GFG group senior management team correspondence: FOI release

Information requested

1. Please provide me with a copy of any correspondence between the GFG group senior management team and the Scottish Government since July 2022 on a) the resignation of King and King Auditors and b) the appointment of new auditors.

2. Please provide me a copy of any minutes of meeting between Ministers or officials and the GFG group senior management team in the last 12 months on the appointment of auditors.

Response

The matter of the appointment of new auditors is one for the GFG group, as a private business, to deal with. The submission of audited accounts is overseen by Companies House and any ongoing process regarding this will be between Companies House and the GFG group.

Some of the information you have requested has been released previously under the FOISA requests noted below and is therefore otherwise available to you under s25 of FOISA. You will be able to access the information on the Scottish Government website. If you cannot access the Scottish Government website, please contact me again and I will send you a copy of the relevant information.

• Correspondence relating to auditor of Dalzell Steelworks and Lochaber Smelter: FOI release 202200321971 - gov.scot
• Correspondence relating to auditor of Dalzell Steelworks and Lochaber Smelter: FOI review 202200327714 - gov.scot
• Minutes of Sanjeev Gupta and Minister for Business, Trade, Tourism and Enterprise: FOI release 202200322353 - gov.scot
• GFG Alliance and the Scottish Government's advisors: FOI review 202300337599 - gov.scot (Pages 6-7 of the information released in this review come under the scope of your request.)

Some additional information you have requested has recently been released as part of FOISA request 202500455118. As this response has not yet been published on the Scottish Government website, I have enclosed a copy of the relevant documents with this response.

An exemption under section 38(1)(b) of FOISA applies to some the information you have requested. This exemption applies to some of the information requested because it is personal data of a third party, i.e. names and contact details, and disclosing it would contravene the data protection principles in Article 5(1) of the General Data Protection Regulation and in section 34(1) of the Data Protection Act 2018. This exemption is not subject to the ‘public interest test’, therefore we are not required to consider if public interest in disclosing the information outweighs public interest in applying the exemption.

We have also withheld some information under Section 30(c) of the FOISA. This exemption applies because disclosure would, or would be likely to, cause substantial prejudice to the to the effective conduct of public affairs in relation to communications and engagement with external stakeholders. 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. We recognise that there is a public interest in disclosing information as part of open, transparent and accountable government, and to inform public debate. However, there is a greater public interest in maintaining good relations between the Scottish Government and GFG Alliance and in protecting the free exchange of information between both to ensure that we keep each other fully and regularly informed about matters of mutual interest which may impact on the Scottish Government’s guarantee or associated securities. There is no public interest in disclosing information when that will damage relationships and disrupt future engagement.

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 202500457270 - Information released - Documents

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