FOI/202400436109 · FOI/EIR · partially withheld
Correspondence on the potential buyer of Grangemouth Refinery: EIR release
Information requested
(1.) The date on which this and any subsequent meetings between the Scottish Government and Michelle Thomson took place, on the subject of the potential purchaser of the Grangemouth refinery. (2.) Any documentation relating to meetings between the Scottish Government and Michelle Thomson on the subject of the potential purchaser of the Grangemouth refinery, including agendas, presentation materials, minutes, notes, or briefings. (3.) All correspondence between the Scottish Government and the potential purchaser of the Grangemouth refinery. (4.) The dates of any meetings (in person or virtual) between the Scottish Government and the potential purchaser of the Grangemouth refinery. (5.) Any documentation relating to meetings between the Scottish Government and the potential purchaser of the Grangemouth refinery, including agendas, presentation materials, minutes, notes, or briefings. (6.) All correspondence between the Scottish Government and Petroineos on the subject of the potential purchaser of the Grangemouth refinery. (7.) The dates of any meetings (in person or virtual) between the Scottish Government and Petroineos on the subject of the potential purchaser of the Grangemouth refinery. (8.) Any documentation relating to meetings between the Scottish Government and Petroineos on the subject of the potential purchaser of the Grangemouth refinery, including agendas, presentation materials, minutes, notes, or briefings.
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.
Response to your request
While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance we are unable to provide some of the information you have requested because exception(s) under:
Regulation 10(4)(a) (information not held); Regulation 10(4)(e) (internal communications); Regulation 10(5)(e) (confidentiality of commercial or industrial information) and; Regulation 11(2) (personal data)
of the EIRs applies to that information. The reasons why these exception(s) apply are explained in the Annex to this letter.
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. Response to your request While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance we are unable to provide some of the information you have requested because exception(s) under: Regulation 10(4)(a) (information not held); Regulation 10(4)(e) (internal communications); Regulation 10(5)(e) (confidentiality of commercial or industrial information) and; Regulation 11(2) (personal data) of the EIRs applies to that information.