Dementia Strategy Delivery Plan: FOI release

Information requested

You asked for information relating to the implementation of the Scottish Government publication “Dementia in Scotland: Everyone’s Story - Delivery Plan 2024-2026”, published in February 2024, including any formal progress reports, implementation updates, or status summaries produced by or for the Scottish Government relating to delivery of the plan, any documents that show the current status of actions or commitments within the plan, including whether actions are completed, in progress, delayed, or not yet started and any briefing papers or meeting minutes provided to Scottish Ministers or senior Scottish Government officials relating specifically to progress on implementation of the Delivery Plan.

Response

I enclose a copy of some of the information you requested in the format you asked for.

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 apply under sections 30(c) (the  effective conduct of public affairs) and 38(1)(b) (personal information) of FOISA applies to that information. The reason why these exemptions apply are explained in the Annex in this letter.

Annex

We hold information falling within the scope of your request. However, we are withholding this information either in part or in full under section 30(c) of FOISA. This exemption applies because disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice substantially the effective conduct of public affairs.

In this case, the information relates to the decision-making process concerning the delivery and development of Government policy and services. Disclosure at this stage would be likely to limit the Government’s ability to consider the relevant issues fully, test options, assess risks, and reach properly informed decisions before a final position has been settled. It would also be likely to impair officials’ ability to carry out the Government’s statutory functions effectively by exposing internal analysis, operational considerations and developing policy judgements before they are complete.

We consider that this prejudice would be substantial because disclosure would not simply reveal background information; it would interfere with the conditions needed for effective decision making while the matter remains live. Releasing the information prematurely could lead to external pressure, misinterpretation of provisional views, disruption to the sequencing of the decision making process, and reduced space for officials to assess options objectively. This would create a real and significant risk that the Government’s ability to deliver services, fulfil its statutory responsibilities and reach robust policy decisions would be undermined.

We have considered whether any part of the information withheld in full could be disclosed by redaction or extraction, but have concluded that the information is exempt and that partial disclosure would not avoid the substantial prejudice identified.

As section 30(c) is subject to the public interest test, we have considered the public interest in disclosure. We recognise the public interest in openness, transparency and accountability in relation to the subject matter of the request. However, we consider that the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosure at this time. There is a strong public interest in allowing the Government to conduct its decision making processes effectively, to assess options and risks without premature external interference, and to carry out its statutory functions in a way that support sound and fully informed policy outcomes. We have therefore concluded that the information should be withheld.

An exemption under section 38(1)(b) of FOISA (personal information) applies to a small amount the information requested because it is personal data of a third party, i.e. a person’s name and personal telephone number, 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.

We hold some additional information relevant to the wider subject area of your request, it does not fall within the scope of your request. Although consideration was given to whether this information could be included in our response, the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA) provides a right of access only to information that falls within the defined terms of a request. As this material is out with the scope you set, it has been identified as such and has not been considered further for disclosure.

Accordingly, no exemption or public interest test has been applied to this information.

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 202600518366 - Information Released - Documents

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