Potential breaches of the ministerial code: FOI release
Information request and response under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002
Information requested
How many letters/emails have the independent advisers to the ministerial code received about potential breaches of the ministerial code since being put in post by John Swinney, could you supply them all and the responses? If too much money, could you supply a summary of each letter and their response?
I.E. what was the complaint and whether it ended up in a probe?
Response
Some of the information you have requested is available from the Scottish Government website following a previous FOI request: Formal complaints made about Scottish Government Ministers under the Ministerial Code: FOI release - gov.scot This request provides relevant information up to October 2025. 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 listed, then please contact me again and I will send you a paper copy.
I enclose a copy of some of the information you requested for the period October 2025 to December 2025. 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 the following exemptions under sections:
- 38(1)(b) (personal data of a third party)
- 30(c) (the effective conduct of public affairs)
of FOISA apply to that information. The reasons why these exemptions apply are explained in the Annex to this letter.
Finally, some of the information you have requested is available from the Scottish Government website, where the Independent Advisers’ findings were published following their recent investigation. This can be found here: Ministerial code investigation: complaint about Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Home Affairs - gov.scot. As above, 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 listed, then please contact me again and I will send you a paper copy.
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.
Contact
Please quote the FOI reference
Central Correspondence Unit
Email: contactus@gov.scot
Phone: 0300 244 4000
The Scottish Government
St Andrew's House
Regent Road
Edinburgh
EH1 3DG