FOI/202600522584 · FOI · partially withheld
First Minister's trip to Boston: FOI release
Information requested
You asked for information about the First Minister's trip to Boston:
1. From the date of departure to returning to Scotland, how many days was this trip:
2. Other then yourself, who attended and what were their roles;
3. Where did you and the others on the trip stay, eg. Hotels, guesthouses, airbnb etc. And please provide a link to these places.
4. What was the cost of the accommodation for yourself and the total cost of the accommodation;
5. What was the total cost of the fights and what class did you and others attending fly eg. First, business etc.
6. Did you personally pay for any aspect of the trip eg. The ticket for the football game and how many who attended the trip attended the match.
7. What was the total cost of tickets to watch Scotland play and was this paid for by taxpayers money;
8. From what budget was the funds for the trip to Boston taken, and what is the internal policy position for such expenses.
9. Will you seek to reimburse the Scottish taxpayers.
Response
In relation to point 1, the First Minister left Edinburgh on 11 June and arrived in Boston the same day.The First Minister then travelled from Boston to Kentucky on 14 June before leaving Kentucky on 15th June and arriving in Edinburgh on 16 June.
In response to points 2, 4 and 5, an exemption has been applied to information relating to the estimated cost of the visit to the World Cup visits and related detail, including officials who attended in support of Ministers. It is our intention to publish this data within 12 weeks. This is a formal notice under Section 27(1) that the information is intended for future publication. This exemption is 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 some public interest in release because of the use of public funds to support this visit, and this will be met by our planned publication. In the meantime, there is a greater public interest in taking the time necessary to ensure the information has been properly collated and checked before it is published as planned. Also, we see no public interest in disrupting our programme of work to release the information ahead of the intended publication date.
To answer point 3, during his visit to Boston, both the First Minister and the rest of the travelling party stayed in the Godfrey Hotel Boston, 505 Washington Street, Boston, MA 02111 . The Godfrey Hotel Boston, Boston, United States of America - Lowest Rate Guaranteed! In Kentucky, the First Minister stayed at the 21c Museum Hotel Louisville, 700 W Main St, Louisville, KY 40202, United States 21.c Museum Hotel Louisville - Guest Reservations
To answer point 7, match tickets for Ministers and supporting officials were provided by FIFA. We are aware that FIFA provided the same courtesy for Ministerial led delegations of other countries participating in the World Cup.
For points 8 and 9, the budget and whether the First Minister will reimburse, the cost of Ministers travelling on official business, as was the case here, is met by the Scottish Government.
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
In response to points 2, 4 and 5, an exemption has been applied to information relating to the estimated cost of the visit to the World Cup visits and related detail, including officials who attended in support of Ministers. This is a formal notice under Section 27(1) that the information is intended for future publication. This exemption is 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.
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