EIR/202600523166 · FOI/EIR · not held
Approved brown tourist signs on the Scottish trunk road network: EIR release
Information requested
A list of the approved brown tourist signs across your network. Specifically, I am requesting a list of the names of the attractions, destinations, or places that currently hold an approved tourist sign. If you also hold the location data (e.g., coordinates or road segments) for these signs, I would greatly appreciate that as well, though the names of the places are my primary focus
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.
You requested a list of the approved brown tourist signs across the network. You further stated that specifically, you were requesting a list of the names of the attractions, destinations, or places that currently hold an approved tourist sign. If the location data (e.g., coordinates or road segments) for these signs is held you would greatly appreciate that as well, though the names of the places are your primary focus.
Under the terms of the exception at regulation 10(4)(a) of the EIRs (information not held), Transport Scotland is not required to provide information which it does not have. Transport Scotland does not have all of the information you have requested regarding brown tourist signs because some of the information you requested is not recorded.
It may be helpful if I explain that the trunk road network in Scotland is managed and maintained under contract by Operating Companies with some sections managed through DBFO (Design, Build, Finance and Operate) concession contracts. Each of these has provided the information they hold in respect of brown tourist signs. They are not obligated to hold records on the tourism signage and have provided the information available to them.
This exception 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 exception. We have found that, on balance, the public interest lies in favour of upholding the exception. While we recognise that there may be some public interest in information you have requested about brown tourist signs, clearly we cannot provide information which we do not hold.
Please see Annex A to this response for details of the approved brown tourist signs on the Scottish trunk road network, as provided by Transport Scotland's Operating Companies and DBFO concessionaires. The North East trunk road network is excluded, as the Operating Company for that network confirmed that there are no approved brown tourist signs on its section of the network.
About FOI
The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at https://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.
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. Under the terms of the exception at regulation 10(4)(a) of the EIRs (information not held), Transport Scotland is not required to provide information which it does not have.