FOI/202500475367 · FOI · unclear
Events at Bute House residence: FOI release
Information requested
“A list of all events held in Bute House from 29 March 2023 to date, how much they cost to hold, and who or what person/organisation paid these costs.”
Response
Bute House is the official residence of the First Minister of Scotland. Its historical and cultural importance supports diplomatic engagement adding gravitas to dinners, receptions and meetings thereby supporting the significance of the occasion.
As you will be aware the First Minister holds a range of internal and external meetings and engagements within the Bute House residence. I have included a list of engagement sessions which incurred a cost for catering which can be found in Annex A.
ANNEX A
A list of all events held at Bute House which incurred a catering cost between 29 March 2023 to 10 July 2025:
2023:
Date Event Costs 26/10/2023 Lunch with Miguel Berger, German Ambassador to the UK £603.09 31/10/2023 Investor Panel Presentation and Dinner £1516.20 07/11/2023 Reception for Race the World Champions £1362.10 16/11/2023 Scottish Cities Alliance Leadership Group Dinner £1376.21 17/11/2023 Meeting with Jewish Community £250.00 22/11/2023 Lunch with Michelle O’Neill, FM-designate of Northern Ireland £449.10 07/12/2023 Dinner with the Director of the Edinburgh International Festival, Nicola Benedetti £129.56 08/12/2023 Reception for care experienced young adults £1,376.18 14/12/2023 Christmas Media Reception £2,405.37 18/12/2023 Lunch with Manar Dabbas, Jordanian Ambassador to the UK £563.73
2024:
Date Event Costs 16/01/2024 Institute of Directors: Director of the Year Award Winners Reception £1,643.47 19/03/2024 FSB Small Business Awards Reception £1,497.43 28/03/2024 Interfaith Iftar Reception £2,788.62 15/04/2024 Lunch with Pedro Serrano, EU Ambassador to the UK £538.68 29/04/2024 Vaisakhi Reception £5,362.55 07/08/2024 All Festivals Reception £2,294.33 14/08/2024 Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo Reception £1,812.14 10/09/2024 Reception for World Schools Debating Championship winners £1,219.00 19/09/2024 Sir Jim McDonald, Principal of the University of Strathclyde and Scottish Energy Advisory Board co-chair, Juergen Maier Chair of Great British Energy, and Gillian Martin MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Net-Zero and Energy £713.90 28/09/2024 Dinner to mark the 25th Anniversary of the Scottish Parliament £2,490.40 01/10/2024 Brave@Heart Awards - Edinburgh £1,532.80 10/10/2024 Dinner with Eluned Morgan MS, First Minister of Wales £730.00 23/10/2024 Reception for Afghan Medical Students £1,202.20 24/10/2024 Young Carers Afternoon Tea £1,917.10 11/11/2024 Meeting with Loig Chesnais-Girard, President of the Regional Council of Brittany £292.80 27/11/2024 Bishop Conference Lunch £1,013.66 10/12/2024 Christmas Card Launch with Children First £1,036.20 16/12/2024 Media Reception £1,078.65
2025:
Date Event Costs 06/01/2025 Dinner with Senior Culture Sector Representatives £1,917.25 13/01/2025 Ministerial Code Advisors Lunch £448.40 04/02/2025 Dinner with Scotland's leading Philanthropists £805.90 05/02/2025 Investment Dinner in partnership with Scottish National Investment Bank £1,655.05 17/02/2025 Dinner with Alan Cumming, Artistic Director, Pitlochry Festival Theatre £615.55 18/02/2025 Offshore Wind Investor Dinner £1,426.35 28/02/2025 Lord Justice Retirement Dinner £2,199.30 04/03/2025 India Scotland Business Meet Reception £1,892.50 14/04/2025 EID Reception £3,033.30 22/04/2025 Peace Accords Reception £2,661.90 08/05/2025 Dinner with Carole Colburn Grigor, Carnegie Medal Reception £3,064.02 18/05/2025 Bobby Jones Scholarship Afternoon Tea £2,034.40 20/05/2025 Scottish Curling Reception £1,376.75 29/05/2025 Dinner with Hiroshi Suzuki, Japanese Ambassador to the UK £2,070.50 02/06/2025 Investment Dinner with Martin Gilbert £1,029.58 05/06/2025 Investment Dinner with Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw and Professor Sir Anton Muscatelli £1,031.22 11/06/2025 EU Ambassador Roundtable £730.00
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Contact Please quote the FOI reference Central Correspondence Unit Email: contactus@gov.scot Phone: 0300 244 4000 The Scottish Government St Andrew's House Regent Road Edinburgh EH1 3DG
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