Information request and response under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002
FOI Reference: FOI/202300374785
Date received: 6 September 2023
Date responded: 29 September 2023
REQUEST UNDER THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION (SCOTLAND) ACT 2002 (FOISA)
Thank you for your request dated 6 September 2023 under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA).
Your request
Our information request is with regards to the delivery of sustainable transport within Scotland’s Public Bodies, and particularly in the context of the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009.
Request for information 1: Firstly, we are interested in Public Bodies’ targets for business travel. Do you have a target to cut emissions from air and/or business travel? If so, please share information about any target(s) you have (e.g. description of the target, when the target was adopted, timeline to meeting the target).
Request for information 2: Secondly, we are interested in Public Bodies’ corporate travel policies and plans. Please provide copies of any corporate policy your organisation has on the reduction of emissions from business travel.
Request for information 3: Please provide copies of any corporate policy your organisation has on the reduction of the use of air travel for business travel purposes.
Request for information 4: Finally, we are specifically interested in Public Bodies’ use of rail and air for domestic travel: Please provide details of the number of flights your staff have taken from Edinburgh & Glasgow Airports to London Airports for business purposes in the past 12 months (or your most recent 12 month reporting period) for travel to destinations within south-east England.
Request for information 5: Please provide details of the number of rail journeys your staff have taken from Edinburgh & Glasgow railway stations to London railway stations for business purposes in the past 12 months (or your most recent 12 month reporting period) for travel to destinations within south-east England.
Response to your request
Request for information 1:
Social Security Scotland is an Executive Agency of the Scottish Government. The Scottish Government has a Climate Change Plan which Social Security Scotland is using as a basis to develop its own Net Zero Strategy, which will include a Carbon Management Plan setting out targets to reduce our carbon emissions from business travel.
Request for information 2:
Social Security Scotland adhere to the Scottish Government’s Travel Strategy.
Request for information 3:
This information is contained within the Scottish Government’s Travel Strategy.
Request for information 4:
There have been 6 flights for the routes described for the financial year 2022 - 2023.
Request for information 5:
There have been 5 rail journeys for the routes described for the financial year 2022 – 2023.
About FOI
Social Security Scotland is committed to publishing responses to requests. The Scottish Government also publishes responses to requests. You can view the responses at http://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.