Ref No.: 13 23
Request Type: EIR
Date Received: 27/12/23
Date Responded: 22/01/24
Category: Meetings and notes
Request
A list of all meetings held or attended by the chief executive of the WICS in 2023, including minutes/notes taken from them.
Response
Many thanks for your request for information, which was received by us on 27 December 2023, which asked for:
A list of all meetings held or attended by the chief executive of the WICS in 2023, including minutes/notes taken from them.
We have handled your request as a request for environmental information under the Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004 (EISRs). We have provided more information on the EISRs, how they apply and why we have applied the exemption in the Annex to this response.
We have considered your request in two parts, as follows:
- List of meetings held or attended by the CEO in 2023
We have attached a list of meetings which also provides context of the meeting type and links to any associated published minutes/notes. Please note that we have an automatic retention schedule of six months in place for outlook calendars and therefore, calendar information pre-June 2023 is no longer held. However, using the information available, we have been able to identify some regular/recurring meetings that would have been held pre-June 2023 but are no longer available in calendars. Information has been withheld under section 11(2) of EISRs where it has been decided that the information constitutes personal data and to disclose the information will breach one or more of the data protection principles.
- Minutes/notes taken from meetings held or attended by the CEO
As detailed above, some of the information requested is already publicly available and links have been provided on the information attached. Given the volume of other meetings and the resource required to locate and prepare the relevant minutes/notes taken from every diary entry for disclosure, we consider your request to be manifestly unreasonable in accordance with section 10(4)(b) of EISRs.
WICS has considered the public interest and, while acknowledging there is a public interest in the information requested, has decided that the public interest is in favour of withholding the information. After reviewing the list of meetings, you may wish to submit a further information request for specific notes/minutes of the meetings you are most interested in.
If you are dissatisfied with the way in which we have dealt with your request, you are entitled to request a review of our actions and decisions in relation to this request.
Please note that in order for a review to take place, you must:
- Lodge a written “requirement for review” within 40 working days of the date of this response;
- Include your address for correspondence, a description of the original request and the reasons why you are dissatisfied; and
- Address the review request to:
Review Officer
Water Industry Commission for Scotland
First Floor
Moray House
Stirling
FK8 1QZ
The review will be handled by a member of staff who was not involved in the original decision. You will receive notice of the result of your review within 20 working days of us receiving your request for review.
If you are dissatisfied with the decision that we issue once the review has been completed or if we fail to carry out a review, you are entitled to apply for a decision by the Scottish Information Commissioner and thereafter to the Court of Session on a point of law only.
Applications for to the Scottish Information Commissioner Decision must:
- Be in writing or other permanent form;
- Contain your name and address for correspondence;
- Specify the request for information to which the application relates;
- Specify the particulars of your reasons(s) for the application; and
- Specify the particulars of your dissatisfaction of the review outcome.
The Scottish Information Commissioner can be contacted at:
Scottish Information Commissioner
Kinburn Castle
Doubledykes Road
St Andrews
Fife
KY16 9DS
Telephone: 01334 464610
E-mail: enquiries@itspublicknowledge.info