Affordable Housing Supply Programme Coordination Group minutes: FOI release

Information requested

The Affordable Housing Supply Programme Coordination Group minutes for:

• Programme Co-ordination Group meeting - 11 November 2021
• Programme Co-ordination Group meeting - 14 December 2021
• Programme Co-ordination Group meeting - 18 January 2022
• Programme Co-ordination Group meeting - 10 February 2022
• Programme Co-ordination Group meeting - 15 March 2022
• Programme Co-ordination Group meeting - 21 April 2022
• Programme Co-ordination Group meeting - 17 May 2022
• Programme Co-ordination Group meeting - 21 June 2022
• Programme Co-ordination Group meeting - 16 August 2022
• Programme Co-ordination Group meeting - 14 September 2022
• Programme Co-ordination Group meeting - 13 October 2022
• Programme Co-ordination Group meeting - 09 November 2022

And any subsequent meetings.

Response

I enclose a copy of the information you requested in the format you asked for. As your request included 'and any subsequent meetings', I also enclose a copy of the Programme Co-ordination Group minutes for:

• Programme Co-ordination Group meeting - 16 December 2022
• Programme Co-ordination Group meeting - 24 January 2023
• Programme Co-ordination Group meeting - 14 February 2023
• Programme Co-ordination Group meeting - 14 march 2023

To note that text has been redacted in each of the sixteen documents attached as the following four exemptions apply:

• Section 38(1)(b) - Third party personal data
• Section 30(c) - Substantial prejudice to effective conduct of public affairs
• Section 33(2)(b) - Substantial prejudice to the financial interests of a UK administration
• 27(1) - Future publication: 12 weeks

The Programme Co-ordination Group is an internal monthly meeting of More Homes Division officials to discuss progress and issues relating to the Affordable Housing Supply Programme. An exemption under section 30(c) of FOISA (prejudice to effective conduct of public affairs) applies to some of the information requested.

It is essential for officials to be able to meet, in confidence, to discuss the delivery of the programme and their interaction with external stakeholders on a range of delivery issues. Disclosing the content of these discussions is likely to undermine stakeholders’ trust and partnership working with the Scottish Government and will substantially inhibit communications on these types of issue in the future. Stakeholders will be reluctant to provide their views fully and frankly if they believe that their views are likely to be made public, particularly while discussions are still ongoing and these discussions relate to commercially sensitive or other issues such as views on the performance of individual organisations.

This would significantly harm the Government’s ability to carry out many aspects of its work, and could adversely affect its ability to gather all of the evidence it needs to make fully informed decisions. This exemption is subject to the ‘public interest test’. Therefore, taking account of all the circumstances of this case, we have considered if the public interest in disclosing the information outweighs the public interest in applying the exemption. We have found that, on balance, the public interest lies in favour of upholding the exemption.

We recognise that there is a public interest in disclosing information as part of open, transparent and accountable government, and to inform public debate. However, there is a greater public interest in allowing officials a private space within which to meet as part of the process of exploring and refining the Government’s management of the Affordable Housing Supply Programme. This private space is essential to enable all options to be properly considered, so that good decisions can be taken based on fully informed advice and evidence, such as that provided by stakeholder partners.

With regards to the redaction of data relating to approvals, starts and completions, where this is data relating to January to March 2023 and not yet published, we have also applied this exemption as we require to quality assure our data and release it in line with the Code of Practice - https://code.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Code-of-Practice-for-Statistics- REVISED.pdf

An exemption under Section 33(2)(b) - Substantial prejudice to the financial interests of a UK administration applies to some of the information requested as the Financial Reports and Accounts for 2022-23 have not yet been finalised or made public.

An exemption under Section 27(1) - Future publication: 12 weeks applies as outturn information in respect of 2021-22 will be published shortly.

About FOI

The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at http://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.

FOI - 202300349313 - Minutes

File type

105 page PDF

File size

2.2 MB