Correspondence regarding 2026 Commonwealth Games: FOI release

Information requested

Any correspondence (including emails, letters, phone calls, handwritten notes, WhatsApp messages or any other documents) between the office of the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care and Glasgow City Council regarding the 2026 Commonwealth games. Information should include but not be limited to a detailed timeline (with dates) of any contact between the Cabinet Secretary’s office and Glasgow City Council. Please provide this information between the dates of 1 April 2024 and 18 September 2024 inclusive.

Any correspondence (including emails, letters, phone calls, handwritten notes, WhatsApp messages or any other documents) between the office of the Minister for Social Care, Mental Wellbeing and Sport and Glasgow City Council regarding the 2026 Commonwealth games. Information should include but not be limited to a detailed timeline (with dates) of any contact between the Cabinet Secretary’s office and Glasgow City Council. Please provide this information between the dates of 1 April 2024 and 18 September 2024 inclusive.

Response

I enclose a copy of some of the the information you 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 exemptions under sections 30(b)(ii) (free and frank exchange of views for the purposes of deliberations), and 38(1)(b) (personal information) of FOISA applies to that information.

An exemption under section 30(b)(ii) (provision of free and frank exchange of views for the purposes of deliberation) applies to some of the information requested. This exemption applies because it relates to information containing views and assumptions of individuals that either relate to the ongoing formulation of advice and policies associated with the event or relate to other organisations. Releasing this information could damage relationships with stakeholders which could impact on the Commonwealth Games as well as other future events in Scotland. Release of this information could also unduly influence or impact impending contractual arrangements. This exemption is subject to the ‘public interest test’. We recognise that there is a public interest in disclosing information as part of open and transparent government, and to help understand how policies are decided. 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.

An exemption under section 38(1)(b) of FOISA (personal information) applies to sections of the information requested because it is personal data of a third party, i.e names and contact details of individuals, 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 exemption 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 exemption.

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The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at https://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.

FOI 202400432710 - Information Released - Annex

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