Correspondence regarding press conference following First Minister's visit to Washington DC and meeting with the US President: FOI release
Information request and response under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002.
Information requested
“Any internal and external communication relating to the press conference held by the First Minister in Bute House following the FM's visit to Washington DC and meeting with the US President Donald Trump on September 9. This should cover the period from August 1 to date”.
Response
I have interpreted your request as information about the First Minister’s press conference at Bute House of 10 September.
I enclose a copy of some of the information you requested attached as Annex A.
While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance we are unable to provide this information because an exemption under section 29(1) (d) – as the information related to the operation of any Ministerial Private Office.
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 some public interest in release, however, this is outweighed by the public interest in maintaining the effective operation of government business.
An exemption under section 38(1)(b) (personal information) of FOISA applies to some of the information you have requested. This is because some of the information you have requested is the personal data of third parties. 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.
About FOI
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Contact
Please quote the FOI reference
Central Correspondence Unit
Email: contactus@gov.scot
Phone: 0300 244 4000
The Scottish Government
St Andrew's House
Regent Road
Edinburgh
EH1 3DG