Spending on fireworks licensing system development: FOI release

Information requested

“Please supply a year-by-year breakdown of Scottish Government spending on the development and creation of its fireworks licensing system from financial year 2021/22 to 2025/26 to date inclusive. This should include the total value of spending in each financial year, and a description of the activity and material obtained for that spending in as much detail as possible within the £600 request compliance limit laid down by FoISA”.

Response

We have identified that the Scottish Government holds some of the information you requested. This is a formal notice under section 17(1) of FOISA that the Scottish Government does not have all the information you have requested.

The total spend on the development and creation of a fireworks licensing system under the CivTech Challenge 9.9 was £18,000, which was all incurred in 2023/24. The work was part of the CivTech Exploration stage, looking at a technology solution for licensing systems, starting with licencing of tobacco and fireworks products. During the Exploration stage the shortlisted companies advance their understanding of the problem and develop their ideas and proposal to solve the Challenge. The fireworks aspect of the Challenge was not progressed beyond the Exploration stage, and no further cost was incurred in respect of the creation of a fireworks licensing system. While CivTech Challenge 9.9 was re-framed to focus solely on tobacco product licensing, the Challenge benefits of developing improved cross-government licensing systems that are accessible, usable, and efficient, could still benefit any future firework licensing scheme.

The development, consultation, drafting, and implementation of the Firework and Pyrotechnic (Scotland Act 2022 - Part 2 of which makes provision for a fireworks licensing system - involved a number of civil servants working across a wide range of areas simultaneously and intermittently. In line with usual practice, details of individual tasks carried out by civil servants, including the number of hours spent on them, are not routinely recorded because there is no business need to do this. Therefore, I am unable to provide you with a specific figure for staff costs for work conducted in connection with the development of policy and legislation for a firework licensing system for 2021/22, 2022/23, 2023/24, 2024/25 or 2025/26.

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