Director General for Net Zero WhatsApp messages during Covid-19 pandemic: FOI release

Information requested

Roy Brannen's Covid 19 WhatsApp messages.

Response

I have taken the period of your request to apply from 21 January 2020 when the World Health Organisation published its ‘Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) Situation Report, up until 30 April 2022 when the then remaining Covid-19 restrictions were lifted in Scotland.

Please find the information requested attached at Annex A. Some of the information has been redacted:

Under Section 29 (1) (a) of FOISA. The information has been withheld because it relates to the formulation or development of Scottish Government Policy. This exemption is subject to the ‘public interest test’. Therefore, taking account of all the circumstances of this request, 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 Scottish Ministers, special advisers and the Permanent Secretary are covered by the terms of the Lobbying (Scotland) Act 2016. See www.lobbying.scot St Andrew's House, Regent Road, Edinburgh EH1 3DG www.gov.scot upholding the exemption. We recognise that there is some public interest in release in favour of open and transparent government. However, this is outweighed by the public interest in maintaining private space to discuss topics at preliminary stages of consideration.

Under Section 30(b) of FOISA. The information has been withheld because it relates to free and frank exchange of views for the purposes of deliberation. This exemption applies because disclosure would, or would be likely to, inhibit substantially the free and frank exchange of views for the purposes of deliberation. This exemption recognises the need for Ministers and officials to have a private space within which to discuss and explore options before the Scottish Government reaches a settled public view. Disclosing the content of free and frank discussions on the future currency of an independent Scotland will substantially inhibit such discussions in the future, particularly because these discussions are still ongoing and final decisions have not been taken, and these discussions relate to a sensitive or controversial issue such as Scotland’s constitutional future.

Under Section 38(1) (b) of FOISA. The information has been withheld because it is personal data. Personal data is defined in the Data Protection Act 2018 as information relating to an identified or identifiable living individual i.e. if a person could directly or indirectly be identified from the information it is personal data.

About FOI

The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at https://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.

FOI 202400436386 - Information Released - Annex

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