· FOI · partially withheld
Protocols for Royal Banner, Saltire and Union Flags: FOI release
Information requested
All emails by and to staff and senior officials of the "Protocol and Honours Team" from November and December 2017, and January 2018 up to the end of Friday 26th of January which relates to the following:
Flag flying protocols. The Saltire Flag. The Union Flag. The Royal Banner (Lion Rampant).
This should include every email by and to members of the "Protocol and Honours Team" that mentions any of the above listed flags or relates to flag flying protocols over the 3 months mentioned.
Response
I enclose a copy of the information you requested. You will see that personal data have been redacted. This is because an exemption under section 38 (1) (b) of FOISA (personal information) applies. Disclosing personal information would contravene data protection principles in schedule 1 to the Data Protection Act 1998.
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.
Detected exemption language
This is because an exemption under section 38 (1) (b) of FOISA (personal information) applies. 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.