M74 off slip junction 9, route-based weather forecasts: EIR release

Information requested

•     All weather forecast data held for the period 0000 hours on 23 January to 1200 hours on 25 January for the above location (M74 off slip, junction 9). This should include (if available), but not limited to, textural information for each day and indications of whether they are route-based forecasts for the road concerned or an area-wide forecast associated with a weather out-station. 

•      What treatment criteria was Scotland Transerv working to at the time of the above incident (between 23 January and 25 January 2018) regarding what forecasts would merit action.”

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.

Annex A to this response provides details of the weather forecasts held for 22 (1100hrs) – 26 January 2018 (1100 hrs) for the M74 junction 9.
Some of the information you have requested can be found using the following link https://www.gov.scot/publications/foi-19-02024/.   Under regulation 6(1)(b) of the EIRs, we do not have to give you information which is already publicly available and easily accessible to you in another form or format.  If, however, you do not have internet access to obtain this information from the website(s) listed, then please contact me again and I will send you a paper copy. 
The treatment criteria adhered to is in accordance with the Winter Service Plan in the above link. Please refer to Annex B to this response, being the treatment data for this area and timescale.
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FOI-19-02282 Annex A

File type

5 page PDF

File size

248.6 kB

FOI-19-02282 Annex B

File type

Excel document

File size

62.0 kB