Documents shredded or destroyed by the Scottish Government: EIR release

Information requested

1. Could you supply how many documents were shredded or destroyed by the Scottish Government in the last financial year?

2. How many of them were shredded or destroyed by the First Minister’s office?

3. Can you supply the approximate volume (e.g. in tonnes) for each of the questions above?

4. Could you supply the date when these items were destroyed?

5. Can you classify the nature of the documentation destroyed [eg it was personal documentation, or policy documentation], and why it was destroyed?

Response

1. Could you supply how many documents were shredded or destroyed by the Scottish Government in the last financial year?

No record is kept of the number of documents shredded or destroyed by SG.

2. How many of them were shredded or destroyed by the First Minister’s office?

No record is kept of the number of documents shredded or destroyed or from which business area (including the First Minister’s Office's) they originate.

3. Can you supply the approximate volume (e.g. in tonnes) for each of the questions above?

Information on the volume of documents destroyed using Shred-It on site shredding services is only available on a building basis. The total tonnage of confidential waste that was destroyed using the Shred-it on site shredding service in the last financial year was 167.375 tonnes. First Minister (FM) has three office locations, St Andrews House (SAH), Bute House and Parliament. Any confidential documents generated at Bute House which require confidential shredding are transported to SAH. Documents shredded or destroyed by First Ministers Office's at Bute House and SAH would be included in the SAH building-wide total. The total tonnage of confidential waste that was destroyed using the Shred-it onsite shredding service at SAH in the last financial year was 14.25 tonnes. 

We do not hold the information relating to confidential waste from FM's office at Parliament.

Under the terms of the exception at regulation 10(4)(a) of the EIRs (information not held), the Scottish Government is not required to provide information which it does not have. The Scottish Government does not have the information you have requested because the Scottish Parliament and Scottish Government are separate organisations. The Scottish Government is not responsible for the Scottish Parliament Building at Holyrood. The Scottish Parliament has the information you are looking for. You can contact them at foi.officer@parliament.scot.

This exception 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 exception. We have found that, on balance, the public interest lies in favour of upholding the exception. While we recognise that there may be some public interest in information about the Scottish Parliament building at Holyrood, clearly we cannot provide information which we do not hold.

4. Could you supply the date when these items were destroyed?

There is no specific date this financial year where any documents have been shredded/ destroyed. Such activity occurs on a frequent basis. As part of this process, the Scottish Government has a contract in place to provide a regular confidential waste disposal service. 

5. Can you classify the nature of the documentation destroyed [e.g. it was personal documentation, or policy documentation], and why it was destroyed?

No record is kept of the nature of any documents that have been destroyed or the reason for their destruction.

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