EIR/202500451796 · FOI/EIR · partially withheld
Marine Directorate briefings to Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Land Reform and the Islands and Acting Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero and Energy: EIR release
Information requested
A list of all briefings given to the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Land Reform and the Islands from the Marine Directorate since her appointment.
A list of all briefings given to the Acting Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero and Energy from the Marine Directorate since her appointment.
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.
I enclose a copy of all of the information you requested as per the material below.
In this instance I have understood your request as a list of briefings, which we interpret as topic specific background information provided to Cabinet Secretaries in support of their roles. This includes in areas for example, to support their engagements with third parties and any topic specific briefing material they have requested in addition to that. We have also understood “from the Marine Directorate” as provided by a member of staff from the Marine Directorate. We have also interpreted the following as the date scope of your request. The start dates have been determined either by when the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Land Reform and the Islands was appointed to their current Cabinet post, or when the Acting Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero and Energy started in their role:
Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Land Reform and the Islands – Ms Gougeon – from May 2024 to the date of your submitted request Acting Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero and Energy – Ms Martin – from July 2024 to the date of your submitted request
Information Enclosed
Briefing provided to Ms Gougeon - May 2024 to 07/02/2025 Date Briefing topic heading 02/05/2024 Meeting with Four Rivers to discuss Wild Salmon Declines 09/05/2024 Attendance at Scottish Skipper Expo 16/05/2024 National Marine Plan 2 Deep Dive Session with Marine Directorate officials 22/05/2024 Meeting with Scottish Pelagic Fishermen’s Association 04/06/2024 Meeting with Scottish Aquaculture Council 26/06/2024 Meeting with Salar Pursuits 09/07/2024 Visit to Marine Protection Vessel Hirta, Marine Directorate 09/07/2024 Meeting with Scottish Fishermen's Federation 09/07/2024 Meeting with Ian Gatt, Chief Executive of the Scottish Pelagic Fishermen's Association 17/07/2024 Visit to Pitlochry Dam Visitor Centre 30/08/2024 Visit to Bakkafrost headquarters, Glyvrar, Faroe Islands 30/08/2024 Visit to Bakkafrost Strond Recirculation Aquaculture System 30/08/2024 Visit to Bakkafrost Marine Site A57 30/08/2024 Meeting with CEO (Regin Jacobsen) and Chair (Runni M Hansen) of P/F Bakkafrost 04/09/2024 Meeting with Finlay Carson MSP 12/09/2024 Meeting with Clyde Fishermen’s Association 12/09/2024 Meeting with Charlina Vitcheva, Director General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries in the EU Commission 18/09/2024 Meeting with Communities Inshore Fisheries Alliance 25/09/2024 Meeting with CEO and Chair of Crown Estate Scotland 23/10/2024 Meeting with Charlina Vitcheva, Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries 13/11/2024 Appearance at the Rural Affairs and Islands Committee on Salmon Farming (follow-up to 2017/18 inquiries) 19/11/2024 Attendance at ‘Celebrating 25 Years of Seafood Scotland’ - parliamentary reception 08/01/2025 Meeting with Sustainable Inshore Fisheries Trust 15/01/2025 Meeting with Bakkafrost - Scotland, Managing Director Iain Laister 22/01/2025 Appearance at the Rural Affairs and Islands Committee post budget session 29/01/2025 Meeting with OneKind 05/02/2025 Meeting with Salmon Scotland / Scottish Environment Protection Agency
Briefing provided to Ms Martin - July 2024 to 07/02/2025 Date Briefing topic heading 19/08/2024 Media bid for BBC Radio Orkney 28/08/2024 Attendance at MSP Roundtable 02/10/2024 Speaking at Cross-Party Group on Fisheries and Coastal Communities 09/01/2025 Meeting with RSPB Scotland 28/01/2025 Attendance at Coastal Testimonies - perspectives from across Scotland (Open Seas) 05/02/2025 Salmon Scotland and Scottish Environment Protection Agency regarding Sea Lice Risk Assessment Framework
About FOI
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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.
Attachments
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