Information regarding the Edinburgh Tram Inquiry: FOI Review

Information requested

Request 202200305263:

For the following information in respect of Edinburgh Tram Inquiry office space at SG's Victoria Quay building :

a) What has been the annual cost of providing this accommodation for each year since the Tram Inquiry started using space at Victoria Quay?

b) Is this cost part of the recently announced £500k provided to the Tram Inquiry?

c) Please provide a table showing how the number of offices (and sqm) used by the Tram Inquiry has fluctuated since the Tram Inquiry started using space at Victoria Quay.

d) Please provide a table showing how the number building access passes allocated to the Tram Inquiry has fluctuated since the Tram Inquiry started using space at Victoria Quay.

Response

Further to my letter of 12 July 2022, I have now completed my review of our response to your request under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA) for a table showing how the number building access passes allocated to the Tram Inquiry has fluctuated since the Tram Inquiry started using space at Victoria Quay.

I have concluded that the original decision should be confirmed, with modifications.

The response to your original request was that this information was not held by the Scottish Government as it was an internal matter for the Edinburgh Tram Inquiry.

On receipt of your request for a review I have requested further information from the Scottish Government Security team. The response received confirms that their system does not hold the information you have requested, for the following reasons:

Due to the way security pass information is recorded within the system, we are unable to show fluctuations in the staff numbers over the duration of the inquiry. The system in most instances only holds data going back up to two years for most pass holders recorded within the system. Due to the Edinburgh Tram Inquiry not having a business location with its own restricted access control it is not possible to determine specific time periods when individuals had worked within the inquiry, only that they had worked there.

As the information you have requested is not held by the Scottish Government I have confirmed the original decision but concluded that you should have been provided with a clearer explanation about why the information is not held.

Additionally, security colleagues have confirmed that there are 10 individuals registered to the Edinburgh Tram Inquiry based on the information held within the building security pass database. While this does not provide the fluctuation details you have requested, I hope this additional information provides some helpful context on the overall numbers.

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.