Dear [redacted information],
REQUEST UNDER THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION (SCOTLAND) ACT 2002 (FOISA)
Thank you for your request dated 01/07/2026 under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA).
Your request
Your request asked for:
1. How many incidences of whistleblowing has Consumer Scotland recorded in each of the last five financial years (please break down by year, 2021/22, 2022/23, 2023/24, 2024/25, 2025/26)?
2. Does your whistleblowing policy encourage or direct whistleblowers to raise concerns with a "prescribed person" (as defined under the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998)? If so, please specify which prescribed person(s) are referenced.
3. Does your whistleblowing policy or process guarantee anonymity to individuals who raise a concern? If so, please provide a copy of the relevant section of the policy addressing this.
4. Does your whistleblowing policy include a non-recrimination or non-retaliation provision, protecting whistleblowers from detriment or reprisal as a result of raising a concern? If so, please provide a copy of the relevant section of the policy addressing this.
5. Has your internal whistleblowing policy been subject to any external review, audit, or assessment (by an external body, auditor, regulator, or independent consultant) within the last five years? If so, please provide:
a. the name of the body/organisation that conducted the review;
b. the date of the review; and
c. a copy of any resulting report or summary of findings, subject to any applicable exemptions.
Our response
Our Whistleblowing Policy is publicly available on our website. While ‘information otherwise accessible’ is an exemption under Section 25 of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA), to assist with your request we have provided a response to each question below.
1. Any instances of whistleblowing will be reported in our published Annual Report and Accounts. I can confirm we have had no instances since vesting in April 2022.
2. Yes, the list of prescribed people and bodies referred to within the policy can be found here.
3. Yes, please refer to the guidance within our policy.
4. Yes, please refer to the guidance within our policy.
5. Our external auditors, Deloitte, review this annually as part of the audit process. The last review was held in August 2025. Our Board also review this policy annually.
Your right to request a review
If you are unhappy with this response to your FOI request, you may ask us to carry out an internal review of the response, by writing to;
Sam Ghibaldan,
Chief Executive
Consumer Scotland
Thistle House,
91 Haymarket Terrace
Edinburgh,
EH12 5HD
Or by email to: corporateservices@consumer.scot
Your review request should explain why you are dissatisfied with this response, and should be made within 40 working days from the date when you received this letter. We will complete the review in accordance with FOISA as soon as possible, and not later than 20 working days from the day following the date we receive your review request.
If you are not satisfied with the result of the review, you then have the right to appeal to the Scottish Information Commissioner. More detailed information on your appeal rights is available on the Commissioner’s website at:
https://www.itspublicknowledge.info/YourRights/Unhappywiththeresponse/AppealingtoCommissioner.aspx
Yours sincerely,
[redacted information]
Data Protection Officer
Consumer Scotland