Conduct of representatives of Salmon Scotland or of fish farming companies: FOI release

Information requested

1) Any communications made since 1 January 2024 regarding concerns about the conduct of representatives of Salmon Scotland or of fish farming companies.

2) Any complaints made by parliamentarians or parliament staff about the conduct of representatives of Salmon Scotland or of fish farming companies over the last five years.

Response

I enclose a copy of some of the information you requested in Annex A attached to this letter.

An exemption under section 25(1) of FOISA (information otherwise accessible) applies to some of the information requested. Under section 25(1) of FOISA, we do not have to give you information which is already reasonably accessible to you. This information is available via the links below, and via X (social media platform).

• open-letter-to-police-scotland-28-february-2025.pdf
• pr-public-consultation-safety-protocol-28-march-2025.pdf

This exemption is not subject to the ‘public interest test’, so we are not required to consider if the public interest in disclosing the information outweighs the public interest in applying the exemption.

An exemption under section 38(1)(b) of FOISA (personal information) applies to some of the information requested because it is personal data of a third party, i.e. names, 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’, so we are not required to consider if the public interest in disclosing the information outweighs the public interest in applying the exemption.

An exemption under section 30(c) of FOISA (prejudice to effective conduct of public affairs) applies to some of the information requested.

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. However, there is a greater public interest in protecting the process of ensuring a safe space for Scottish Government staff to raise concerns around stakeholder behaviours without fear of such concerns being made public and ensuring that the Scottish Government is able conduct this aspect of its business effectively.

With regards to your request for information on “any complaints made by parliamentarians or parliament staff about the conduct of representatives of Salmon Scotland or of fish farming companies over the last five years.” - this information is not held. The Scottish Government and the Scottish Parliament are separate organisations with different remits, therefore I suggest contacting the Scottish Parliament Website directly.

This is a formal notice under section 17(1) of FOISA that the Scottish Government does not hold the information you have requested.

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 202500463830 - Information released - Annex A

File type

PDF

File size

151.9 kB