FOI Request - Coronavirus Grant Schemes

Request 101002755803

I am writing to you to ask for information under FOI Act 2000 relating to the following coronavirus grant schemes:

• Local Restrictions Support Grants (LRSG)
• Additional Restrictions Support Grant (ARG)
• Small Business Grants Fund (SBGF) - closed August 2020
• Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Business Grants Fund (RHLGF) - closed August 2020
• Local Authority Discretionary Grants Fund (LADGF) - closed August 2020

Please provide the following information for each of the schemes above separately:
1. How much money has been issued from the start of the scheme to date and to how many businesses?
2. How much money has been assessed as obtained fraudulently and how many businesses have been involved?
3. How much of the money identified in the answer to Q2 has been recovered to date?
4. Where fraud was identified how many of those cases have been referred to the authorities to date?
5. How much has been issued in error and to how many businesses? For each please explain what the error was.
6. How much of the money issued in error identified in Q5 has been recovered to date?
7. What policy was in place to ensure that grants were not fraudulently obtained or granted in error to businesses?

Response 22-04-2021

As we did not administrate a Local Restrictions Support Grants (LRSG) or Additional Restrictions Support Grant (ARG) scheme by this name question 1 to 7 are n/a for these schemes.

1. LA Discretionary Business Fund opened Jan.2021 & is still open.: From 15.2.2021 to 19.04.2021 - £1,298,000 to 559 businesses  
Small Business Grants Fund, closed August 2020  : we have disbursed 1710 grants from the Small Business Grants Fund totalling £16,588,150 on behalf of the Scottish Government;
Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Business Grants Fund - closed August 2020:  we have disbursed 138 grants from the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Business Grants Fund totalling £3,308,750 on behalf of the Scottish Government;

2. In accordance with section 18 of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 we neither confirm nor deny that this information is held.

3. In accordance with section 18 of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 we neither confirm nor deny that this information is held.

4. In accordance with section 18 of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 we neither confirm nor deny that this information is held.

5. Small Business Grants Fund:  one grant of £10,000 was paid twice in error;
Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Business Grants Fund: one grant of £25,000 was identified as being paid in error.  This was due to the proper cognisance of the business' vacant status not being taken;

6. Small Business Grants Fund:  the duplicate grant of £10,000 was repaid in full;
Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Business Grants Fund: the £25,000 grant which was paid in error was repaid in full;

7. Small Business Grants Fund and Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Business Grants Fund: Staff assessing entitlement to grants were given a matrix to follow when looking at the applications.  The completed assessments were then quality checked prior to being passed for payment.
LA Discretionary Business Fund : Assessment with verification procedures are in place including financial / case reviews as part of ongoing monitoring.