Documentation in relation to Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care meeting with Galloway Community Action Group, Dumfries and Galloway IJB and NHS Dumfries and Galloway: FOI release

Information requested

1. Any contemporary notes that the Health Minister, Neil Gray MSP, may have taken at his meeting in October of 2025 time with NHS D&G, immediately following his visit to the Galloway Community Hospital (GCH) in Stranraer meeting with the Galloway Community Hospital Action Group.

2. The official note/minute of the said meeting with NHS D&G in October 2025 on the matter of the Maternity Unit at the Galloway Community Hospital.

3. Any correspondence between the Health Minister and NHS D&G following their meeting in October 2025 regarding the matter of the Maternity Unit at the GCH, and Maternity Services in Wigtownshire.

4. Any written documents with an explanation on what the First Minister meant when he said on a Border TV interview when that he would listen to what the communities wanted in Wigtownshire regarding maternity services, which is a matter of public record.

Response

Please find the below answers to each of your questions.

1. While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance the Scottish Government does not have the information you have requested. The reasons why we do not have the information are explained in the Annex to this letter.

2. I enclose a copy of the minute of the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care’s meeting with Galloway Community Action Group, Dumfries and Galloway IJB and NHS Dumfries and Galloway to discuss local maternity services on 15 October 2025. An exemption under Section 38(1)(b) of FOISA applies to some of the information. The reason why that exemption applies are explained in the annex to this letter.

3. I enclose a copy of an email exchange between officials, acting on the Cabinet Secretary’s behalf, and NHS Dumfries and Galloway following their meeting on 15 October 2025. I have also enclosed the relevant attachments. Please note that whilst the figures in the attachments were accurate as of October 2025, these are not current. An exemption under Section 38(1)(b) of FOISA applies to some of the information. The reason why that exemption applies are explained in the annex to this letter.

4. While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance we are unable to provide the information you have requested because exemptions under Sections 30b(ii) and 30c of FOISA applies to that information. The reasons why the exemptions apply are explained in the Annex to this letter.

ANNEX

Reasons for not providing information

The Scottish Government does not hold the information requested

The Scottish Government does not have the information you have asked in relation to “any contemporary notes that the Health Minister, Neil Gray MSP, may have taken at his meeting in October of 2025” because the Cabinet Secretary did not take any contemporary notes during this meeting.

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

An exemption applies

An exemption(s) under section(s) Section 38(1)(b) of FOISA applies to some of the information you have requested. This is because it is personal data of a third party, ie names, titles and contact details of Scottish Government officials below Senior Civil Service and externals who do not have public facing roles, disclosing this information would therefore contravene data protection principles.

This exemption is not subject to the ‘public interest test’, so we are not required to consider if the public interest in disclosing the information outweighs the public interest in applying the exemption.

An exemption applies, subject to the public interest test

An exemption under Section 30(b)(ii) and Section 30(c) applies to some of the information you have requested. These exemptions recognise the need to allow Ministers some private space for discussion.

These exemptions are 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, there is a greater public interest in maintaining the process of achieving collective responsibility within a private space within which policy positions can be explored and refined by Ministers in order that the Government, as a whole, can reach a final decision. This private thinking space also allows for all options to be properly considered, so that good policy decisions can be taken. Premature disclosure is likely to undermine the full and frank discussion of issues between Ministers, which in turn will undermine the quality of the policy-/decisionmaking process.

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.

FOI 202600509744 - Information Released - Documents

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