Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE) and Equinor meetings with the Scottish Government: EIR release

Information requested

Please provide me with any documentation relevant to the following meetings between the Scottish Government and SSE, Equinor in 2022 and 2023. I request copies of attendance, topics discussed and any agreed actions.

1) 15/03/2022 Video conference with SSE, Michael Matheson MSP (Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero Energy and Transport), Ministerial engagements travel and gifts.

2) 16/03/2022 Video conference with SSE, John McFarlane (Special Adviser), Lobbying Register.

3) 18/03/2022 Inveralmond House, Perth, meeting with SSE, John Swinney MSP (Cabinet Secretary for Finance and the Economy Cabinet Secretary for Covid Recovery Deputy First Minister), Lobbying Register.

4) 26/04/2022 Scottish Parliament meeting with Equinor, Nicola Sturgeon MSP (First Minister) Lobbying Register.

5) 03/05/2022 Video conference with SSE, Nicola Sturgeon MSP (First Minister), Ministerial engagements travel and gifts.

6) 10/05/2022 Meeting with Equinor, Richard Lochhead MSP (Minister for Just Transition Employment and Fair Work), Ministerial engagements travel and gifts.

7) 17/05/2022 Norwegian Consulate General meeting with Equinor, Angus Robertson MSP (Cabinet for the Constitution External Affairs and Culture) Lobbying Register.

8) 30/05/2022 Dakota Hotel, Glasgow, meeting with Equinor, Ivan McKee MSP (Minister for Business Trade Tourism and Enterprise), Lobbying Register.

9) 09/06/2022 Meeting with SSE at SSE Perth HQ, Michael Matheson MSP (Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero Energy and Transport), Lobbying Register.

10) 14/06/2022 Video conference with SSE, Michael Matheson MSP (Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero Energy and Transport), Ministerial engagements travel and gifts.

11) 16/06/2022 Video conference with Equinor, Michael Matheson MSP (Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero Energy and Transport), Ministerial engagements travel and gifts.

12) 10/08/2022 Video conference with Equinor, Nicola Sturgeon MSP (First Minister), Ministerial engagements travel and gifts.

13) 15/08/2022 Phone call with SSE, Richard Lochhead MSP (Minister for Just Transition Employment and Fair Work), Ministerial diaries.

14) 07/09/2022 Video conference with SSE, Michael Matheson MSP (Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero Energy and Transport), Lobbying Register, Ministerial engagements travel and gifts.

15) 14/09/2022 Video conference with SSE, John McFarlane (Special Adviser) and Harry Huyton (Special Adviser), Lobbying Register.

16) 28/09/2022 Video conference with SSE, Michael Matheson MSP (Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero Energy and Transport), Ministerial engagements travel and gifts.

17) 02/05/2023 Video conference with Equinor, Humza Yousaf MSP (First Minister), Ministerial engagements travel and gifts.

18) 08/11/2023 Scottish Parliament meeting with Equinor UK Ltd, Humza Yousaf MSP (First Minister), Lobbying Register.

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.

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 exemptions under Regulation 10(4)(a) – information not held, 10(4)(e) – internal communications, 10(5) – commercial information 11(2) – personal information or because the material was out of scope and related to organisations not included as part of your request. The redactions within the documents clearly mark which regulation is applicable.

I have considered each of the items in your request and have enclose a copy of the relevant information, where it is possible to provide this. I have explained the exemptions applied to each question in the response as follows;

Response to items 2, 3, 10, 13 and 15 as detailed below:

2) 16/03/2022 Video conference with SSE, John McFarlane (Special Adviser), Lobbying Register.

3) 18/03/2022 Inveralmond House, Perth, meeting with SSE, John Swinney MSP (Cabinet Secretary for Finance and the Economy Cabinet Secretary for Covid Recovery Deputy First Minister), Lobbying Register.

10) 14/06/2022 Video conference with SSE, Michael Matheson MSP (Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero Energy and Transport), Ministerial engagements travel and gifts.

13) 15/08/2022 Phone call with SSE, Richard Lochhead MSP (Minister for Just Transition Employment and Fair Work), Ministerial diaries.

15) 14/09/2022 Video conference with SSE, John McFarlane (Special Adviser) and Harry Huyton (Special Adviser), Lobbying Register.

While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, after extensive searches of our records relating to the above listed meetings I can confirm an exemption under regulation 10(4)(a) – information not held - applies. In addition, in relation to item 3 it appears this meeting may relate to the MSP’s constituency business rather than government business and would therefore be out of scope had documentation been located.

For ease of reference, I have grouped the remaining items together into meetings involving Equinor and then meetings involving SSE.

Response to all remaining meetings from your request relating to meetings involving Equinor as listed below:

4) 26/04/2022 Scottish Parliament meeting with Equinor, Nicola Sturgeon MSP (First Minister) Lobbying Register.

6) 10/05/2022 Meeting with Equinor, Richard Lochhead MSP (Minister for Just Transition Employment and Fair Work), Ministerial engagements travel and gifts.

7) 17/05/2022 Norwegian Consulate General meeting with Equinor, Angus Robertson MSP (Cabinet for the Constitution External Affairs and Culture) Lobbying Register.

8) 30/05/2022 Dakota Hotel, Glasgow, meeting with Equinor, Ivan McKee MSP (Minister for Business Trade Tourism and Enterprise), Lobbying Register.

11) 16/06/2022 Video conference with Equinor, Michael Matheson MSP (Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero Energy and Transport), Ministerial engagements travel and gifts.

12) 10/08/2022 Video conference with Equinor, Nicola Sturgeon MSP (First Minister), Ministerial engagements travel and gift.

16) 02/05/2023 Video conference with Equinor, Humza Yousaf MSP (First Minister), Ministerial engagements travel and gifts.

17) 08/11/2023 Scottish Parliament meeting with Equinor UK Ltd, Humza Yousaf MSP (First Minister), Lobbying Register.

I have attached the ‘EIR – 202400396587 - Equinor meetings’ document.

While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, and are releasing all documents located in our records relating to these meetings, we are not able to disclose all material within these documents under regulations 10(4)(e) – internal communications, 10(5)(e) – commercial information 11(2) – personal information or because the material was out of scope and related to organisations not included as part of your request. The redactions within the documents clearly mark which regulation is applicable to each.

Response to all remaining meetings from your request relating to meetings involving SSE as listed below:

1) 15/03/2022 Video conference with SSE, Michael Matheson MSP (Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero Energy and Transport), Ministerial engagements travel and gifts.

5) 03/05/2022 Video conference with SSE, Nicola Sturgeon MSP (First Minister), Ministerial engagements travel and gifts.

9) 09/06/2022 Meeting with SSE at SSE Perth HQ, Michael Matheson MSP (Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero Energy and Transport), Lobbying Registry.

14) 07/09/2022 Video conference with SSE, Michael Matheson MSP (Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero Energy and Transport), Lobbying Register, Ministerial engagements travel and gifts.

16) 28/09/2022 Video conference with SSE, Michael Matheson MSP (Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero Energy and Transport), Ministerial engagements travel and gifts.

I have attached the ‘EIR – 202400396587 - SSE meetings’ document.

While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, and are releasing all documents located in our records relating to these meetings, we are not able to disclose all material within these documents under regulations 10(4)(e)– internal communications, 10(5)(e) – commercial information 11(2) – personal information or because the material was out of scope and related to organisations not included as part of your request. The redactions within the documents clearly mark which regulation is applicable to each.

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 202400396587 - Information released - Attachments 1 & 2

File type

161 page PDF

File size

1.7 MB