Musselburgh Flood Protection Scheme correspondence: EIR release
Information request and response under the Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004.
Information requested
1. All correspondence (including emails, minutes, letters and briefings) between East Lothian Council and the Scottish Government from 1 January 2025 to present relating specifically to:
- The Musselburgh Flood Protection Scheme
- The introduction of the 300% funding cap for Cycle 1 flood protection schemes; The financial implications of the cap for the Musselburgh Flood Protection Scheme; Any discussion of exceptional circumstances or additional funding mechanisms.
2. A copy of all minutes of meetings of COSLA and the Scottish Government's flood risk management working group since January 2025 to today's date.
If my request is considered too broad, please advise how it may be refined to fall within cost limits.
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.
I have included copies of the information you have requested in Annex B.
On reviewing materials within the scope of your request, exceptions have been applied in line with the EIRs. These exceptions applied can be found in Annex A.
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.
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