ClimateXChange report regarding green hydrogen production and international competitiveness: EIR release

Information requested

In January 2024, ClimateXChange published a report - Green hydrogen production and international competitiveness - which was commissioned at the request of the Scottish Government. It can be found here:
https://www.climatexchange.org.uk/projects/green-hydrogen-production-and-international-competitiveness/

Please provide:

(1.) All internal Scottish Government correspondence and documentation which discusses the above referenced ClimateXChange report.

(2.) All correspondence between representatives of the Scottish Government and representatives of ClimateXChange discussing the report, from commissioning through to publication.

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 your request

I enclose a copy of the information you have requested.

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 the regulations of the EIRs apply to several pieces of information. The reasons why the exceptions have been applied are explained in Annex A to this letter.

ANNEX A

REASONS FOR NOT PROVIDING INFORMATION

Regulation 11(2) of the EIRs (personal information)

This 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.

Items in scope of your request can be released in redacted form.

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 202400423111 - Information Released - Annex

File type

200 page PDF

File size

11.4 MB