Publication - FOI/EIR release

2030 Net Zero target: EIR release

Published: 2 September 2024
Directorate: Energy and Climate Change Directorate
Topic: Energy, Environment and climate change, Public sector
FOI reference: EIR/202400410491
Date received: 22 April 2024
Date responded: 21 May 2024

Information request and response under the Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004.

Information requested

This is an excerpt from an article published by the Scotsman on 22nd April 2024: Ms McAllan told The Scotsman that since she become Net Zero Secretary in March 2023 she had asked her officials to investigate whether the 2030 target could be met.

She admitted some of the modelling presented to her was not “legal” or in line with a just transition to net zero.

Please provide the aforementioned modelling, which was provided by officials to Màiri McAllan.

Response

I enclose a copy of the input files for the TIMES model which was the basis for the advice provided to Ms McAllan referred to in your request. TIMES is a model of the energy system and is used by Scottish Government as part of its Climate Plan process to develop scenarios and projections. The files provided were developed to examine a scenario in which the model adhered to the Scottish Government’s statutory emissions reduction targets.

Official advice based on the TIMES model outcomes was provided to Ministers following the TIMES model run. This outlined additional policies which would theoretically be required to meet these outcomes, as referenced by the Cabinet Secretary in The Scotsman. 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 or officials about Climate Change Policy. 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. Their candour in doing so will be affected by their assessment of whether the discussions on Climate Change Policy will be disclosed in the near future, when it may undermine or constrain the Government’s view on that policy while it is still under discussion and development.

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.

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