202200289720 · FOI · partially withheld
Scottish Government Glasgow office project public contracts: FOI release
Information requested
Any information, reports, ministerial briefings, or recommendations from this contract for a business case to inform Scottish Government's future Glasgow office requirements.
Response
An exemption under section 33 (1)(b) of FOISA applies to some the information you have requested.
As is good practice for all large organisations, the Scottish Government keeps its estate requirements under regular review. As part of this it has commenced a review of its future requirements for Glasgow. We are at an early stage, undertaking information gathering to then review a range of options. This will include principles such as best use of taxpayer money, Net Zero and sustainability targets together with sustainable economic impact. The contract you are enquiring about is for external property market advice to assist us with this exercise. Please see attached initial enquiry issued to the commercial property market. We are unable to share the information received as this disclosure would (or would be likely to) prejudice substantially the commercial interests of any person or organisation (section 33(1)(b) of FOISA). We will be working through this during 2022; it is too early for any recommendations and outcomes from the exercise.
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.
About FOI
The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at http://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.
Detected exemption language
Response An exemption under section 33 (1)(b) of FOISA applies to some the information you have requested. We are unable to share the information received as this disclosure would (or would be likely to) prejudice substantially the commercial interests of any person or organisation (section 33(1)(b) of 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.