202300351741 · FOI · released
Scottish Government Charitable Housing Bonds: FOI release
Information requested
Whether the charitable bond programme was debated in Scottish Parliament prior to its initial launch some 8 years or more ago? Specifically we would like to know whether parliament debated the structure of the bonds and the mechanics of the bond purchases, the proceeds of which spawn the charitable loans and the donations, whether Parliament voted to approve this programme and when? Where can we find a record of the parliamentary debate? If the bond programme was not debated in parliament, who in Government or which body was authorised to commit government funds to the programme, and was authorised to approve the bond structure and mechanics? Could you please provide a list of all the bond purchases / investments made by Scottish Government to date, the amounts of each investment / bond purchase, and when each investment was made? Could you please provide a list of all the charitable loans made to date under the programme, who was the borrower in each case, the corresponding loan amounts, and when the loans were made, as the Scottish Government approves all such loans. Could you provide a list of each of the charitable donations accompanying these loans, the amount of each individual donation, when it was made and who the beneficiary was?
Response
I enclose a copy of some of the information you requested.
The Charitable Bond Programme was not debated by the Scottish Parliament. The Scottish Government followed the guidance in the Scottish Public Finance Manual. The Scottish Government does not have the information you have asked for because it was not debated in Parliament. For future reference this is the link to the search facility of the Scottish Parliament Official Report: search what was said in Parliament. If you wish to contact the Scottish Parliament direct the contact email is foi.officer@parliament.scot. For the purposes of this FOISA please note the Scottish Government and Scottish Parliament are 2 separate organisations. This is a formal notice under section 17(1) of FOISA that the Scottish Government does not have the information you have requested. Approval was completed through an internal Scottish Government Incurring Expenditure Authorisation Form which was approved by the Deputy Director for More Homes, the Director General Communities and finally by the Deputy First Minister. The Incurring Expenditure Authorisation Form set out the mechanics of the scheme and the bond structure. I enclose a copy of all of the information you requested see schedule 1. I enclose a copy of all of the information you requested see schedule 1. I enclose a copy of all of the information you requested see schedule 2.
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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.