Dear Mr McGillvray

REQUEST FOR DETAILS OF MSPS WHO ARE MEMBERS OF THE FABIAN SOCIETY, THE FREEMASONS AND THE ORANGE LODGE

Thank you for your requests for information, which we received on 19th August. Your requests have been handled in accordance with the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002.

Your requests were as follows:

Under freedom of information, please can you provide a list of names (and constituency/region) of all Members of the Scottish Parliament who are members of the Fabian Society.

Under freedom of information, please can you provide a list of names (and constituency/region) of all Members of the Scottish Parliament who are members of the Freemasons.

Under freedom of information, please can you provide a list of names (and constituency/region) of all Members of the Scottish Parliament who are members of the Grand Orange Lodge of Scotland.

The Parliament does not keep “lists” of MSPs that are members of the above organisation[Author ID1: at Mon Aug 31 15:21:00 2009 ]s[Author ID1: at Mon Aug 31 15:22:00 2009 ]. [Author ID1: at Mon Aug 31 15:21:00 2009 ]Neither does t[Author ID1: at Mon Aug 31 15:22:00 2009 ]he Parliament require members to declare membership of such [Author ID1: at Mon Aug 31 15:21:00 2009 ]organisation[Author ID1: at Mon Aug 31 15:22:00 2009 ].[Author ID1: at Mon Aug 31 15:23:00 2009 ] However there are a number of ways through which MSPs may choose to make their membership public[Author ID1: at Mon Aug 31 15:24:00 2009 ].[Author ID1: at Mon Aug 31 15:29:00 2009 ][Author ID1: at Mon Aug 31 15:21:00 2009 ]

[Explain that the Parliament does not keep lists of members of the above organisations [Author ID2: at Wed Aug 26 14:12:00 2009 ][Author ID1: at Mon Aug 31 15:24:00 2009 ](nor does it require members to declare their membership) [Author ID2: at Wed Aug 26 14:13:00 2009 ][Author ID1: at Mon Aug 31 15:24:00 2009 ]although MSPs may [Author ID2: at Wed Aug 26 14:12:00 2009 ][Author ID1: at Mon Aug 31 15:24:00 2009 ]choose to [Author ID2: at Wed Aug 26 14:20:00 2009 ][Author ID1: at Mon Aug 31 15:24:00 2009 ]make their membership public through a variety ways] [Author ID2: at Wed Aug 26 14:12:00 2009 ][Author ID1: at Mon Aug 31 15:24:00 2009 ][Author ID2: at Wed Aug 26 14:13:00 2009 ][Author ID1: at Mon Aug 31 15:24:00 2009 ]

[Author ID2: at Wed Aug 26 14:12:00 2009 ]

One way [Author ID2: at Wed Aug 26 14:11:00 2009 ]MSPs[Author ID2: at Wed Aug 26 14:13:00 2009 ] may [Author ID2: at Wed Aug 26 14:11:00 2009 ]choose to [Author ID2: at Wed Aug 26 14:20:00 2009 ][Author ID1: at Mon Aug 31 15:26:00 2009 ]make public the[Author ID2: at Wed Aug 26 14:11:00 2009 ]ir[Author ID2: at Wed Aug 26 14:12:00 2009 ] membership of the Fabian Society, the Freemasons or the Grand [Author ID2: at Wed Aug 26 14:11:00 2009 ]Orange[Author ID2: at Wed Aug 26 14:12:00 2009 ] Lodge of Scotland [Author ID2: at Wed Aug 26 14:11:00 2009 ]is [Author ID1: at Mon Aug 31 15:26:00 2009 ]in [Author ID2: at Wed Aug 26 14:11:00 2009 ]the voluntary category of[Author ID2: at Wed Aug 26 14:14:00 2009 ] their Register of Interests. [Author ID2: at Wed Aug 26 14:11:00 2009 ]The Interests of Members of the Scottish Parliament Act 2006 does not require MSPs to declare their membership of these[Author ID2: at Wed Aug 26 14:15:00 2009 ] [Author ID2: at Wed Aug 26 14:16:00 2009 ]organisations[Author ID2: at Wed Aug 26 14:15:00 2009 ] unless they have a financial interest in them. Each MSPs register of interest can be views on the Parliament's website on:[Author ID2: at Wed Aug 26 14:16:00 2009 ]

[Author ID1: at Mon Aug 31 15:26:00 2009 ][Author ID1: at Mon Aug 31 15:26:00 2009 ][Author ID1: at Mon Aug 31 15:26:00 2009 ][Author ID1: at Mon Aug 31 15:26:00 2009 ]http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/apps2/msp/msphome/default.aspx[Author ID1: at Mon Aug 31 15:26:00 2009 ][Author ID1: at Mon Aug 31 15:26:00 2009 ][Author ID2: at Wed Aug 26 14:14:00 2009 ]

[Author ID2: at Wed Aug 26 14:14:00 2009 ]

Under the MSPs'[Author ID2: at Wed Aug 26 14:13:00 2009 ] Code of Conduct members are only[Author ID2: at Wed Aug 26 14:13:00 2009 ] required to disclo[Author ID2: at Wed Aug 26 14:13:00 2009 ]se [Author ID2: at Wed Aug 26 14:13:00 2009 ]links to [Author ID2: at Wed Aug 26 14:13:00 2009 ]organis[Author ID2: at Wed Aug 26 14:13:00 2009 ]ations in which they[Author ID2: at Wed Aug 26 14:13:00 2009 ] have a [Author ID2: at Wed Aug 26 14:13:00 2009 ]financial[Author ID2: at Wed Aug 26 14:13:00 2009 ] interest[Author ID2: at Wed Aug 26 14:13:00 2009 ]. T[Author ID2: at Wed Aug 26 14:13:00 2009 ]here is [Author ID2: at Wed Aug 26 14:14:00 2009 ]therefore no obligation [Author ID2: at Wed Aug 26 14:13:00 2009 ]for MSPs to register with the Parliament their membershi[Author ID2: at Wed Aug 26 14:14:00 2009 ]p of any of these organisations unless they have a[Author ID2: at Wed Aug 26 14:14:00 2009 ] [Author ID2: at Wed Aug 26 14:14:00 2009 ]financial interest in them. [Author ID2: at Wed Aug 26 14:14:00 2009 ]MSPs [Author ID2: at Wed Aug 26 14:14:00 2009 ]They [Author ID2: at Wed Aug 26 14:14:00 2009 ]may also [Author ID2: at Wed Aug 26 14:17:00 2009 ]however [Author ID2: at Wed Aug 26 14:14:00 2009 ]choose to publicise any such membership on their individual pages on the Parliament's website.

For example, I conducted a web search for “Fabian Society” within the website's MSP pages and found the following result:

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/msp/membersPages/george_foulkes/[Author ID2: at Wed Aug 26 14:18:00 2009 ]

[Author ID0: at ]

MSPs may also make reference to any membership they may have in Parliamentary proceedings[Author ID2: at Wed Aug 26 14:18:00 2009 ] (for example during debates in the Chamber or during [Author ID1: at Mon Aug 31 15:26:00 2009 ]Committee[Author ID1: at Mon Aug 31 15:27:00 2009 ] [Author ID1: at Mon Aug 31 15:26:00 2009 ]meetings). Any such reference would be published in the Parliament's Official Report. [Author ID1: at Mon Aug 31 15:27:00 2009 ] and you can search any such references online[Author ID2: at Wed Aug 26 14:18:00 2009 ][Author ID1: at Mon Aug 31 15:27:00 2009 ]The Official Report can be searched [Author ID1: at Mon Aug 31 15:27:00 2009 ]online [Author ID1: at Mon Aug 31 15:28:00 2009 ] [Author ID2: at Wed Aug 26 14:19:00 2009 ][Author ID1: at Mon Aug 31 15:27:00 2009 ][Author ID2: at Wed Aug 26 14:19:00 2009 ]

[Author ID2: at Wed Aug 26 14:19:00 2009 ]

You are of course free to conduct your own searches[Author ID2: at Wed Aug 26 14:19:00 2009 ] to ascertain whether any MSPs have registered their membership of the Fabian Society, the Freemasons or the Grand Orange Lodge of Scotland [Author ID2: at Wed Aug 26 14:19:00 2009 ]using the “Advanced Search” facility:

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/sch/SiteSearch/AdvancedSearch.aspx

[Author ID1: at Mon Aug 31 15:28:00 2009 ]

Aside from any information [Author ID1: at Mon Aug 31 15:28:00 2009 ]publicly [Author ID2: at Wed Aug 26 14:19:00 2009 ][Author ID1: at Mon Aug 31 15:28:00 2009 ]available [Author ID1: at Mon Aug 31 15:28:00 2009 ]on the website, we do not hold any other list of members that belong to these organisations.[Author ID1: at Mon Aug 31 15:28:00 2009 ]

More information about registration of interests can be found in the Code of Conduct for MSPs:[Author ID2: at Wed Aug 26 14:17:00 2009 ]

[Author ID2: at Wed Aug 26 14:17:00 2009 ][Author ID2: at Wed Aug 26 14:17:00 2009 ][Author ID2: at Wed Aug 26 14:17:00 2009 ][Author ID2: at Wed Aug 26 14:17:00 2009 ]http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/msp/conduct/index.htm[Author ID2: at Wed Aug 26 14:17:00 2009 ][Author ID2: at Wed Aug 26 14:17:00 2009 ][Author ID2: at Wed Aug 26 14:17:00 2009 ]

[Author ID2: at Wed Aug 26 14:17:00 2009 ]

We would welcome feedback or comment on how we handled your request. Please feel free to contact the FOI Specialist at The Scottish Parliament, Edinburgh, EH99 1SP or by e-mail at [Scottish Parliament request email]

Please find below Annex A, which explains how we handle FOI requests and reviews.

Yours sincerely

Steven Tallach

FOI Officer

Annex A

REQUESTS MADE UNDER

THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION (SCOTLAND) ACT 2002

How we handle FOI requests

Information on how we handle FOI requests is available on the Parliament's website at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/corporate/foi/Makingrequest.htm

Alternatively, please contact the Parliament's Public Information Service to request a copy.

Review

If you are dissatisfied with the way in which we have dealt with your request for information, you can ask us to review our decision and actions. You must do this in writing (or other permanent form) within 40 working days of the date of this letter, stating the reasons for your dissatisfaction, and we will respond within 20 working days of receipt. A request for a review should be made to the FOI Specialist:

Post: FOI Specialist

The Scottish Parliament

Edinburgh

EH99 1SP

Telephone: 0131 348 6913 (RNID Typetalk calls welcome)

Textphone: 0131 348 3415

Fax: 0131 348 5378

E-mail: [Scottish Parliament request email]

Application to the Scottish Information Commissioner

If, on the outcome of any review, you are still dissatisfied, or if we are unable to resolve any other complaint, then you can contact the Scottish Information Commissioner:

Post: The Office of the Scottish Information Commissioner

Kinburn Castle

Doubledykes Road

St Andrews

Fife

KY16 9DS

Telephone: 01334 464610

Fax: 01334 464611

Website: www.itspublicknowledge.info

E-mail: [email address]

A decision by the Scottish Information Commissioner may be appealed, on a point of law, to the Court of Session.

Copyright in relation to information provided

The supply of information under FOI does not constitute permission for its use in a way that would infringe copyright. Where relevant, you should obtain permission from the copyright holder before any such use.

Feedback or comment

We would welcome feedback or comment on how we handled your request. Please contact the FOI Specialist.

Complaints

If you are dissatisfied with the way in which we dealt with your enquiry, then you may wish to raise the matter with the FOI Specialist.

How to contact us

Post: The Scottish Parliament

Edinburgh

EH99 1SP

Telephone: 0131 348 5000

0800 092 7500 (Public Enquiries)

0131 348 5395 (Ghàidhlig)

Textphone users can contact us on 0800 092 7100

We also welcome calls using the RNID Typetalk service.

Fax: 0131 348 5601

E-mail: [email address]

[Author ID1: at Mon Apr 6 14:38:00 2009 ]