Former Minister for Energy and the Environment and Fuel Insecurity Fund partners correspondence: FOI release

Information requested

1. A copy of the full correspondence, referred to above, between the Minister for Energy and the Environment and the FIF partners on 20th December 2023.

Please include each letter or emails sent to the partners and any replies that were sent to and received by the Minister for Energy and the Environment or their office.

2. A copy of any correspondence sent by the Minister for Energy and Environment or their office to the Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice or their office on the 19th or 20th December 2023.

Please include any replies from the Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice.

3. The Scottish Fuel Poverty Advisory Panel wrote to the Minister for Energy and Environment on 21st December 2023 expressing their feelings about the decision to cut the Fuel Insecurity Fund for the next financial year.

Please provide any response from the Minister to that letter either in email or letter form.

Response

I have responded to your answer in three parts, for ease.

1. “A copy of the full correspondence, referred to above, between the Minister for Energy and the Environment and the FIF partners on 20th December 2023.

Please include each letter or emails sent to the partners and any replies that were sent to and received by the Minister for Energy and the Environment or their office.”

The then Minister for Energy and the Environment held a virtual meeting with Fuel Insecurity Fund partners on Wednesday 20 December 2023. I enclose a copy of most of the information you requested, which is in the form of a meeting minute.

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(a) (Scottish Ministers’ collective responsibility), 30(c) (Otherwise prejudice effective conduct of public affairs) and 38(1)(b) (Personal data relating to third party) of FOISA applies to that information. The reasons why these exemptions apply are explained in the Annex to this letter.

2. “A copy of any correspondence sent by the Minister for Energy and Environment or their office to the Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice or their office on the 19th or 20th December 2023.

Please include any replies from the Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice.”

The Scottish Government does not have the information you have asked for because no correspondence was sent by the then Minister for Energy and Environment to the Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice within the specified timeframe.

As such, I hereby provide you with formal notice under section 17(1) of FOISA that the Scottish Government does not have the information you have requested.

3. “The Scottish Fuel Poverty Advisory Panel wrote to the Minister for Energy and Environment on 21st December 2023 expressing their feelings about the decision to cut the Fuel Insecurity Fund for the next financial year.

Please provide any response from the Minister to that letter either in email or letter form.”

The then Minister for Energy and the Environment responded to the Scottish Fuel Poverty Advisory Panel’s correspondence of 21 December 2023 as part of the Scottish Government’s response to the Panel’s recommendations.

All of the information you have requested is available from the Scottish Government website at Scottish Government response to the Scottish Fuel Poverty Advisory Panel recommendations.

Under section 25(1) of FOISA, we do not have to give you information which is already reasonably accessible to you. If, however, you do not have internet access to obtain this information from the website listed, then please contact me again and I will send you a paper copy.

About FOI

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 202400444915 - Information released - Annex

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