Publication - FOI/EIR release

Pandas at Edinburgh Zoo: EIR release

Published: 29 October 2020
Directorate: Agriculture and Rural Economy Directorate
Part of: Farming and rural, International, Money and tax, +1 more … Public sector
FOI reference: FOI/202000064294
Date received: 20 July 2020
Date responded: 17 August 2020

Information request and response under the Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004

Information requested

All correspondence and information including but not limited to documents, reports, calls logged, notes of meetings and emails between the Scottish Government and the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) in relation to the giant pandas at Edinburgh Zoo.
All correspondence and information including but not limited to documents, reports, calls logged, notes of meetings and emails between the Scottish Government and the Chinese Government.

In both instances I am looking for this information for dates starting 01/03/20 up until today.

Response

I enclose a copy of some of the information you requested.

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 exceptions under regulations reg 11(2) (personal data); and reg 10(5)(e) (commercial interests) of the EIRs apply to that information. The reasons why that exception(s) applies are explained in the Annex to this letter.

ANNEX
REASONS FOR NOT PROVIDING INFORMATION

Some exceptions apply

Regulation 11(2) (personal information)
An exception under regulation 11(2) (personal information) of the EIRs applies to some of the information you have requested. This exception appies because disclosure of personal details of third parties such as: names, email addresses, phone numbers, signatures, etc 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 exception 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 exception.

Regulation 10 (5)(e) – commercial interest
An exception under regulation 10(5)(e) of the EIRs (substantial prejudice to confidentiality of commercial information) applies to some of the information you have requested. This exception applies because disclosure of the organization details such as bank and confidential details would, or would be likely to, prejudice substantially the confidentiality of commercial information provided by RZSS and thus cause harm to their commercial interests.

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. We recognise that there is a public interest in disclosing information as part of open and transparent government, and to help account for public money. However, there is a greater public interest in protecting the commercial interests of an organisation or company which holds a lease with the Scottish Government.

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.