A96 Corridor Review details: EIR release

Information requested

A record of each public consultation held on any subject regarding improvements to the A96 corridor since January 2011, please list these by year the consultation was held, as well as an estimated cost for each consultation.

An estimated cost for the public consultation to be held in 2025 regarding the A96 Corridor Review.

A record of all emails, and WhatsApp messages regarding the A96 Corridor Review public consultation to be held in 2025, sent and received by the Cabinet Secretary for Transport.

A record of meetings involving Scottish Government officials and any internal or external parties (such as individuals, campaign organisations, Transport Scotland representatives, other elected officials) on the topic of the A96 Corridor Review public consultation to be held in 2025.

Response

As all of 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.

A record of each public consultation held on any subject regarding improvements to the A96 corridor since January 2011, please list these by year the consultation was held

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. This information can be found on the Transport Scotland website using the below links.

A96 dualling Inverness to Aberdeen | Community engagement | Transport Scotland

A96 Inverness to Nairn including Nairn Bypass | Public engagement | Transport Scotland

A96 East of Huntly to Aberdeen | Community engagement | Transport Scotland

A96 Hardmuir to Fochabers | Community engagement | Transport Scotland

A96 Corridor Review | Public engagement and consultation | Transport Scotland

As well as an estimated cost for each consultation

We are refusing your request under the exception at regulation 10(4)(a) of the EIRs. Under the terms of the exception at regulation 10(4)(a) of the EIRs (information not held), the Scottish Government is not required to provide information which it does not have. The Scottish Government does not have the information you have requested because we do not hold a breakdown of these costs.

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. While we recognise that there may be some public interest in the requested information, clearly, we cannot provide information which we do not hold.

An estimated cost for the public consultation to be held in 2025 regarding the A96 Corridor Review

We are refusing your request under the exception at regulation 10(4)(a) of the EIRs. Under the terms of the exception at regulation 10(4)(a) of the EIRs (information not held), the Scottish Government is not required to provide information which it does not have. The Scottish Government does not have the information you have requested because we do not hold an estimate of these costs.

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. While we recognise that there may be some public interest in the requested information, clearly, we cannot provide information which we do not hold.

Further Information

I can confirm that the total spent on the A96 Corridor Review up to the date of your request is £6,241,610.01. This includes the significant appraisal and assessment work along with public consultation and consultation with other stakeholders.

A record of all emails, and WhatsApp messages regarding the A96 Corridor Review public consultation to be held in 2025, sent and received by the Cabinet Secretary for Transport

And

A record of meetings involving Scottish Government officials and any internal or external parties (such as individuals, campaign organisations, Transport Scotland representatives, other elected officials) on the topic of the A96 Corridor Review public consultation to be held in 2025”

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. This information has been released under Environmental Information Regulations which can be accessed via the Scottish Government’s website online at; https://www.gov.scot/publications/. Please see below relevant reference number:

• EIR 202400441545

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.