FOI/202500496652* · FOI · partially withheld
Freedom of Information (FOI) performance data reports: FOI release
Information requested
With reference to the response to your earlier Freedom of Information (FOI) request number 20200490388 you quoted the following text: "I am also attaching a standard report that we share with DG Corporate each month". That text had appeared in an email thread sent by the Head of the FOI Unit on 21 August 2025 16:19, which had formed part of response to 20200490388.
You asked for: ‘the standard report for each month in 2025’.
Response
The ‘standard report’ referred to is a monthly report on the Scottish Government’s FOI performance produced to support a regular monthly meeting between Director-General Corporate and the Head of the FOI Unit.
As requested, I am providing you with a copy of the standard reports generated in each month from January to November 2025, excluding September. The monthly catch-up meeting between the Head of the FOI Unit and the Director-General Corporate, did not take place in September due to leave of absence. Consequently, no report was generated in September. Given the size of the reports, they will be sent as attachments in two separate emails, which will follow this letter.
A small amount of the information provided in the standard reports for March and April has been redacted. This is because an exemption under section 30(c) of FOISA (prejudice to effective conduct of public affairs) applies to that information, as it refers to a matter which is the subject of ongoing legal proceedings.
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. We recognise that there is a public interest in disclosing information as part of open, transparent and accountable government, and to inform public debate. However, there is a greater public interest in enabling officials within the Scottish Government to discuss matters which are subject to ongoing legal proceedings, without facing external pressure or concerns that particular conclusions may be drawn regarding the Scottish Government's position in those proceedings.
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
This is because an exemption under section 30(c) of FOISA (prejudice to effective conduct of public affairs) applies to that information, as it refers to a matter which is the subject of ongoing legal proceedings. 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.