Lobbying meetings and external interests

Request details of meetings between senior officials and external organisations.

Meetings between senior officials and external interests, including lobbyists, developers, and industry bodies, can influence policy decisions. An FOI request can show who is getting access and how often.

Dear [AUTHORITY NAME], Please provide the following information for [PERIOD e.g. January to December 2024]: 1. A list of all meetings between [ROLE e.g. the Chief Executive, council leader, or board chair] and external organisations, showing the date, the organisation met, and the subject discussed. 2. Any briefing papers or agendas prepared for these meetings. I would prefer to receive this by email. Yours faithfully, [YOUR NAME]
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Who to send it to#

Any Scottish public authority. For meetings with Scottish Government ministers, submit your request to the Scottish Government. For council leaders or chief executives, submit to the relevant council. Find the right authority on the Commissioner’s directory of Scottish public authorities. You can also send your request through WhatDoTheyKnow, which publishes responses online.

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Tips#

  • The Scottish Government publishes ministerial diaries showing meetings with external organisations. Check these before making a request about ministerial meetings.
  • Be specific about whose meetings you want. Asking for all meetings across an entire authority will likely exceed the cost limit.
  • If the authority refuses to disclose briefing papers, the meeting list alone is still valuable and harder to withhold.
  • The Lobbying (Scotland) Act 2016 requires some lobbying of MSPs to be registered. Check the lobbying register for additional context.