Information on offshore wind potential statistic: EIR release

Information requested

This is a follow up request to a previous FOI response, ref: 202300356373.

Please can the same questions answered in the above referenced FOI response be answered again, and brought fully up to date. In other words, answered for the period 12th May 2023 - date.

In addition to answering the same questions as the previous FOI response, I would like to ask the following additional questions:

(i) Since 8th November 2022, how many Civil Servants, Special Advisers, and Press Officers have worked on updating the discredited statistic that Scotland has 25% of Europe’s offshore wind potential?

(ii) Can you list the names (or positions) of all the Civil Servants, Special Advisers, and Press Officers who have worked on updating the statistic. 

(iii) Can you provide the range of figures which have emerged as possible updates to the discredited statistic? ie the minimum discussed figure to the maximum discussed figure."

The previous request was referenced in your request:

"In November 2022 the Scottish Government announced that it would be updating the discredited statistic that Scotland has 25% of Europe’s offshore wind potential. Please provide:

(1.) All internal Scottish Government correspondence (8th November 2022 - date) related to the updating of the statistic, including between Ministers, Civil Servants, Special Advisers, Press Officers, and external parties.

(2.) Any scoping documents produced by the Scottish Government discussing the parameters and assumptions underpinning an updated statistic.

(3.) The identity (or position) of the person or organisation undertaking the work to update the statistic.

(4.) The timetable for when the updated statistic is expected to be published, and any progress reports on the status of the work."

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.

This exemption 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 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.

Response to request to update previous request (202300356373):

(1) Please find attached document 1 which contains all internal correspondence (12th May 2023 – now) relating to the updating of this statistic.

(2) Please find attached document 2 which contains all scoping documents produced by the Scottish Government discussing the parameters and assumptions underpinning an updated statistic (12th May 2023 – now).

(3) The persons who undertook the work to update the statistic are Scottish Government officials.

(4) The output of this work has been published here: SG - Gaelic - Cabinet Secretary for Wellbeing Economy, Fair Work and Energy (parliament.scot)

Response to additional questions:

(i) and (ii) A range of civil servants and special advisers across the Scottish Government have contributed to the work as part of their normal duties supporting the Scottish Government. We are unable to provide you with information on the total number and names involved in this work because in line with usual practise this information is not routinely recorded because there is no business need to do this. Therefore the Scottish Government does not hold this information and we are refusing your request under the exception at regulation 10(4)(a) of the EIRs.

(iii) The methods and statistics considered throughout the process of updating the statistic are set out in the scoping documents which have been provided in this reply pack and the reply pack sent for the previous EIR that has been referenced in this request (202300356373).

An exception under regulation 11(2) of the EIRs (personal information) applies to some of the information requested because it is personal data of a third party and disclosing it would contravene the data protection principles in Article 5(1) of the General Data Protection Regulation and in section 34(1) of the Data Protection Act 2018. This exception is not subject to the 'public interest test', so we are not required to consider if the public interest in disclosing the information outweighs the public interest in applying the exception.

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 exceptions under regulation 10 (4)(e) (internal communications) of the EIRs applies to that information. The reasons why that exceptions applies are explained in the Annex to this letter.

Annex

An exception under regulation 10(4)(e) of the EIRs (internal communications) applies to some of the information you have requested because it is internal communication between Scottish Government Ministers and/or officials about updating the statistic that Scotland has 25% of Europe’s offshore wind potential. 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. We recognise that there is some public interest in release as part of open, transparent and accountable government, and to inform public debate. However, there is a greater public interest in high quality policy and decision-making, and in the properly considered implementation and development of policies and decisions. This means that Ministers and officials need to be able to consider all available options and to debate those rigorously, to fully understand their possible implications.

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.

EIR 202300380216 - Information released - Documents 1 and 2

File type

80 page PDF

File size

1.2 MB