FOI/202500462504 · FOI · not held
Information held by the Scottish Government relating to Staff Networks: FOI release
Information requested
All information held relating to the due diligence done by the Scottish Government on the following staff networks: the Women’s Development Network, the Disabled Staff Network, the Faith and Belief Network, the LGBTI+ Network, the Race Equality Network, the Socio Economic Development Network. This should include any information you hold relating to whether these networks are expected to have any; constitution or rules covering membership, transparency of decision-making, decisions on who speaks on their behalf and consultation with the staff whose views they are treated as representing; and any information you hold for each network about each of those points, on the number of members each has, and on how each determines whether or not someone is a member. Please also provide information on and benefits to these networks provided in cash or kind in 2024-25, broken down between each network, where feasible, and budget set aside for them in 2025-26.
Response
I enclose a copy of most of the information you requested.
For point 1: Regarding the first part of your request, please see the 'Network Support Framework' and 'Role of Diversity Staff Network' documents attached. These contain all information available about due diligence in relation to the staff networks noted. Please note that the £15,000 budget noted in the Network Support Framework, highlighted for clarity, is currently suspended due to emergency spending measures. These have applied since August 2024.
The second part of your point requested "any information you hold for each network about each of those points, on the number of members each has, and on how each determines whether or not someone is a member". While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance the Scottish Government does not hold information on the number of members of diversity networks or how each determines whether or not someone is a member. This is a formal notice under section 17(1) of FOISA that the Scottish Government does not have the information you have requested.
For point 2: All staff diversity networks within Scottish Government are peer-to-peer volunteer led communities run by employees within the organisation or one of its agencies. Employees are given time as part of their routine working hours to contribute to network activities. Access to funding outside of this is available via the network support framework budget. All spending through this budget is currently subject to emergency spending measures (in place since August 2024) and is available to networks on a case by case basis.
For the year 2024 - 2025 spending by staff networks was as follows;
LGBTI+ £350.00 - to promote Pride 2024 Disabled Staff Network (DSN) £540.00 - to support event accessibility (live captioning) Faith and Belief Network £314.20 - to support event accessibility and event delivery (sketch-note artist) Women’s Development Network £600.00 - to support event accessibility (sketch note artist) and fees for 3 x live speakers. This event took place on 26th March 2024 therefore predates the spending controls.
No information is available for the year 2025 - 2026. This is a formal notice under section 17(1) of FOISA that the Scottish Government does not have the information you have requested.
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.
Detected exemption language
This is a formal notice under section 17(1) of FOISA that the Scottish Government does not have the information you have requested. This is a formal notice under section 17(1) of FOISA that the Scottish Government does not have the information you have requested.