FOI/202200323158 · FOI · partially withheld
Correspondence on withdrawal of chair of COVID-19 inquiry: FOI release
Information requested
"All information on Lady Poole's decision to withdraw as head of the Scottish Government's Covid-19 Inquiry. This should include all correspondence between her, the Scottish Government, the Scottish Courts Service and ministers. Any responses as a result of this communication would also be appreciated."
Response
I attach a copy of most of the information you requested. 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 an exemption under section 38(1)(b) of FOISA applies to some of the information you have requested. This is because personal information such as phone numbers, staff names and email addresses were included in email chains and have been redacted. This exemption applies because it is personal data of a third party, the names/contact details of individuals, 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. 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
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 an exemption under section 38(1)(b) of FOISA applies to some of the information you have requested. This exemption applies because it is personal data of a third party, the names/contact details of individuals, 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.