Marine Directorate briefings to Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Land Reform and the Islands and Acting Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero and Energy: EIR release

Information requested

A list of all briefings given to the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Land Reform and the Islands from the Marine Directorate since her appointment.

A list of all briefings given to the Acting Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero and Energy from the Marine Directorate since her appointment.

Response

As 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.

I enclose a copy of all of the information you requested as per the material below.

In this instance I have understood your request as a list of briefings, which we interpret as topic specific background information provided to Cabinet Secretaries in support of their roles. This includes in areas for example, to support their engagements with third parties and any topic specific briefing material they have requested in addition to that. We have also understood “from the Marine Directorate” as provided by a member of staff from the Marine Directorate. We have also interpreted the following as the date scope of your request. The start dates have been determined either by when the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Land Reform and the Islands was appointed to their current Cabinet post, or when the Acting Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero and Energy started in their role:

• Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Land Reform and the Islands – Ms Gougeon – from May 2024 to the date of your submitted request
• Acting Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero and Energy – Ms Martin – from July 2024 to the date of your submitted request

​​​​​​​Information Enclosed

	Briefing provided to Ms Gougeon - May 2024 to 07/02/2025
Date	Briefing topic heading
02/05/2024	Meeting with Four Rivers to discuss Wild Salmon Declines
09/05/2024	Attendance at Scottish Skipper Expo
16/05/2024	National Marine Plan 2 Deep Dive Session with Marine Directorate officials
22/05/2024	Meeting with Scottish Pelagic Fishermen’s Association
04/06/2024	Meeting with Scottish Aquaculture Council
26/06/2024	Meeting with Salar Pursuits
09/07/2024	Visit to Marine Protection Vessel Hirta, Marine Directorate
09/07/2024	Meeting with Scottish Fishermen's Federation
09/07/2024	Meeting with Ian Gatt, Chief Executive of the Scottish Pelagic Fishermen's Association
17/07/2024	Visit to Pitlochry Dam Visitor Centre
30/08/2024	Visit to Bakkafrost headquarters, Glyvrar, Faroe Islands
30/08/2024	Visit to Bakkafrost Strond Recirculation Aquaculture System
30/08/2024	Visit to Bakkafrost Marine Site A57
30/08/2024	Meeting with CEO (Regin Jacobsen) and Chair (Runni M Hansen) of P/F Bakkafrost
04/09/2024	Meeting with Finlay Carson MSP
12/09/2024	Meeting with Clyde Fishermen’s Association
12/09/2024	Meeting with Charlina Vitcheva, Director General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries in the EU Commission
18/09/2024	Meeting with Communities Inshore Fisheries Alliance
25/09/2024	Meeting with CEO and Chair of Crown Estate Scotland
23/10/2024	Meeting with Charlina Vitcheva, Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries
13/11/2024	Appearance at the Rural Affairs and Islands Committee on Salmon Farming (follow-up to 2017/18 inquiries)
19/11/2024	Attendance at ‘Celebrating 25 Years of Seafood Scotland’ - parliamentary reception
08/01/2025	Meeting with Sustainable Inshore Fisheries Trust
15/01/2025	Meeting with Bakkafrost - Scotland, Managing Director Iain Laister
22/01/2025	Appearance at the Rural Affairs and Islands Committee post budget session
29/01/2025	Meeting with OneKind
05/02/2025	Meeting with Salmon Scotland / Scottish Environment Protection Agency

 

	Briefing provided to Ms Martin - July 2024 to 07/02/2025
Date	Briefing topic heading
19/08/2024	Media bid for BBC Radio Orkney
28/08/2024	Attendance at MSP Roundtable
02/10/2024	Speaking at Cross-Party Group on Fisheries and Coastal Communities
09/01/2025	Meeting with RSPB Scotland
28/01/2025	Attendance at Coastal Testimonies - perspectives from across Scotland (Open Seas)
05/02/2025	Salmon Scotland and Scottish Environment Protection Agency regarding Sea Lice Risk Assessment Framework

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