FOI/202600522881 · FOI · not held
Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS) designation process: FOI release
Information requested
Full disclosure as to why the process to be designated for SAAS funding has taken so long and why there is no date for opening up this process.
Response
At the moment the acceptance of new designation applications from private providers has been paused to allow a review of the designation process. This is to ensure robust assurance arrangements are in place before the process reopens.
This review includes consideration of financial assurance, governance, regulatory compliance standards and wider controls intended to protect not just students but to also ensure the appropriate use of public funds.
As a result, while this work is being developed and assessed the process will remain paused.
Unfortunately, due to the complexity of the issues under consideration and the need to ensure any revised arrangements are robust before implementation, the review has taken longer than initially anticipated.
At present, no decision has been made by SAAS as to when the pause will be lifted and no reopening date has been agreed. As a result, SAAS does not hold recorded information indicating when the process will reopen.
Therefore, this is a formal notice under section 17(1) of FOISA that the Student Awards Agency Scotland does not hold the information requested that provides a confirmed date for when the designation process will reopen.
Any future updates regarding the reopening of the designation process will be published on the SAAS website.
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.
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
Detected exemption language
Therefore, this is a formal notice under section 17(1) of FOISA that the Student Awards Agency Scotland does not hold the information requested that provides a confirmed date for when the designation process will reopen.
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