FOI/202500469021 · FOI · partially withheld
Convention of Highlands and Islands invitation and apologies list: FOI release
Information requested
You asked for the Scottish Government to provide a list of individuals who received invitations (including details of by whom they were invited) for the Convention of the Highlands and Islands at Strathpeffer Pavilion on 12th May, and a list of those who sent apologies.
Response
You will find some of the names in the response below have been redacted. This is because an exemption under section 38(1)(b) of FOISA applies to some of the information you have requested. This is with regards to personal information of third parties, 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 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. Further to this, in line with Scottish Government standard approach, the names of any officials below the grade of Senior Civil Service, Deputy Directors, and Directors have been redacted.
The Convention is attended by members, who are appointed by the Deputy First Minister, and chosen from public agencies and institutions with responsibilities for, or interests in, the economic and social development of the Highlands and Islands. There is a core membership made up of Council Leaders, Chief Executives and Chairs or equivalent, with additional delegates asked to attend specific meetings as agenda items dictate. A list of core member organisations can be found here Convention of the Highlands and Islands - gov.scot
Member organisations are expected to attend Conventions and as such are not invited. They confirm their attendance through the Eventbrite system so we do not receive apologies. Only members and those invited to speak on specific issues may sit around the table. The Convention is open to members of the public, journalists, MPs, MSPs and other local politicians to observe alongside supporting officials, however they do not have a seat at the table and cannot contribute to the discussion.
I have provided the in person registration list for the most recent CoHI at Strathpeffer at Annex A. This includes those at the table as well as supporting officials. The Deputy First Minister, Kate Forbes chaired the meeting and the Minister for Business, Richard Lochhead was also in attendance.
At the CoHI in question we were joined by the Head of Markets Engagement at Ofgem, a Deputy Director from the UK Government’s Smart Metering Implementation Programme, The Chief Commercial Officer at Building Digital UK, Head of Engagement at BT (virtually) and a representative of Energy UK (virtually), to speak to specific items on digital matters in the afternoon session. All were invited by the Scottish Government following planning meetings with the membership organisations.
ANNEX A
ATTENDEES AT COHI SPRING 2025
NAME ORGANISATION POSITION Cara Aitchieson SFC Interim Co-Chair [redacted] SG Comms Stuart Black HIE CE Malcolm Burr CNES CE Raymond Bremner THC Leader Derek Brown THC CE Sarah Compton-Bishop NHS Highland Board Member [redacted] Ofgem Head of Markets Engagement [redacted] SDS Regional Skills Planning Lead Gary Campbell Crofting Commission CEO Alastair Dodds HIE Chair Fiona Davies NHS Highland CE [redacted] SG Head of HIES Growth Deals [redacted] SG Head of Rural Policy Unit Karen Greaves Moray Council CE Nick Halfhide NatureScot Interim CE Stephen Hennigan UKG DD Alan Hill North Ayrshire Council Councillor Craig Hatton North Ayrshire Council CE Martin Johnston HIE Director of Strategy and Regional Economy Kate Lackie THC Assistant Chief Executive Bill Lobban THC Convenor Jim Lynch Argyll & Bute Council Leader Ealasaid MacDonald Bord na Gaidhlig CEO Robbie McGhee SG DD Digital Connectivity Frank Mitchell SDS Chair Emma Macdonald Shetland Islands Council Leader Pippa Milne Argyll & Bute Council CE Donna MacKinnon SG DD Europe Division Eleanor Mackintosh Cairngorms Park Authority Deputy Convenor Euan McVicar Crown Estate Scotland Chair [redacted] SG Consumer Policy Team Leader Rod Mackenzie Crofting Commission Commissioner Anne-Marie Martin SG Deputy Director, Regional Economic Development Alastair MacColl UHI Chair [redacted] Crown Estate Scotland Head of Corporate Affairs [redacted] SG Skills Policy Vicki Nairn UHI Principal Sean Neil SG Director, Housing Ronan O’Hara Crown Estates Scotland CEO Oliver Reid Orkney Islands Council CE John Risby Scottish Forestry Conservator Kathleen Robertson Moray Council Councillor Ranald Robertson HITRANS Partnership Director Maggie Sandison Shetland Islands Council CE Stephen Sheridan UHI Director Paul F Steele CNES Leader Chris Taylor VisitScotland Director Martyn Taylor Building Digital UK Chief Commercial Officer Andrew Thin Crofting Commission Chair Heather Woodbridge Orkney Islands Council Leader Damian Yeates SDS CEO Judith Young SG Deputy Director, Business Relationships [redacted] SG Secretariat [redacted] SG Secretariat [redacted] SG Secretariat [redacted] SG Deputy First Minister Private Office
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.
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
This is because an exemption under section 38(1)(b) of FOISA applies to some of the information you have requested. This is with regards to personal information of third parties, 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 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.
Attachments
No attachments found.