Leadership change meeting: FOI Release

Information requested

For the meeting held on 22/2/2023 between Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Covid Recovery, John Swinney MSP, and Business Organisations - CBI, FSB, SCC, SRC, SCDI, SFD, SFE, IoD and STA with the subject Leadership Change could you please provide the following information:

• A full list of attendees, including full names and titles as well as who the attendee represents
• A copy of the meeting agenda
• Meeting notes/minutes taken during the meeting, as well as any briefing notes and papers
• Any correspondence associated with the attendees, including debriefs of the meeting via email or other forms of communication.

Response

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

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. The reasons why we do not have the information are explained in the Annex to this letter.

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) and 30(b)(i) Free and frank provision of advice of FOISA applies to that information. The reasons why that exemption applies is explained in the Annex to this letter.

Annex
Reasons for not providing information

The Scottish Government does not have some of the information you have asked for because no agenda was prepared for this meeting.

An exemption under section 38(1)(b) of FOISA applies to some of the information you have requested. This information is personal data relating to some Scottish Government staff. 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. An exemption under section 30(b)(i) Free and frank provision of advice applies to some of the information you have requested. This exemption is not 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.

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.

Document 1

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6 page PDF

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Document 2

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Document 3

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Document 4

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1 page PDF

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