Freedom of Information Bill – Stage 1 discussion on Thursday
The Freedom of Information Act(FOI) Reform Bill Stage 1 will be considered today by the Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments (SPPA) Committee at The Scottish Parliament.
The Committee took evidence from academics and advocacy groups on 6 November and from stakeholder organisations and legal bodies on 13 November. This week, the Committee will take evidence from the Scottish Information Commissioner and then from the Minister for Parliamentary Business and Veterans, Graeme Dey.
The Scottish Government has provided a memorandum to the Committee setting out its position on the Bill. In the memorandum the government says that it is committed to protecting and strengthening FOI rights in Scotland. But it also says that it believes the legislation in force since 2005 remains “fundamentally robust”.
The government says that it will consider concerns about the operation of rights under the Freedom of Information Scotland Act (FOISA) by possibly extending the legislation to more bodies including care home and care at home providers. And it will review the list of public authorities which are covered by FOISA.
It is the extension of FOI to care homes which is the biggest possible change. Around 2,000 care services might be covered by any new law.
A large part of the memo deals with the financial implications of any changes to the law – which would ultimately have to be picked up by the Scottish Consolidated Fund, and could be as much as £3.6 million in the first year. It is a bleak picture which is painted in the document and there is a great deal of guesswork as the legislative changes are not yet finalised.
The report states: “Further information is required to fully understand the financial impact of the Bill’s provisions. Clarity is needed on the scale and timing of new designations, the operational readiness of affected bodies, and the extent to which existing systems and staffing can accommodate the new statutory duties. Without this, there remains a high degree of uncertainty around the true cost of implementation.”
The long memo is very detailed and includes measures to remove the First Minister’s power of veto. This is said to be exercised at present only where the information is exceptionally sensitive.
The Scottish Government says it does not agree this provision should be repealed. Nor is the government persuaded that it needs any change to the law to allow the Commissioner to refer any late compliance to the Court of Session. And it does not think that the Information Commissioner should be able to share information with Audit Scotland.
The Campaign for Freedom of Information in Scotland (CFoIS) has read The Scottish Government’s submission in detail. The body said it is disappointed that while it admits to not pursuing “new primary legislation” within the current parliamentary session it does “recognise that there may be some scope to improve the primary legislation in the future”.
Carole Ewart, Director of CFoIS said: “What’s wrong with legislating now? We have the Bill, there has been post legislative scrutiny of Scotland’s 23 years old FoI Law, two public consultations on legislative reform and a consultation on the general principles of the Bill which produced 108 responses to the SPPA Committee. People are fed up being asked for their views and then ignored.
“FoI law needs reformed to close legal loopholes, increase proactive publication, strengthen the enforcement powers of the Scottish Information Commissioner and change culture and practice within organisations through the designation of an FoI officer to ensure corporate compliance. Polling shows that FoI is popular and builds public trust so it is important that the public let their MSPs know they support FoI reform.”
Watch proceedings from The Scottish Parliament live online on Scottish Parliament TV from 9am or afterwards as a recording.
Dame Muriel Spark memorial – call to artists is now open
An open competition has just launched to find the artist or artists who will design the statue to commemorate author Dame Muriel Spark.
The “long overdue” memorial will be placed in a quiet spot in East Princes Street Gardens, south of the railway line, and will be the first statue of a woman there. The artistic objective is to create a permanent legacy which will “reflect the unique spirit and character of Spark”.
The group behind the project, Spirit of Spark, say this will address the historical absence of women commemorated in the gardens with a memorial.
The King’s launch their programme for reopening in 2026
The panto next year is Pinocchio – but there is much more to come before then with The Steamie, the family musical Toto The Ninja Cat (23-25 October) based on the best-selling children’s books by Dermot O’Leary, a new musical Rollers Forever (27-31 October) celebrating that boyband and a powerful new Yoruba adaptation of Macbeth all on the 2026 schedule.
Edinburgh’s community companies return to the King’s stage, with the Edinburgh Gilbert & Sullivan Society in sparkling satire Iolanthe (14-17 October) and the Scouts and Girl Guides in the Gang Show (17-21 November).
George Street Ice Rink opens today
The Ice Rink on George Street opens today and will remain a chilled out space until 4 January 2026.
Glide around the ice like a pro or hang on to the barrier for dear life. Whatever your style there is always the après skating at the Winter Warming Bar to get you warmed up again.
More details of how to book here. And remember to book online with the EH discount if that applies as you will receive a discount of 20%.
Check your passport!
If you are thinking of going to the US Mexico or Canada next year to follow the Tartan Army then Advice Scotland has issued some guidance on passport requirements which is timely reading.
And just in case you have not seen the goals often enough here they are again.
