· FOI · partially withheld
Correspondence on Special Advisers changing roles/speciality areas: FOI release
Information requested
Any internal correspondence on special advisers changing roles and areas of speciality from November 2014 to date and on hiring special advisers over the same period.
You later clarified your request:
This would refer to any correspondence from or to special advisers' email accounts or those of Ministers.
Response
Some of the information that you have requested about Special Advisers has been provided previously to you in response to a Freedom of Information Request regarding the appointment of Callum McCaig. Under section 25(1) of FOISA, we do not have to provide you with information if it is already reasonably accessible to you. The information is available on the Scottish Government website at /publications/foi-17-02888/
I attach a copy of the remainder of the information that you requested. You will wish to note that, while our aim is to provide information whenever possible, we are unable to provide some of the information you have requested because it constitutes personal data and therefore an exemption under s.38(1)(b) of FOISA applies to that information. However, you may wish to be aware that the Model Contract for Special Advisers is already publicly available on the Scottish Government website.
Detected exemption language
Under section 25(1) of FOISA, we do not have to provide you with information if it is already reasonably accessible to you. You will wish to note that, while our aim is to provide information whenever possible, we are unable to provide some of the information you have requested because it constitutes personal data and therefore an exemption under s.38(1)(b) of FOISA applies to that information.