Scottish Government correspondence regarding Lochan Associates: FOI release

Information requested

Q1) Please share any communications between special advisers, officials or ministers with 'Lochan Associates' or Derek Mackay.

Q2) Please share any internal communications which refer to Lochan Associates or Derek Mackay over the last three years.

Please include emails or any other messaging services.

 

Response

Response to your request (Q1)

I enclose copies of some of the information

As requested, we have included correspondence covering the last three years, working back from the date your FOI request was received, with the applicable period therefore being 11 March 2023 – 11 March 2026.

The following documents are enclosed:

FOI 202600510352 – Document 1

FOI 202600510352 – Annex

While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance we are unable to provide some of the information you have requested because exemptions under sections 17, 25(1), 30(b)(i), 30(c), 37(1)(b)(i),s37(1)(b)(ii), and 38(1)(b) of FOISA apply to that information. The reasons why those exemptions apply are explained in the Annex to this letter.

Response to your request (Q2)

While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance 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.

You may, however, wish to consider reducing the scope of your request in order that the costs can be brought below £600. For example, you could specify the subject matter(s) of the communications 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 this website at: http://www.itspublicknowledge.info/YourRights/Tipsforrequesters.aspx.

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 202600510352 - Information Released - Document 1

File type

PDF

File size

618.0 kB

FOI 202600510352 - Information Released - Annex

File type

PDF

File size

91.7 kB