Transparency index

Scottish Government FOI releases

8,100releases indexed
12,778attachments found
26.3avg calendar days
3,233partially withheld
2024-04-15oldest in sample
2026-05-15newest in sample

Outcomes

partially withheld 3,233 unclear 2,138 not held 1,271 released 577 already published 335 cost limit 300 clarification 127 withheld 93 transferred 26

Top Exemptions

s.38(1) 2197 s.20 1678 s.34(1) 1655 s.39(2) 1422 s.30 1343 s.17(1) 1138 s.25(1) 1033 s.10(4) 875 s.11(2) 707 s.29(1) 577 s.2 501 s.3 379

Timeline

2026-05 339 2026-04 312 2026-03 217 2026-02 589 2026-01 479 2025-12 177 2025-11 263 2025-10 217

Directorate Profiles

Communications and Ministerial Support Directorate 535 releases · 27.5 avg days Energy and Climate Change Directorate 486 releases · 27.5 avg days Population Health Directorate 333 releases · 25.2 avg days Marine Directorate 321 releases · 26.4 avg days Local Government and Housing Directorate 311 releases · 25.6 avg days People Directorate 268 releases · 24.4 avg days Equality, Inclusion and Human Rights Directorate 247 releases · 31.4 avg days Agriculture and Rural Economy Directorate 221 releases · 24.0 avg days
Clear
60 matching releases

Former Minister for Mental Health's WhatsApp messages during the Covid 19 pandemic: FOI Review

Original request 202400426487 MSP Claire Haughey What's App messages from her ministerial position during the Covid 19 pandemic.

FOI partially withheld 90 score 24 working days over deadline correspondence ministers whatsapp s.25(1) s.29(1) s.30 s.38(1) s.34(1) 2 attachments
Published
2025-03-25
Reference
FOI/202400430870 Review of 202400426487
Directorate
Communications and Ministerial Support Directorate
Topic
Coronavirus (COVID-19) and other respiratory infections in Scotland, Public sector

Shona Robison's Covid 19 WhatsApp messages: FOI Review

Original request 202400427831 MSP Shona Robison's What's App messages from her ministerial position during the Covid 19 pandemic.

FOI partially withheld 90 score 20 working days correspondence ministers whatsapp s.29(1) 2 attachments
Published
2025-03-25
Reference
FOI202400430842 Review of 202400427831
Directorate
Communications and Ministerial Support Directorate
Topic
Coronavirus (COVID-19) and other respiratory infections in Scotland, Public sector

Former Minister for Mental Health WhatsApp messages from February 2020 to February 2021: FOI release

1. Requesting Clare Haughey's WhatsApp messages from February 2020 to February 2021.

FOI partially withheld 90 score 17 working days correspondence ministers whatsapp s.29(1) s.30 s.38(1) s.34(1) 2 attachments
Published
2025-03-25
Reference
FOI/202400438990
Directorate
Communications and Ministerial Support Directorate
Topic
Coronavirus (COVID-19) and other respiratory infections in Scotland, Public sector

Mairi McAllan's WhatsApp messages during the Covid-19 pandemic: FOI Review

Original request: 202400435281 You asked for Mairi McAllan's WhatsApp messages from the Covid 19 pandemic.

FOI partially withheld 90 score 78 working days over deadline correspondence ministers whatsapp s.29(1) s.30 s.38(1) s.34(1) 2 attachments
Published
2025-03-25
Reference
FOI/202400436608 Review of 202400435281
Directorate
Communications and Ministerial Support Directorate
Topic
Health and social care, Public sector

Eid Mubarak celebration at Edinburgh Castle: FOI release

Correspondence held by the Scottish Government, including all sent/received and internal, briefing notes, minutes/notes from meetings, about the Eid Mubarak celebration at Edinburgh Castle, funded by the government, between April 1 and May 1 2024.

FOI partially withheld 90 score 120 working days over deadline correspondence ministers briefings meetings s.25(1) s.38(1) s.29(1) s.30 s.32(1) 2 attachments
Published
2025-03-18
Reference
FOI/202400432000
Directorate
Communications and Ministerial Support Directorate
Topic
International, Public sector

Access to Information Rights in Scotland: FOI release

You set your request in context by referencing the Scottish Government’s response to the Access to Information Rights in Scotland consultation: Access to Information Rights in Scotland Response to analysis of consultation responses published in November 2023, noting the following commitments made by the Scottish Govern...

FOI not held 70 score 20 working days correspondence ministers meetings s.4 s.6 s.17(1) s.38(1) s.36(1) s.29(1) 4 attachments
Published
2025-03-18
Reference
FOI/202500450915
Directorate
Communications and Ministerial Support Directorate
Topic
Law and order, Public sector

Appointment of Independent Advisers on the Scottish Ministerial Code: FOI release

1. Following the appointment of new independent ministerial code advisers, whether the Scottish Government opened up applications to the public for the position of independent adviser on the ministerial code. If so, how many applicants were there for the position? 2. If not, how many people were interviewed for the po...

FOI partially withheld 90 score 24 working days over deadline correspondence ministers briefings s.17(1) s.29(1) s.30 s.38(1) s.34(1) 2 attachments
Published
2025-01-28
Reference
FOI/202400445249
Directorate
Communications and Ministerial Support Directorate
Topic
Public sector

Materials for the Scottish Government's public Ayr Cabinet Meeting: FOI release

Full minutes/briefings written for the Scottish Government's public Ayr Cabinet Meeting on November 4.

FOI partially withheld 90 score 23 working days over deadline correspondence ministers briefings meetings s.29(1) s.30 s.38(1) s.34(1) 2 attachments
Published
2025-01-21
Reference
FOI/202400442735
Directorate
Communications and Ministerial Support Directorate
Topic
Communities and third sector, Public sector

MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife correspondence: FOI release

All correspondence between Scottish Government Ministers and Mark Ruskell since 8 May 2024.

FOI partially withheld 90 score 21 working days over deadline correspondence ministers s.38 s.29(1) s.38(1) 2 attachments
Published
2025-01-17
Reference
FOI/202400440035
Directorate
Communications and Ministerial Support Directorate
Topic
Public sector

Redactions in WhatsAPP/text message documents: FOI Appeal

1. Please add to the released document all the "out of scope" redactions as the overall information is impossible to digest without their inclusion (86 out of scope redactions in 106 pages) 2. There are about 900 redacted text sections in the 106 pages released. It is unclear how many words, sentences, etc have been u...

FOI partially withheld 90 score 114 working days over deadline correspondence ministers meetings whatsapp s.29(1) s.30 2 attachments
Published
2024-11-25
Reference
FOI/202400410703 - Appeal
Directorate
Communications and Ministerial Support Directorate
Topic
Constitution and democracy, Public sector

Former Cabinet Secretary for Finance WhatsApp messages from ministerial position during the Covid 19 pandemic: FOI Review

Orginal Request 202400422240 ‘MSP Kate Forbes’ WhatsApp messages from her ministerial role during the COVID-19 pandemic’.

FOI partially withheld 90 score 22 working days over deadline correspondence ministers whatsapp s.28(1) s.29(1) s.30 s.38(1) s.34(1) 2 attachments
Published
2024-11-01
Reference
FOI/202400426539 Review of 202400422240
Directorate
Communications and Ministerial Support Directorate
Topic
Public sector

Guidance for briefings for each Scottish Government Minister: FOI release

The guidance and templates for briefings for every Scottish Government Minister currently in post.

FOI partially withheld 90 score 19 working days correspondence ministers briefings s.29(1) 2 attachments
Published
2024-10-31
Reference
FOI/202400432765
Directorate
Communications and Ministerial Support Directorate
Topic
Constitution and democracy, Public sector

Media bids for Minister for Veterans and the Minister for Higher and Further Education: FOI release

Details of all the media bids for Graeme Dey since his appointment Minister for Higher and Further Education and Minister for Veterans; Can you indicate if those media bids were successful or unsuccessful? Can you also release all correspondence about media bids?

FOI partially withheld 90 score 18 working days correspondence ministers s.38(1) s.30 s.29(1) s.29 4 attachments
Published
2024-10-21
Reference
FOI/202400431940
Directorate
Communications and Ministerial Support Directorate
Topic
Public sector

Former Minister for Public Health and Sport's WhatsApp messages during the Covid 19 pandemic: FOI Review

Original request 202400427867 MSP Mairi Gougeon's What's App messages from her Ministerial position during the Covid 19 pandemic.

FOI partially withheld 90 score 19 working days correspondence ministers whatsapp s.29(1) s.38(1) s.34(1) 2 attachments
Published
2024-10-15
Reference
FOI/202400432336 Review of 202400427867
Directorate
Communications and Ministerial Support Directorate
Topic
Coronavirus (COVID-19) and other respiratory infections in Scotland, Public sector

WhatsApp/Text Messages related to Appeal 202100255908: FOI release

Regarding this FOI Appeal https://www.gov.scot/publications/foi-202100255908/ Please release all the information not released or disclosed or that had a redaction applied in the above FOI request as it is now credible that exemptions applied may have being misapplied or misused, in order to not release some or all of ...

FOI partially withheld 90 score 20 working days correspondence ministers whatsapp s.26 s.30 s.28(1) s.29(1) s.36(1) s.38(1) s.34(1) 2 attachments
Published
2024-10-04
Reference
FOI/202400426366
Directorate
Communications and Ministerial Support Directorate
Topic
Public sector

Emails sent and received by the Former First Minister: FOI Review

Original request - 202400411476 1. The last three emails that Humza Yousaf sent as First Minister from his First Minister email account. 2. The last three emails that Humza Yousaf received as First Minister from his First Minister email account. 3. The last three emails that Humza Yousaf sent as First Minister to em...

FOI partially withheld 90 score 283 working days over deadline correspondence ministers whatsapp s.29(1) s.30 s.38(1) s.17(1) s.34(1) 2 attachments
Published
2024-09-18
Reference
FOI/202400416176 Review of 202400411476
Directorate
Communications and Ministerial Support Directorate
Topic
Public sector, Work and skills

Data costs incurred by Former Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care of Scotland: FOI Review

Original request 202300384550 Correspondence (including WhatsApps, phone calls, text messages, emails and meetings) related to roaming charges racked up by Michael Matheson.

FOI partially withheld 90 score 37 working days over deadline correspondence ministers meetings spending whatsapp s.30 s.29(1) s.38(1) 6 attachments
Published
2024-09-12
Reference
FOI/202300389191 Review of 202300384550
Directorate
Communications and Ministerial Support Directorate
Topic
Constitution and democracy, Public sector