Police Workforce, Diversity and Inquiry Sponsorship team meeting information: FOI release

Information requested

(A). Copies of any minutes or records of meetings held during 2025 at which officials from the Police Workforce, Diversity and Inquiry Sponsorship team discussed issues relating to police officers being unable to retire due to pension buyback or pension scheme interaction issues.

(B). Confirmation of whether any specific meetings were held during 2025 to discuss these issues, and if so, copies of the minutes or records of those meetings.

(C). Confirmation of whether the Police Workforce, Diversity and Inquiry Sponsorship team reports into or chairs any governance or oversight group, and if so, copies of any minutes from meetings held during 2025 at which these issues were discussed.

Response

Point (A). While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance the Scottish Government does not have the information you have requested. This is because the Police Workforce, Diversity and Inquiry Sponsorship team has not discussed pension issues at any meetings. Policy responsibility of this team is limited to maintaining an awareness of police pension scheme matters in an observer capacity only.

As such, I hereby provide you with formal notice under section 17(1) of FOISA that the Scottish Government does not have the information you have requested.

Point (B). With regard to your request about any specific meetings that arose to discuss police pension interaction issues held in 2025, I can advise that the Scottish Public Pensions Agency, (SPPA), administers pensions for Scottish Police officers on behalf of the Scottish Government.

On 24 February 2025 SPPA officials attended the Scottish Police Pension Scheme Advisory Board (SAB), where a range of issues related to the Police Pension Scheme were discussed. Matters within the scope of this request were raised and minutes of this meeting are available on the SPPA website at: https://pensions.gov.scot/police/scheme-governance-and-legislation/scheme-advisory-board under the Police SAB “Minutes and Agendas”.

This information is reasonably obtainable by you and therefore, this is a formal notice under section 25(1) of FOISA that the information you have requested is already available to you.

Officials from the Police Workforce, Diversity and Inquiry Sponsorship team also attend the Scottish Police Pension SAB as observers. As outlined above, minutes are available on the SPPA website.

On 23 September 2025 the Scottish Police Pension SAB again met and currently, minutes regarding the meeting have been drafted but are not yet available to view. These minutes are subject to final approval and are due to be published in March 2026. Therefore, an exemption under S27(1) – Information intended for future publication has been applied.

This exemption is subject to the ‘public interest test’. Therefore, taking account of all the circumstances of this case, we have considered if the public interest in disclosing the information outweighs the public interest in applying the exemption. We have found that, on balance, the public interest lies in favour of upholding the exemption. We recognise that there is a public interest in disclosing information as part of open, transparent and accountable government, and to inform public debate. However, we are satisfied that the information was scheduled to be published within 12 weeks at the time your request was made. The decision to publish the information in March had not been taken after you requested it and the exemption applies both to documents which are ready for publication, and to information in draft form which needs further work. It includes information published at regular intervals, such as annual or quarterly reports,or minutes of scheduled meetings and premature disclosure would not be in the public interest.

Point (C). The Police Workforce, Diversity and Inquiry Sponsorship team reports into the Scottish Police Consultative Forum, (SPCF) oversight group. Police pension matters were not discussed at any meetings in 2025 and consequently, no minutes of meetings are considered to be within scope of this request.

The Police Workforce, Diversity and Inquiry Sponsorship team also reports into the Police Negotiating Board for Scotland, (PNBS) governance group and a Pensions Update featured as an agenda item at a meeting on 2 May 2025. Minutes of this meeting are available on the PNBS website at: https://www.gov.scot/groups/police-negotiating-board-scotland/ under “Publications 2025”.

I can advise that this information is reasonably obtainable by you and therefore, this is a formal notice under section 25(1) of FOISA that the information you have requested is already available to you.

Furthermore, it may also be helpful to view the Scottish Parliament website at https://www.parliament.scot which provides Parliamentary Questions S6W-42796 and S6W-42797, asked by Sharon Dowey MSP. These were subsequently answered on 15 January 2026 by Ivan McKee MSP, Minister for Public Finance. These PQ’s reflect the nature of your FOI request and this may be of interest to you.

Again, I hereby provide you with formal notice that the information in respect of related Parliamentary Questions is reasonably obtainable. This is a formal notice under section 25(1) of FOISA that this information is already available to you.