A96 Dualling East of Huntly to Aberdeen questions: EIR release
Information request and response under the Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004.
Information requested
You asked for:-
1. All and any information, data etc relating to the business case for the including the most recent study by AECOM referred to by Alan Frew of AmeyArup at the Inverurie public meeting in May 2019.
2. All and any information, data, drawings etc relating to the online dualling of the A96 through Inverurie using, Category 7, 6 and 5 road standards.
Response
As the information you have requested is ‘environmental information’ for the purposes of the Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004 (EIRs), we are required to deal with your request under those Regulations. We are applying the exemption at section 39(2) of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA), so that we do not also have to deal with your request under FOISA.
This exemption is subject to the ‘public interest test’. 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, because there is no public interest in dealing with the same request under two different regimes. This is essentially a technical point and has no material effect on the outcome of your request.
1. All and any information, data etc relating to the business case for the including the most recent study by AECOM referred to by Alan Frew of AmeyArup at the Inverurie public meeting in May 2019.
I have discussed the matter with Alan Frew, AmeyArup Contract Director, who advises he incorrectly referred to AECOM in respect of the Inverness to Aberdeen Corridor Study Strategic Business Case which was published in September 2014. I can confirm that the A96 Dualling Inverness to Aberdeen Strategic Business Case was developed by Jacobs, and a link to the document is provided below.
Please also find enclosed the following supporting information held in realtion to the Strategic business case:
Annex A – A96 Business Case Wider Impacts Calculations by David Simmonds Consultancy dated 10 June 2014
Annex B – Technical Note by Jacobs consultancy dated 28 Oct 2014
Annex C – Cost Benefit Analysis – Options Costs
Annex D – Accident Benefits
Annex E – Final Economic Results
Annex F – TUBA (Transport Users Benefit Appraisal) data to accompany Annex E. Please note, this has been transmitted electronically as the Notepad files are several hundred pages.
I can advise that AECOM were not involved in the development of the Strategic Business Case however, I can confirm that they were appointed by Transport Scotland in 2014 as Lead Traffic and Economic Advisor for the A96 Dualling progamme which includes the development of a traffic model for the A96 corridor between Inverness and Aberdeen (CRAM model). The outcome of the traffic and economic assessment work being undertaken by AmeyArup for the options under consideration on the A96 Dualling East of Huntly to Aberdeen scheme will be reported in a DMRB Stage 2 Scheme Assessment Report which will be published by Transport Scotland on conclusion of the on-going options assessment work, currently expected later this year.
2. All and any information, data, drawings etc relating to the online dualling of the A96 through Inverurie using, Category 7, 6 and 5 road standards.
The A96 Dualling East of Huntly to Aberdeen Online at Inverurie - Dualling Feasibility and Appraisal considered the online dualling of the A96 through Inverurie using Category 7 road standards. The document is available to view on Transport Scotland’s website at: https://www.transport.gov.scot/publication/online-at-inverurie-dualling-feasibility-and-appraisal-east-of-huntly-to-aberdeen-a96-dualling/
With regard to your request for all and any information, data, drawings etc relating to the online dualling of the A96 through Inverurie using Category 5 and 6 road standards, while our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance the Scottish Government does not have some of the information you have requested as the assessment only considered the provision of Category 7A dual carriageway and therefore is information not held by the Scottish Government. Therefore we are refusing your request under the exception at regulation 10(4)(a) of the EIRs. The reasons why that exception applies are explained at Annex G to this letter.
Reasons for not providing information - Annex
The Scottish Government does not have the information
Under the terms of the exception at regulation 10(4)(a) of the EIRs (information not held), the Scottish Government is not required to provide information which it does not have. The Scottish Government does not have some of the information you have requested because there is no information, data, drawings etc relating to the online dualling of the A96 through Inverurie using Category 5 and 6 road standards as the assessment only considered the provision of Category 7A dual carriageway.
This exception is subject to the ‘public interest test’. 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 exception. We have found that, on balance, the public interest lies in favour of upholding the exception. While we recognise that there may be some public interest in information about information, data, drawings etc relating to the online dualling of the A96 through Inverurie using Category 5 and 6 road standards clearly we cannot provide information which we do not hold.
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.
Contact
Please quote the FOI reference
Central Enquiry Unit
Email: ceu@gov.scot
Phone: 0300 244 4000
The Scottish Government
St Andrews House
Regent Road
Edinburgh
EH1 3DG
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