Police and Ministerial appointment/resignation letters: FOI release
Information request and response under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002.
Information requested
You initially asked for:
"Andrew Flanagan – September 2015 - December 2017
Susan Deacon – December 2017 – December 2019
Submitted resignation letters to Scottish Government
Martyn Evans – February 2021 - currently holds the position of SPA
Please provide copies of appointment letters … related to positions whereby a better separation between politics and policing was a key driver to any appointment whereby financial defects being reduced was a key driver to any appointment."
In the clarification of 10 October 2023 you asked for:
"Please provide copies of appointment letters of all Scottish Government Ministers related to positions whereby a better separation between politics and policing was a key driver to any appointment whereby financial defects being reduced was a key driver to any appointment.
What we are seeking are appointment letters.
The resignation letter from the oversight person of 2019 was to the Minister then who is First Minister now.
But actually we are seeking appointment letters of all Scottish Government Ministers where there is a separation so that Police can properly investigate."
We interpreted your request as concerning:
The letters of appointment to the board of the Scottish Police Authority of:
Andrew Flanagan (September 2015)
Susan Deacon (December 2017)
Martyn Evans (January 2021).
Letters of resignation from an appointment to the Scottish Police Authority from:
Andrew Flanagan (December 2017)
Susan Deacon (December 2019).
Response
I attach copies of the information you requested:
- Appointment offer letter for Andrew Flanagan (September 2015)
- Appointment offer letter for Susan Deacon (December 2017)
- Appointment offer letter for Martyn Evans (January 2021)
- Resignation letter from Andrew Flanagan (December 2017)
In regard to the letter of resignation from Susan Deacon, December 2019, an exemption under section 25(1) of FOISA applies because the information is already reasonably obtainable. The full text of the resignation letter can be found at page 4 of the pdf at this link, which is a FOISA response, reference 2023/24-027, from the Scottish Police Authority.
We have applied an exemption under section 30(b)(ii) of FOISA to some of the information in the letter of resignation from Andrew Flanagan. The reason why that exemption applies is explained in the Annex to this letter.
We are unable to provide some of the information you have requested in the three appointment offer letters to Andrew Flanagan, Susan Deacon and Martyn Evans and in the resignation letter from Andrew Flanagan because an exemption under section s.38(1)(b) (personal information) of FOISA applies to that information. The reason why that exemption applies is explained in the Annex to this letter.
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.
Contact
Please quote the FOI reference
Central Enquiry Unit
Email: ceu@gov.scot
Phone: 0300 244 4000
The Scottish Government
St Andrews House
Regent Road
Edinburgh
EH1 3DG
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