Contractor event to mark completion of Queensferry crossing: EIR release

FOI reference: FOI/17/02336
Date received: 12 September 2017
Date responded: 23 October 2017

Information requested

You asked for information regarding the following:

Could you please provide me with the following information regarding the celebration night/nights out for workers and chiefs/bosses celebrating the completion of Queensferry Crossing.

1. Breakdown of the costs involved in the night(s) out i.e bar costs, venue rental, entertainment, hotel/accommodation costs etc.

2. Who the bill was charged to.

3. Dates and duration of the celebrations, name of venue(s) and name accommodation used.

Response

As the information you have requested is Environmental Information for the purposes of the Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004 (EIRs), we are required to deal with your request under those Regulations. We are applying the exemption at section 39(2) of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA), so that we do not also have to deal with your request under FOISA. As the exemption is conditional we have applied the 'public interest test'. This means we have, in all the circumstances of this case, considered if the public interest in disclosing the information under FOISA outweighs the public interest in applying the exemption. We have found that, on balance, the public interest lies in favour of upholding the exemption, because there is no public interest in dealing with the same request under two different regimes. This is essentially a technical point and has no material effect on the outcome of your request.

We are aware that an event was held by the contractor, Forth Crossing Bridge Constructors – (FCBC) in relation to the completion of the Queensferry Crossing. In relation therefore to each question:

1. While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, your request for this information is refused under Regulation 10 (4) (a) – that this is information not held by Transport Scotland or the Scottish Government.

2. While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, your request for this information is refused under Regulation 10 (4) (a) – that this is information not held by Transport Scotland or the Scottish Government. We can confirm however that the event was funded by the contractor at no cost to the public purse.

3. The date of the event was 4th September 2017 and was held at Hopetoun House, Lime Avenue, South Queensferry, EH30 9SL from 18:00 until 22:30.

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