Correspondence relating to Europe's offshore wind resources: FOI release

Information requested

This request relates to a previous FOI response, reference: 202200325962

On page 5 of the correspondence attachment to the above referenced FOI response, an email sent on 30th September 2022 states that the below paragraph of text was provided to “another team:

“The claim about 25% of Europe's offshore wind resources is poorly evidenced and has recently been the subject of several FOIs challenging the basis of this claim. Whilst it is clear that Scotland has significant resources, as evidenced by the huge ambitions of the ScotWind winners and the level of interest in the ongoing INTOG round, the 25% claim does not account for changes in technology or use of marine space. As such officials would advise against using this statement and instead, would suggest highlighting the success of ScotWind, the largest floating wind leasing round in the world.”

Please provide:

1. All internal Scottish Government correspondence/documents which include the above paragraph of text, 1st January 2022 - date.
2. A list of those people inside the Scottish Government (including Ministers, Civil Servants, Special Advisers, and Press Officers) who received any of the correspondence/documents identified in part 1. In those cases where names must be redacted, please provide job titles.
3. In any cases where the above paragraph of text was included in briefings for ministers (1st January 2022 - date) please provide the names of ministers who received the briefings, and all internal email correspondence discussing those briefings.

As our response to your request above will be published on the Scottish Government website, we note that the previous FOI response, reference: 202200325962, that you refer to in your request above, has now been published and can be viewed at the following weblink: Scotland’s share of Europe’s potential offshore wind resource: EIR release - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

Response

Response to points 1 & 3 of your request above

I enclose a copy of some of the information you requested.

While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance we are unable to provide some of the information you have requested because exemptions under section 30(b)(i) (free and frank provision of advice) and section 38(1)(b) (personal information) of FOISA applies to that information. The reasons why these exemptions apply are explained in the annex below.

Response to point 2 of your request above

Some of the information you have requested is available within the redacted email chain released to you under our response to this request. Under section 25(1) of FOISA, we do not have to give you information which is already reasonably accessible to you.

While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance we are unable to provide some of the information you have requested because an exemption under section 38(1)(b) (personal information) of FOISA applies to that information. The reasons why this exemption applies is explained in the annex below.

Where we have applied this exemption, to redact the personal information of a staff member, we have annotated the document released to include details of the staff members job description, as you have requested.

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.

Annex - 202200333683

File type

1 page PDF

File size

28.4 kB

Email correspondence - 202200333683

File type

6 page PDF

File size

192.4 kB