FOI/202100140775 · FOI · partially withheld
Briefings in reference to disability unemployment rates: FOI release
Information requested
Copies of any civil servant briefings prepared on disability unemployment rates, or that reference disability unemployment rates.
Response
I enclose a copy of all of the information you requested in a PDF format.
An exemption(s) under section s.38(1)(b) of FOISA applies to some of the information you have requested. This is due to personal identifying information being present on many of the briefings that you have asked for. Using this exemption, I have redacted personally identifying information of junior officials as well as those of third parties - for example, where a Minister has met a third party, I have provided you with the relevant briefing, however I have removed the name of the third party themselves as well as the official who prepared the briefing.
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.
In addition, I have redacted information that is not within scope of your request. Some briefings to Ministers, or officials have a very wide scope reaching into policies areas that are not related to disability unemployment rates. I have approached each document with the objective of releasing as much relevant information as possible - this is why you will see some information that while not focusing specifically on disability unemployment rates may be useful for your general understanding.
Lastly, while I have provided you with many unpublished briefings that we have prepared over the past year, much of the key information that we rely on to brief Ministers is publicly available on the Scottish Government's website. Therefore, an exemption under section 25(1) of FOISA applies to some of the information you have requested. You can view this information at the Scottish Governments website by using the following link: https://www.gov.scot/collections/labour-market-statistics/
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
An exemption(s) under section s.38(1)(b) of FOISA applies to some of the information you have requested. Using this exemption, I have redacted personally identifying information of junior officials as well as those of third parties - for example, where a Minister has met a third party, I have provided you with the relevant briefing, however I have removed the name of the third party themselves as well as the official who prepared the briefing. 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. Therefore, an exemption under section 25(1) of FOISA applies to some of the information you have requested.