Overall spend on agricultural subsidy IT system since 2016: FOI release

Information requested

How much money has the Scottish Government spent on its agricultural subsidy IT system overall since 2016, with a breakdown of all costs and per year?

Response

The response you are receiving is in relation to question above, reference 202600508243, which has been assigned to this business area. You should receive separate responses to the other questions you asked.

The Scottish Government does not operate a single agricultural subsidy IT system. Instead, the Agriculture and Rural Economy (ARE) Directorate runs a broad collection of systems that support payment processing, regulatory functions, and data management across multiple areas, including NatureScot, Scottish Forestry, plant and bee health, livestock identification and traceability, and estate management. These systems handle applications, eligibility checks, compliance activity, payments for legacy and transitional schemes, and maintain essential land parcel, mapping, and inspection data. Together, they ensure accurate payments, effective inspections, legal compliance, and support for core corporate functions.

The table below has been provided to cover the requested information. The costs shown represent all expenditure required to deliver and maintain the IT services described earlier, including spending on contractors and third‑party suppliers. Scottish Government staffing costs and Science and Advice for Scottish Agriculture (SASA) costs have been excluded.

Financial Year 2016/17	£32,458,073
Financial Year 2017/18	£33,768,000
Financial Year 2018/19	£30,498,045
Financial Year 2019/20	£16,980,090
Financial Year 2020/21	£16,645,318
Financial Year 2021/22	£18,226,730
Financial Year 2022/23	£22,956,143
Financial Year 2023/24	£22,956,143
Financial Year 2024/25	£20,551,902

For more detailed cost information, Scottish Government publish monthly and annual reports of Scottish Government expenditure over £25,000 which can be found at: Government spend over £25,000: monthly and annual reports - gov.scot.

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 then please contact us again and we will send you a paper copy.

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