Details of meetings with the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change: FOI release

Information requested

• Any meetings held between Scottish Government Ministers and the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change since 6 May 2021. Please provide a note of who attended and what was discussed, if held.
• Any meetings held between Scottish Government Civil Servants and the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change since 6 May 2021. Please provide a note of who attended and what was discussed, if held.
• Any correspondence to or from Ministerial email addresses containing the phrase “Tony Blair” since 8 May 2024.

Response

In handling your request we ran a number of searches on the Government’s electronic Record and Document Management System (eRDM). We also contacted the private offices of the 25 Scottish Government Ministers (a list is available here).

In the process of considering these searches we concluded that it would not be possible to fully answer your request without exceeding the upper cost limit set out under FOISA. This is because the costs of locating, retrieving and providing the information requested would exceed the upper cost limit of £600.

The reason for this is that to locate and retrieve that information we would need to conduct a search of all of the records of the Scottish Government. Under Section 12 of FOISA public authorities are not required to comply with a request for information if the authority estimates that the cost of complying would exceed the upper cost limit, which is currently set at £600 by Regulations made under section 12.

It may help if I explain that we file our information according to the subject matter, not by reference to the names of individuals/organisations with whom we have corresponded. It is also Scottish Government policy that Ministerial decisions and meetings must be fully and accurately recorded in eRDM. This duty is the responsibility of policy or corporate support civil servants.

You may wish to consider reducing the scope of your request in order that the costs can be brought below £600. For example, you could specify if there is a specific subject matter in which you are interested in or restrict your request to a specific business area of the Scottish Government, as this would allow us to limit the searches that would require to be conducted. You may also find it helpful to look at the Scottish Information Commissioner's 'Tips for requesting information under FOI and the EIRs' on his website at: http://www.itspublicknowledge.info/YourRights/Tipsforrequesters.aspx.

While I am sorry that we have felt obliged to apply the cost limit, I am able to provide as an Annex the information we considered relevant to your request and which we identified prior to concluding that the cost limit would be exceeded. This information is set out in an Annex and in some instances the following exemptions under FOISA have been applied.

Section 25 – Information otherwise accessible

Under section 25(1) of FOISA, we do not have to give you information which is already reasonably accessible to you. If, however, you do not have internet access to obtain this information from the website(s) listed in the Annex, then please contact me again and I will send you a paper copy.

Section 29(1)(a) – Information related to the formulation or development of Scottish Government policy

An exemption under section 29(1)(a) of FOISA applies to some of the information you have requested. This is where material relates to the formulation and development of Government policy. 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 high quality policy and decision-making, and in the properly considered implementation and development of policies and decisions. This means that Ministers and officials need to be able to consider all available options and to debate those rigorously, to fully understand their possible implications. Their candour in doing so will be affected by their assessment of whether the discussions on the election will be disclosed in the near future, when it may undermine or constrain the Government’s view on that policy while it is still under discussion and development.

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 202500472771 - Information released - Annex

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