FOI/202400422498 · FOI · partially withheld
Scottish Law Commission Meetings: FOI release
Information requested
"The dates when a) the Justice Secretary, b) the Finance and Economy Secretary, c) the Deputy First Minister, d) the Community Safety Minister met with representatives from the Scottish Law Commission between May 2021 and Dec 2022. Please also state who from the Commission was in attendance at these meetings and any copies of agendas and minutes from the meetings."
Response
I enclose a copy of all of the information you requested.
An exemption under section 38(1)(b) (personal information) of FOISA applies to the information you have requested, concerning the personal data of third parties. This exemption means the personal data, the disclosure of which would contravene data protection principles, is redacted.
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 in some circumstances but not in others. In this instance Scottish Government officials' names in the four documents have been redacted, and a Scottish Parliament official's name has been redacted in the note of meeting from 22 September 2021. We consider the limited release of the personal data is proportionate, enhances public scrutiny and helps to inform public debate.
The information is: a) the Justice Secretary - no meetings b) the Finance and Economy Secretary - no meetings c) the Deputy First Minister - no meetings d) the Minister for Community Safety - four meetings were held with the Chair and CEO of the Scottish Law Commission. No agendas were issued. The minutes of the meetings on 21 September 2021, 17 March 2022, 22 September 2022 and 13 December 2022 are attached.
About FOI
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Detected exemption language
An exemption under section 38(1)(b) (personal information) of FOISA applies to the information you have requested, concerning the personal data of third parties. This exemption means the personal data, the disclosure of which would contravene data protection principles, is redacted. 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 in some circumstances but not in others.