Correspondence held by the Scottish Government regarding funding to Scottish Action for Mental Health (SAMH): FOI release

Information requested

1. Could you supply all documentation held by the Scottish Government, including correspondence sent and received (including internal), minutes/notes from meetings, briefings and analysis, about the decision to give £400k to Craig Ferguson, between June 1 2026 and the date of this FOI?

2. Can you confirm whether this money to SAMH is new money or was already confirmed in the Budget or by other means? If it is new money, how much was SAMH getting before?

Response

1. Could you supply all documentation held by the Scottish Government, including correspondence sent and received (including internal), minutes/notes from meetings, briefings and analysis, about the decision to give £400k to Craig Ferguson, between June 1 2026 and the date of this FOI?

You can find documentation related to this question within ANNEX A.

2. Can you confirm whether this money to SAMH is new money or was already confirmed in the Budget or by other means? If it is new money, how much was SAMH getting before?

The £400,000 is new money for SAMH beyond what they have been allocated in this financial year and will be provided and managed from within the existing health and care portfolio budget for 2026-27.

The money will be provided directly to SAMH via a grant to assist them in delivering the Nook programme of walk-in mental wellbeing hubs.

Scottish Government already provides SAMH with approximately £1.3M funding per annum from the mental health budget for its role in various mental health and suicide prevention programmes.

While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance we are unable to provide some the information you have requested because of the following exemptions under FOISA:

• Section 25(1) – information is available elsewhere
• Section 29(1)(a) – formulation or development of Scottish Government policy;
• Section 29(1)(b) – communications between Ministers
• Sections 30(b)(i) and (ii) - free and frank advice and exchanges of views;
• Section 36(1) - legal advice;
• Section 38(1)(b) – personal identifiable information.

We have provided more information regarding these exemptions within Annex B, including explanations of which exemptions are subject to the public interest test.

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 202600523730 - Information released - Annex A

File type

PDF

File size

2.3 MB

FOI 202600523730 - Information released - Annex B

File type

PDF

File size

83.4 kB