FOI/202500489409 · FOI/EIR · partially withheld
Cabinet Secretary for Climate Action and Energy meeting held regarding opposition to wind farms: EIR release
Information requested
How many meetings has Gillian Martin held with campaigners/campaign groups against pylons, and campaigners/campaign groups against wind farms, in the last two years?
Could you supply a list of requests made to Ms Martin and or/her office for meetings by these campaign groups in the same time frame?
Response
As the information you have requested is 'environmental information' for the purposes of the Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004 (EIRs), we are required to deal with your request under those Regulations. We are applying the exemption at section 39(2) of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA), so that we do not also have to deal with your request under 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, because there is no public interest in dealing with the same request under two different regimes. This is essentially a technical point and has no material effect on the outcome of your request.
How many meetings has Gillian Martin held with campaigners/campaign groups against pylons, and campaigners/campaign groups against wind farms, in the last two years?
Gillian Martin, Cabinet Secretary for Climate Action and Energy, has not held any meetings with campaigners or campaign groups against pylons or wind farms in the last two years.
Could you supply a list of requests made to Ms Martin and or/her office for meetings by these campaign groups in the same time frame?
Please find below a list of meeting requests we have been able to identify that were made to Ms Martin by campaigners and campaign groups in the last two years:
Requester Date of request Scotland Against Spin 29 September 2025 Dunbeath Action Group, On behalf of Highland and Caithness Campaigners 28 July 2025 Action Against Pylons: Scottish Borders Alliance (AAP:SBA) 14 July 2025 Dunbeath and Berriedale Action Group, On behalf of Highland and Caithness Campaigners 10 July 2025 Fergus Ewing MSP on behalf of Strathdearn Community Council 9 July 2025 Community Councils of Kirkhill & Bunchrew, Kiltarlity, Sleat, Muir of Ord, Strathnairn, Kilmorack and Strathglass 28 June 2025 Kirkhill & Bunchrew Community Council 21 June 2025 Maree Todd MSP on behalf of representatives of the local community council, Caithness, Sutherland & Ross 28 May 2025 Dunbeath Action Group, On behalf of Highland and Caithness Campaigners 1 May 2025 Better Cable Route (Strathpeffer & Contin) 17 March 2025 Maree Todd MSP on behalf of No Rings of Steel campaign group 7 March 2025 Dunbeath and Berriedale Community Say NO to PYLONS Action Group 7 March 2025 [Redacted - Regulation 11(2)] - Resident of Echt, on behalf of Deeside Against Pylons 14 February 2025 [Redacted - Regulation 11(2)] - Local resident in Aberdeenshire 28 October 2024 [Redacted - Regulation 11(2)] - Representatives of two groups of residents of Deeside 14 October 2024 [Redacted - Regulation 11(2)] - Local resident in Aberdeenshire 26 September 2024 [Redacted - Regulation 11(2)] - Local resident in Aberdeenshire 26 September 2024 Angus Pylon Group 13 September 2024 [Redacted - Regulation 11(2)] - Local resident in Aberdeenshire 16 September 2024 [Redacted - Regulation 11(2)] - Local resident in Aberdeenshire 16 September 2024 [Redacted - Regulation 11(2)] - Local resident in Aberdeenshire 16 September 2024 [Redacted - Regulation 11(2)] - Local resident in Aberdeenshire 16 September 2024 [Redacted - Regulation 11(2)] - Local resident in Aberdeenshire 15 September 2024 [Redacted - Regulation 11(2)] - Local resident in Aberdeenshire 15 September 2024 [Redacted - Regulation 11(2)] - Local resident in Aberdeenshire 15 September 2024 [Redacted - Regulation 11(2)] - Local resident in Aberdeenshire 15 September 2024 [Redacted - Regulation 11(2)] - Local resident in Aberdeenshire 14 September 2024 Drumoak Against Pylons 14 September 2024 Dunbeath/Berriedale Community say NO to PYLONS action group 31 January 2024 Dunbeath/Berriedale Community say NO to Pylons Action group 14 December 2023 [Redacted - Regulation 11(2)] - On behalf of a group of concerned constituents from Dunbeath, Helmsdale, Navidale, Marrell, Portgower and Loth on the Eastern Seaboard of the Highlands 13 October 2023
An exception under regulation 11(2) of the EIRs (personal information) applies to some of the information requested because it is personal data of a third party 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 exception 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 exception.
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Contact Please quote the FOI reference Central Correspondence Unit Email: contactus@gov.scot Phone: 0300 244 4000 The Scottish Government St Andrew's House Regent Road Edinburgh EH1 3DG
Detected exemption language
We are applying the exemption at section 39(2) of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA), so that we do not also have to deal with your request under 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, because there is no public interest in dealing with the same request under two different regimes. Please find below a list of meeting requests we have been able to identify that were made to Ms Martin by campaigners and campaign groups in the last two years: Requester Date of request Scotland Against Spin 29 September 2025 Dunbeath Action Group, On behalf of Highland and Caithness Campaigners 28 July 2025 Action Against Pylons: Scottish Borders Alliance (AAP:SBA) 14 July 2025 Dunbeath and Berriedale Action Group, On behalf of Highland and Caithness Campaigners 10 July 2025 Fergus Ewing MSP on behalf of Strathdearn Community Council 9 July 2025 Community Councils of Kirkhill & Bunchrew, Kiltarlity, Sleat, Muir of Ord, Strathnairn, Kilmorack and Strathglass 28 June 2025 Kirkhill & Bunchrew Community Council 21 June 2025 Maree Todd MSP on behalf of representatives of the local community council, Caithness, Sutherland & Ross 28 May 2025 Dunbeath Action Group, On behalf of Highland and Caithness Campaigners 1 May 2025 Better Cable Route (Strathpeffer & Contin) 17 March 2025 Maree Todd MSP on behalf of No Rings of Steel campaign group 7 March 2025 Dunbeath and Berriedale Community Say NO to PYLONS Action Group 7 March 2025 [Redacted - Regulation 11(2)] - Resident of Echt, on behalf of Deeside Against Pylons 14 February 2025 [Redacted - Regulation 11(2)] - Local resident in Aberdeenshire 28 October 2024 [Redacted - Regulation 11(2)] - Representatives of two groups of residents of Deeside 14 October 2024 [Redacted - Regulation 11(2)] - Local resident in Aberdeenshire 26 September 2024 [Redacted - Regulation 11(2)] - Local resident in Aberdeenshire 26 September 2024 Angus Pylon Group 13 September 2024 [Redacted - Regulation 11(2)] - Local resident in Aberdeenshire 16 September 2024 [Redacted - Regulation 11(2)] - Local resident in Aberdeenshire 16 September 2024 [Redacted - Regulation 11(2)] - Local resident in Aberdeenshire 16 September 2024 [Redacted - Regulation 11(2)] - Local resident in Aberdeenshire 16 September 2024 [Redacted - Regulation 11(2)] - Local resident in Aberdeenshire 15 September 2024 [Redacted - Regulation 11(2)] - Local resident in Aberdeenshire 15 September 2024 [Redacted - Regulation 11(2)] - Local resident in Aberdeenshire 15 September 2024 [Redacted - Regulation 11(2)] - Local resident in Aberdeenshire 15 September 2024 [Redacted - Regulation 11(2)] - Local resident in Aberdeenshire 14 September 2024 Drumoak Against Pylons 14 September 2024 Dunbeath/Berriedale Community say NO to PYLONS action group 31 January 2024 Dunbeath/Berriedale Community say NO to Pylons Action group 14 December 2023 [Redacted - Regulation 11(2)] - On behalf of a group of concerned constituents from Dunbeath, Helmsdale, Navidale, Marrell, Portgower and Loth on the Eastern Seaboard of the Highlands 13 October 2023 An exception under regulation 11(2) of the EIRs (personal information) applies to some of the information requested because it is personal data of a third party 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.
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