invitees and subsequent attendees of the engagement instances identified in response to Question 1.

4. The Agenda, minutes and any background briefings related to the engagement identified in response to Question 1.

5. Any ‘next steps’ regarding engagement between Northern Irish and Scottish Government Ministers or government officials.

Response

Question 1: Which types of engagement have taken place between Northern Ireland governmental officials and counterparts in Scotland, including First Minister level.

The Scottish Government has held regular official level meetings with counterparts from Northern Irish, Welsh, and UK Governments to discuss the recommendations made by the Patient Safety Commissioner for England’s Hughes Report. The majority of these meetings have taken place via Microsoft Teams. One in person meeting has taken place.

No Ministerial level meetings have taken place as of 10 December 2025.

Question 2: A timeline of the dates of the engagement instances identified in response to Question 1.

The official level meetings generally take place on a fortnightly basis. A number of scheduled meetings have not proceeded owing to practical scheduling considerations or because there was no substantive new business to discuss.

The in person meeting took place on 3 June 2025.

Question 3: A list of invitees and subsequent attendees of the engagement instances identified in response to Question 1.

Regular Scottish Government attendees:

• Greig Chalmers, Head of the Chief Medical Officer’s Policy Division
• Head of the Medical Devices and Legislation Unit
• Senior Medical Devices Policy Manager
• Team Leader Medicines Regulation, Safety and Data Policy
• Senior Policy Manager - Medicine Regulation, Safety and Data
• Senior Policy Manager Medicines Policy

Officials from other policy areas attend on an as required basis.

While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance we are unable to provide the names of the more junior or non-public-facing Scottish Government officials in attendance, or of the officials from other UK administrations. This information is personal data of the individuals concerned, and disclosing it would contravene the data protection principles set out in Article 5(1)(a) of the UK GDPR and in section 34(1) of the Data Protection Act 2018. This information is therefore exempt from disclosure under section 38(1)(b) of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA). However, we have provided the relevant job titles of Scottish Government officials where appropriate.

Question 4: The Agenda, minutes and any background briefings related to the engagement identified in response to Question 1.

The standing agenda for the regular official-level meetings consists of brief updates from each government, followed by an “Any Other Business” (AOB) item. The AOB section provides an opportunity for participants to raise any concerns or queries that have arisen between meetings.

The documentation held by the Scottish Government and within the scope of your request is summarised in Annex A. The papers and meeting notes covered by your request contain exploratory thinking, draft options, and provisional advice that have not yet been subject to formal decision-making. Disclosure at this stage could inhibit officials’ ability to engage in free and frank policy development and risks presenting incomplete or evolving ideas in a way that may mislead the public about the Government’s position or intentions.

Accordingly, some of the information you have requested has been withheld under Section 29(1) of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA), which exempts information relating to the formulation or development of Scottish Government policy. This exemption is applied where release would reveal internal policy development or the deliberative processes that inform policy decisions. Disclosure at this stage could undermine the Government’s ability to develop policy effectively, openly, and in a considered manner.

Further information has been withheld under Section 30(b)(i) and (ii) of FOISA, which protects the free and frank provision of advice and exchange of views for the purposes of deliberation. Releasing the detail of policy discussions would be likely to inhibit officials from providing candid and constructive contributions in future, particularly where issues are complex or sensitive, and where early-stage discussions do not represent established policy. Disclosure could therefore lead to misinterpretation of preliminary or exploratory thinking and create an inaccurate impression of potential future decisions. The public interest lies in ensuring that officials can deliberate freely to support robust and wellinformed decision-making.

We are also withholding some information under Sections 3(2)(a)(ii) and 28(1) of FOISA. Section 3(2) (a)(ii) exempts information obtained from a Minister of the Crown or a UK Government department. Section 28(1) applies where disclosure would, or would be likely to, substantially prejudice relations between the Scottish Government and another UK administration. The withheld information relates to communications shared in confidence between the Scottish Government and the other three UK administrations. Disclosure would be likely to undermine the mutual trust and candour required for effective inter-governmental working, thereby prejudicing current and future relations. This exemption is subject to the public interest test. While we acknowledge the public interest in transparency around inter-governmental engagement and decision-making, we consider that the public interest in maintaining constructive and effective relationships between the Scottish Government and other UK administrations outweighs the public interest in disclosure. Releasing this information would likely inhibit open discussion and cooperation, which would not be in the public interest.

Documentation within scope that can be disclosed has been provided in Annex B.

Question 5: Any ‘next steps’ regarding engagement between Northern Irish and Scottish Government Ministers or government officials.

Regular official level meetings will continue to be scheduled on a fortnightly basis.

Scottish Government Ministers stand ready to discuss the report with UK Ministers, and with Ministers from the other Devolved Governments. The Scottish Cabinet Secretary and Minister for Public Health and Women’s Health have offered to meet with the UK Government on three occasions since the July 2024 UK General Election.

The UK Government has agreed to a meeting in principle, but no meeting has been arranged.

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 202500493235 - Information released - Annex A & Annex B

File type

PDF

File size

131.0 kB