Further to FOI-18-02916 - Fish Health Inspectorate report: FOI release

Information requested

You asked for the following information relating to Fish Health Inspectorate case reference 2018-0429:

• The date when a first draft of the report was completed.
• Official date of publication of the case report.
• Details of to whom draft versions of the report were circulated prior to official publication, and what dates?
• Copies of any correspondence from any party in relation to the report received prior to the official publication dates.

Response

Marine Scotland’s Fish Health Inspectorate fish health reports are created and developed reflecting the findings of surveillance inspections with respect to the intended purpose of the visit. In general the dates of ‘first drafts’ are not recorded, although each report has a date created and date issued associated with them. All paperwork and fish health reports completed as part of the inspection programme under aquatic animal health surveillance are checked by a second member of the Fish Health Inspectorate prior to issuing and case closure. Where diagnostic sampling has been undertaken, a diagnostic case review is conducted involving pathology and laboratory staff as well as fish health inspectors to determine a differential diagnosis where possible – this is included within the report issued. 

In relation to case 20180429 report R10 was created on 7/09/2018 and issued 11/09/2018 and report R09 was created on 18/09/2018 and issued on 11/10/2018 (please refer to the bottom left hand corner of each page of the report for the appropriate report number – R09 or R10).

There is no distribution of draft reports out with Marine Scotland. Once the report is finalised and checked it is issued to the named correspondent in relation to the business operating the fish farm site. The reports and case information are then included within the FHI active publication plan, in this case publication took place on 11 January 2019.

Information was released prior to publication through our handling of FoI/18/02916 which was responded to on 5 November 2018 and published on the Scottish Government website on 6 November 2018.

The recipients of the reports prior to publication were:

• the company operating the site with respect to reports R09 and R10;

• APHA, who were sent a copy of report R10 on 19/9/18 for their information, as a courtesy to the other regulatory authority in attendance during the site visit.  

No correspondence was received from either the company or APHA in relation to either report prior to publication.  The reasons why we don’t have this information are explained in the Annex to this letter.

Reasons for not providing information - Annex
The Scottish Government does not have the information

The Scottish Government does not have some of the information you have asked for because we did not receive any communications in relation to this case from the recipients (the company who operate the site and APHA) of the reports prior to publication.  No such correspondence exists.

This is a formal notice under section 17(1) of FOISA that the Scottish Government does not have the information 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.