Communications between Scottish and Chinese Governments since 2016: FOI release

FOI reference: FOI/17/01597
Date received: 11 July 2017
Date responded: 8 August 2017

Information requested

1) A breakdown of all communications between the Cabinet Secretary for the Economy, Jobs and Fair Work and the Chinese Government since June 2016.

2) All correspondence between the Cabinet Secretary for the Economy, Jobs and Fair Work and the Chinese Government since June 2016.

3) All minutes and notes taken of telephone communications between the Cabinet Secretary for the Economy, Jobs and Fair Work and the Chinese Government since June 2016.

Response

Request 1

Since June 2016, the Cabinet Secretary for the Economy, Jobs and Fair Work has had the following communications with the Chinese Government:

• Meeting with Guangdong Party Secretary, Mr Hu Chunhua, at Edinburgh Castle on 11 June 2017 at 18:45

• Invitation from Chinese Consul General, Mr Pan Xinchun, dated 29 December 2016

• Invitation from Chinese Consul General, Mr Pan Xinchun, dated 8 September 2016

Request 2

I enclose a copy of some of the information you requested, at Annex A. 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 section 38(1)(b) (personal data of a third party) of FOISA apply to that information. This is because it is personal data of a third party, ie names/contact details of individuals, and disclosing it would contravene the data protection principles in Schedule 1 to the Data Protection Act 1998. 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.

Request 3

While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance the Scottish Government does not have the information you have requested. We do not have the information because there are no records of any telephone communications between the Cabinet Secretary for the Economy, Jobs and Fair Work and the Chinese Government since June 2016. This is a formal notice under section 17(1) of FOISA that the Scottish Government does not have the information you have requested.

About FOI

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foi_17_01597_invitations from Chinese Gov..pdf

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