Freedom of Information Request - Funding provided to Scottish Land and Estates (SLE)
Date: 10 November 2025
Our ref: SIR182057/A5543089
Information Request – Funding provided to Scottish Land and Estates (SLE)
Your Request
‘I understand that NatureScot has provided public funding to Scottish Land & Estates (SLE) for the purposes of, for example, sponsoring an award at an award ceremony organised by SLE.
Please could you provide an itemised breakdown of all funding provided to SLE by NatureScot in the last 24 months, identifying the date of payment, the purpose of the funding and the amount provided. For the avoidance of doubt, I am interested in all funding - this should not be limited to funding for awards sponsorship.
Could you supply any documentation outlining reporting arrangements, and any subsequent reports received from SLE, associated with each tranche of funding?’
Our Response
Following a search of the information we hold our response is below.
| Date of payment | Funding purpose | Amount (£) |
|---|---|---|
| 19/06/2025 | Sponsorship of the Scottish Land & Estates' annual conference on 28 May 2025 | £4,800 (£7,200 minus a credit payment of £2,400 to NatureScot on 31/07/25) |
| 31/07/2025 | Headline sponsorship of Scottish Land & Estates Helping it Happen Awards | £8,400 |
| 10/07/2025 | Contribution to the WES Annual Assembly - 2nd April | £3,000 |
| 27/03/2025 | Peatland ACTION - Scottish Land & Estates and Peatland ACTION Roadshow Project 2024-25. Four in person events to be hosted as partnership sessions - 15 March 2025 | £7,200 - consisting of three payments: £900 - 27/03/2025 £2,100 - 06/03/2025 £4,200 - 28/11/2024 |
| 27/03/2025 | Placement of series adverts in Scottish Land & Estates Land Business Magazine - FY 2024/25 | £5,880 - consisting of four payments: £1,680 - 27/03/2025 £1,680 - 19/12/2024 £1,680 - 17/10/2024 £840 - 22/08/2024 |
| 26/09/2024 | Peatland ACTION Standard Exhibitor Package at Scottish Land & Estates Annual Conference on 28 May 2025 | £996 |
| 28/03/2024 | Scottish Land & Estates - Peatland ACTION - Roadshow Project - 4 In Person Events – 2024 SLE / Peatland Action Roadshow Resources including Handouts and Feedback reporting | £8,400 - consisting of six payments: £2,400 - 28/03/2024 £1,200 - 28/03/2024 £1,200 - 28/03/2024 £1,200 - 21/03/2024 £1,200 - 21/03/2024 £1,200 - 25/01/2024 |
| 11/04/2024 | Placement of double page advert in SLE’s Land Business Magazine – FY 2023/24 | £4,760 - consisting of three payments: £1,680 - 11/04/2024 £1,680 - 25/01/2024 £1,400 - 19/10/2023 |
| 04/04/2024 | Headline sponsorship of the 'Helping it Happen Awards' 2024 including sponsorship of the 'Enhancing our Environment Award' category | £13,200 - consisting of two payments: £8,400 - 04/04/2024 £4,800 - 04/04/2024 |
| 23/10/2023 | Scottish Land & Estates Ltd - Peatland ACTION - Exhibitor Package at Scottish Land & Estates Annual Conference on 21 May 2024 | £1,020 |
| 19/10/2023 | Scottish Land & Estates Ltd - Peatland ACTION - Stand space within SL&E marquee at Turriff show | £500 |
Any documentation outlining reporting arrangements, and any subsequent reports?
The relevant information is attached separately. Informal reporting also occurs, for example debrief phone calls, but this is not held as recorded information. SLE also provide their own reporting, e.g. numbers of attendees, on their website. Please note, formal reporting was not a requirement for all the funding payments listed in the table above.
We have not included any internal feedback from colleagues, e.g. about events, as this was not part of any reporting requirements of the funding recipient and was therefore considered outwith the scope of your request.
We have marked out (redacted) personal data in the documents provided. Releasing the personal data into the public domain in response to an access to information request would breach the Data Protection Act 2018. We are therefore withholding the information under EIRs Regulation 11(2) (Personal data). We have also redacted or withheld information in the documents provided where the information is outwith the scope of your request.
How We Handled Your Request
We believe you have asked for environmental information as defined in the Environmental Information (Scotland Regulations 2004 (‘the EIRs’), so we are dealing with your request under those regulations. To be able to use the EIRs, we must apply an exemption under section 39(2) of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (‘FOISA’). The Scottish Information Commissioner’s guidance recommends that public authorities apply this exemption to environmental information and handle request under the EIRs.
If you would like to find out more about the access to information legislation, there is a guidance booklet available on the Scottish Information Commissioner’s website.
Review and Appeal
I hope this information meets your requirements, but if you are dissatisfied with how we have responded to your information request, please write to us within 40 working days explaining your concerns. You can contact us at Battleby, Redgorton, Perth, PH1 3EW or email us at [email protected]. We will carry out a review of our response and contact you with our findings within 20 working days.
If you are not satisfied following this, you can make an appeal to the Scottish Information Commissioner within 6 months. The Scottish Information Commissioner can be contacted at:
Scottish Information Commissioner
Kinburn Castle
Doubledykes Road
St Andrews
Fife
KY16 9DS
Telephone: 01334 464610
Yours sincerely
FOI Officer,
NatureScot
Document downloads
Due to file size the attached information, referenced above, is available on request by contacting the FOI team at [email protected]. Please reference the case number (starting with SIR).
