Appointments to the Social Security Scotland Executive Advisory Body: FOI release

FOI reference: FOI/18/03151
Date received: 30 October 2018
Date responded: 27 November 2018

 

 

You asked for all documents and materials provided to and from Ministers relating to the appointments to the Social Security Scotland Executive Advisory Body. You went on to state: “For the avoidance of doubt this should include but not be limited to initial proposals for appointments, correspondence relating to clarifications, and the final sign-off documents. Where it has occurred this should also include documentation where Ministers have removed themselves from the decision making process.”

 

 

I enclose a copy of most of the information you requested at Annex 1. Please see Annex 2 for further details regarding the information that we are unable to provide.

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 an exemption under section 38(1)(b) (personal information)of FOISA applies to that information. The reasons why that exemption applies are explained below.

 

 

An exemption applies.
 
An exemption under section 38(1)(b) of FOISA (personal information) applies to a small amount of the information requested because it is personal data of a third party, eg names/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.