Dear Sir or Madam,

Could you please confirm the amount Aberdeen City Council spent on
alcohol in the following categories - (1) Council meetings, (2)
formal dinners and (3) by Councillors, officers and employee's on
expenses during the financial year 2007-8.

Yours faithfully,

Alistair McGregor

Dear Mr McGregor

Thank you for your information request of 24th July 2008 under the
Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA). Aberdeen City
Council (ACC) has completed the necessary search for the information
requested.

There is no alcohol provided at Council meetings.
There is no allowance for alcohol in Councillor or employee expenses.
If alcohol is consumed it would not be reimbursed by the Council.
Suppliers of alcohol for formal functions also supply soft drinks so it
is not possible to separate the two elements. The total cost for alcohol
and soft drinks for formal events is £22,614.92.

Yours sincerely

John Ross
FOI Compliance Officer

FURTHER INFORMATION

Aberdeen City Council’s Complaints Procedure under the FOISA

An applicant who is dissatisfied with the way in which Aberdeen City
Council has dealt with his/her request for information under section
1(1) of the FOISA regime, may, by virtue of section 20 of the FOISA,
require Aberdeen City Council to review its actions and/or decisions in
relation to that request.

If you wish Aberdeen City Council to review its actions and/or
decisions with respect to your request for information, you should write
to the City Archivist, Legal and Democratic Services, Aberdeen City
Council, Old Town House, Broad Street, Aberdeen, AB10 1AQ. The City
Archivist will arrange for your application for review to be considered
by the Review Panel. The Review Panel will write to you informing you
of its decision by not later than twenty working days after receipt of
your request requiring that a review be made. By virtue of section 21 of
the FOISA, the Review Panel will also provide you with a statement of
its reasons for arriving at the decision it has made.

Your request for review should reach Aberdeen City Council by no later
than 17th October 2008. Your request for review must be in writing (or
in another form which has some permanency and is capable of being used
for subsequent reference i.e. audio/video tape recording). You must
state your name and address for correspondence. You must also give
details of the information which you originally requested from Aberdeen
City Council, and must state the reasons why you are dissatisfied with
the way in which your application for information has been dealt with.

Your Right to Complain to the Scottish Information Commissioner

By virtue of Section 47 of the FOISA, a person who is dissatisfied with
a Notice issued by Aberdeen City Council under Section 21 of the FOISA,
may apply to the Scottish Information Commissioner, for a decision as to
whether, in any respect specified in that application, the request for
information under section 1(1) of the FOISA, has been dealt with by
Aberdeen City Council in accordance with Part 1 of the FOISA.

An application to the Scottish Information Commissioner must be made in
writing (or in another form having some permanency ie a video/tape
recording) within six months of receipt of a section 21 Notice by the
applicant. An applicant must state his/her name and address. An
applicant must also specify: -

- the request for information to which the requirement for review by
Aberdeen City Council relate;
- the matter which gives rise to the applicant’s dissatisfaction
pertaining to the applicants request for review;
- the matter which gives rise to the applicant’s dissatisfaction
pertaining to the decision given in the section 21 Notice.

The Scottish Information Commissioner can be contacted at:

Scottish Information Commissioner, Kinburn Castle, Doubledykes Road, St
Andrews, Fife, KY16 9BS
(Telephone - 01334 464610; Fax - 01334 464611; Email -
[email address]
<mailto:[email address]> )

FoI Enquiries Team
Resources Management (City Solicitor)
Aberdeen City Council
Town House
Broad Street
Aberdeen AB10 1AQ
Tel: 01224 522875/522521
Fax: 01224 638556
email: [Aberdeen City Council request email]

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