Democracy Matters Steering Group information: FOI release

Information requested

Information about the Democracy Matters Steering Group including if the group was formed, when this group met and for how long, when they are scheduled to meet next, who are members of the group, if it has produced a report, who it was reported to and will it be available to the public and lastly whether members of the Scottish Cabinet involved in the meetings.

Response

Some of the information you have requested is available from the following webpage: Democracy Matters: Steering Group - gov.scot. This page confirms that this group was formed, who are members of this group (including the attendance of the Minister for Public Finance, Mr McKee MSP and how often the group has met so far. However, to ensure absolute clarity, below is the list of your questions with corresponding answers:

1. Was the group formed – Yes, the group was formed in December 2024

2. How often has it met and for how long – The group has met a total of six times, there is a meeting scheduled later this month. Meeting lengths varied depending on the needs of the group.

3. When is it next scheduled to meet – 18 February 2026 Scottish Ministers, special advisers and the Permanent Secretary are covered by the terms of the Lobbying (Scotland) Act 2016. See www.lobbying.scot St Andrew's House, Regent Road, Edinburgh EH1 3DG www.gov.scot

4. Who were the members of the group – You can find the membership list on the above Steering Group page

5. Has it produced a report, if so who did it report too and is it available in the public - The Steering Group have not produced a report, but their work is informing the development of a publication to set out proposals for the future of community led decision-making, as part of the Democracy Matters consultation process. The current Programme for Government outlines that this will be published before the end of the parliament and can be found here: Programme for Government 2025 to 2026 - gov.scot.

6. Were members of the Scottish Cabinet involved in the meetings – No members of the Scottish Cabinet have been involved in these meetings.

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(s) 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.