Sea lice research project information: EIR release

Information requested

Around 2015, (possibly earlier) Marine Scotland Science launched a ten year sea lice research project. This was described on a number of pages posted on the Scottish Government website. This request is for copies of all pages, reports and literature relevant to this ten year project. The project did not last ten years as it was scrapped after about 3 years. I would like to request copies of any internal MSS etc reports explaining why this project was scrapped.

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.

Copies of all pages, reports and literature

Some of the information you have requested is available from previous FOI requests you have made (case number 202300353400 and 202300348877) which has been published on the Scottish Government websites here:

Details from Marine Scotland Science of FW0050 project application: FOI release - gov.scot and Project funds C45400 and FW0050 provided to Marine Scotland Science: FOI release - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) respectively.

Information on project FW0050 is available here: Introduction - The interactions and effects of sea lice on wild salmon - gov.scot. Further, I have complied a list of all webpages, reports and literature relevant to FW0050, I have provided links to all information, see Annex 1.

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. If, however, you do not have internet access to obtain this information from the website(s) listed, then please contact me again and I will send you a paper copy.

Copies of any internal MSS etc reports explaining why this project was scrapped

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. Therefore we are refusing your request under the exception at regulation 10(4)(a) of the EIRs. The reasons why that exception applies are explained below.

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 the project was not scrapped after three years as you assert. In fact it is still ongoing. You have previously requested information about the value of this work in case numbers 202300353400 and 202300348877 as noted above.

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 information about the false statement you make above about a project being “scrapped”, clearly we cannot provide information which we do not hold.

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.

EIR 202500456446 - Information released - Annex 1

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