Internal correspondence request: FOI review

Information requested

Copies of all internal Scottish Government email correspondence (including Marine Scotland, Civil Servants, and Special Advisers) discussing the responses to these two previous FOI requests:

• FOI/202100132049 and
• FOI/202200292407.

Response

I have concluded that the original decision should be confirmed, with minor modifications.

I am satisfied that, while the original response did provide all of the relevant documents, there was a very small number of names redacted which should not have been. I have reattached the material supplied in that original response and highlighted the names where I have removed the redaction. Briefly, these are:

(in the email dated March 1st 2012 at 16:27)

• Colin Imrie, then Deputy Director of Energy Policy Division

(in the email dated October 9th 2020 at 12:17)

• Kevin Quinlan, Director of Environment and Forestry
• Dr Stephen Pathirana, Director of Lifelong Learning and Skills
• Mairi McAllan, (then) special adviser
• Kate Higgins, special adviser
• Mike Palmer, Deputy Director, Marine Planning and Policy

I am satisfied that all of the other names on the copy lists belong to officials below the rank of deputy director or above, and that these names should continue to be withheld under section 38(1)(b) of FOISA for the reasons set out in the initial response.

You also asked for information concerning the job titles of those redacted. These cover quite a range, comprising mainly energy policy advisers and officers as well as staff from Marine Scotland working in marine science, planning and policy, members of the Scottish Government's economy and enterprise divisions, analytical staff from the Office of the Chief Economic Adviser, and a small number of staff from the Scottish Government communications team – all of whom have the @gov.scot email address suffix.

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.

FOI Review - 202200313781 - information released

File type

63 page PDF

File size

496.2 kB