Total Scottish Forestry staff attendance at Todrig judicial review hearing: FOI release

Information requested

I would like to make a FOI request, in relation to the Todrig judicial review, in which Scottish Forestry were found to have broken the law after a two-day hearing in the Court of Session in January 2026.

How many Scottish Forestry staff attended this hearing in person (in the Court of Session) for this judicial review? By 'attended', I mean staff visiting the hearing, even for a short time (such as an hour or two, not necessarily over the full two days).

Do Scottish Forestry hold a record of the number of hours expended by its staff for their work on the Todrig judicial review (from when the petition was lodged up to and including the two-day hearing), and do Scottish Forestry hold a record of these staff costs? If so for either or both of these, please provide the number of hours worked and total staff costs.

Response

How many Scottish Forestry staff attended this hearing in person (in the Court of Session) for this judicial review? By 'attended', I mean staff visiting the hearing, even for a short time (such as an hour or two, not necessarily over the full two days).

In total, 6 Scottish Forestry staff members attended the hearing in person at the Court of Session, either for part or all of the proceedings.

Under our duty in section 15 of FOISA to provide advice and assistance, we can provide the following context. The Todrig Judicial Review was the first occasion on which Scottish Forestry had been involved in a Court of Session hearing of this kind, noting that earlier judicial review proceedings did not proceed to a hearing. As a result, some staff members attended elements of the hearing for professional development or training purposes.

We would also advise that, while some Scottish Forestry staff attended the hearing in person, at least 5 additional staff members observed the proceedings via the Court of Session online livestream for at least part of the hearing. This is not an exhaustive figure, as the Court of Session livestream is publicly available and it would be reasonable to expect that individuals, including Scottish Forestry staff, may have chosen to observe the proceedings independently.

As such, it is not possible for Scottish Forestry to determine whether additional staff members viewed the proceedings online beyond those identified.

Do Scottish Forestry hold a record of the number of hours expended by its staff for their work on the Todrig judicial review (from when the petition was lodged up to and including the two-day hearing), and do Scottish Forestry hold a record of these staff costs? If so for either or both of these, please provide the number of hours worked and total staff costs.

In accordance with section 17(1) of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA), we issue a notice that some of the information you have requested is not held by Scottish Forestry. Scottish Forestry does not hold a record of the number of hours expended by its staff in relation to the Todrig judicial review (from the lodging of the petition up to and including the two‑day hearing).

Scottish Forestry also does not hold a record of staff costs associated with this work. As this information is not held, we are unable to provide the number of hours worked or the total staff costs requested.

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