- Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 20 December 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Gillian Martin on 15 January 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how real-time data is used to support emergency response and recovery during flood events.
Answer
SEPA, as Scotland’s hydrometric and flood warning authority, and a civil contingency category one responder, provides a range of real time data including Floodline flood alerts and warnings; rainfall data at over 250 locations and water level data at over 400 locations in Scotland. Through an on-going technology improvement programme, SEPA has increased the timeliness of rainfall and water level real time data.
SEPA continues to develop its data and explore how its use may be expanded including sharing data through Application Programming Interfaces for organisations to ingest into their own websites or systems; prioritising data by internet searches during major flood incidents; and exploring how to better integrate flood warning and water levels information and to simplify real time access to the information.
- Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 19 December 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 15 January 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how many freedom of information requests it has refused in each of the last five years, broken down by the basis for refusal.
Answer
The following table sets out the number of requests where there has been no disclosure of any information (fully exempted):
Year | Full exemption of info |
2020 | 884 |
2021 | 1108 |
2022 | 1047 |
2023 | 1010 |
2024 | 1052 |
The exemptions applied are noted below, per year. Many responses can have more than one exemption applied. The information provided details the lead exemption as indicated by our case handlers on our case handling system.
| 2020 (Nos) | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
EIR exceptions | | | | | |
10(4)(a) The number of requests for which all of the information was not held | 81 | 80 | 65 | 124 | 130 |
10(4)(b) The number of requests refused because they were manifestly unreasonable (other than on grounds of cost) | 3 | 5 | 15 | 23 | 27 |
10(4)(c) Requests which are too general | | | | | |
10(4)(d) Material in the course of completion | 5 | 6 | 6 | 13 | 3 |
10(4)(e) Internal communications | 1 | 3 | 4 | 8 | 4 |
10(5)(a) Substantial prejudice to international relations | | 1 | | 1 | |
10(5)(b) Substantial prejudice to course of justice | 1 | | | 2 | |
10(5)(c) Substantial prejudice to intellectual properties | | | 1 | | |
10(5)(d) Substantial prejudice to confidentiality of proceedings | | | 1 | | |
10(5)(e) Substantial prejudice to confidentiality of commercial or industrial information | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 1 |
10(5)(f) Substantial prejudice to the interests of a third party | | 1 | | 1 | |
10(5)(g) Substantial prejudice to the protection of the environment | | 3 | | | 1 |
10(8) Neither confirm nor deny whether environmental info held | | 1 | | | |
11(1) Personal data of the applicant | | | | 1 | 1 |
11(2) Third party personal data | 3 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 2 |
11(6) Neither confirm nor deny whether personal data held | | | | | |
| 2020 (Nos) | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
FOI exemptions | | | | | |
12(1) Complying will exceed the upper cost limit | 124 | 104 | 173 | 145 | 179 |
14 Repeated/vexatious | 41 | 26 | 25 | 24 | 23 |
17 Information not held | 453 | 588 | 523 | 481 | 489 |
18 Neither confirm nor deny the information exists | 2 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 1 |
25(1) Otherwise accessible | 65 | 198 | 130 | 73 | 100 |
25(3) Publication scheme | 1 | 1 | | 1 | 1 |
26(a) Disclosure prohibited: enactment | 3 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 3 |
26(c) Disclosure prohibited: contempt of court | 1 | 1 | | | 1 |
27(1) Future publication: 12 weeks | 47 | 25 | 22 | 26 | 15 |
27(2) Future publication: programme of research | | | | 2 | |
28 Substantial prejudice to UK relations | 8 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 4 |
29(1)(a) Formulation/development of government policy | 7 | 8 | 19 | 5 | 5 |
29(1)(b) Ministerial communications | 3 | | 2 | | 1 |
29 (1)(c) Advice by Law Officers | | 1 | | 4 | |
29(1)(d) Operation of Ministerial private office | 2 | | | 3 | 1 |
30(b)(i) Substantial inhibition to free and frank provision of advice | 5 | 4 | 4 | 12 | 11 |
30(b)(ii) Substantial inhibition to free and frank exchange of views | 1 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 2 |
30(c) Substantial prejudice to effective conduct of public affairs | 2 | 11 | 6 | 12 | 5 |
31(1) National security | | | | 1 | |
32(1)(a) Substantial prejudice to international relations | | | 1 | | |
32(1)(b) Confidential information obtained from abroad | | | | | |
33 (1)(a) Trade Secret | | 1 | | | |
33(1)(b) Substantial prejudice to commercial interests | 5 | 7 | 9 | 5 | 5 |
33(2)(b) Substantial prejudice to the UK administration | | | | | |
| 2020 (Nos) | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
FOI exemptions | | | | | |
34(1) Information held for the purposes of a criminal investigation | 1 | 1 | | | 2 |
34(2)(b) Information held regarding cause of death | | | | 1 | |
35(1)(a) Substantial prejudice to prevention or detection of crime | | | 2 | | 1 |
35(1)(g) Substantial prejudice to the exercise by a public authority for any of its functions (as listed in s35(2)) | | | | 1 | |
36(1) Confidentiality of communications | 3 | 2 | 6 | 4 | 6 |
36(2) Actionable breach of confidence | | | 3 | | |
37(1)(a) Court records | | | | | 1 |
37(1)(b) Court records: inquiry or arbitration | 1 | | | 3 | 2 |
38(1)(a) Personal data of the applicant | 5 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 12 |
38(1)(b) Third party personal data | 9 | 9 | 6 | 10 | 7 |
38(1)(c) Personal census information | | | | | |
39(1) Endangerment to health or safety | | 3 | | | |
41(a)(b) Communications with the Royal Family and Honours | | | 1 | 1 | |
For the purposes of responding to this written PQ we have interpreted that the term ‘FOI request’ refers to requests responded to under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOI(S)A) and the Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004 (EIRS).
We have also interpreted the question to mean those requests that were valid and refused in their entirety on exemption grounds. This means where no information was released to the requestor because an exemption or multiple exemptions were applied. Please note that we have not included requests that were invalid e.g. no name provided or those currently in progress and being answered.
When SG refuses a request it is because exemptions or exceptions apply to the information being requested. The Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOI(S)A) and the Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004 (EIRS) allow responses to be fully exempted, where all information being requested has been withheld from disclosure, or partially exempted where some information has been released and some information withheld where an exemption has been applied.
- Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 19 December 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Dorothy Bain on 15 January 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of criminal cases in each of last five years have resulted in a plea agreement prior to trial.
Answer
COPFS uses a live, operational database to manage the processing of reports submitted to Procurators Fiscal by the police and other reporting agencies throughout Scotland. It is designed to meet business needs in the processing of criminal cases, rather than for statistical analysis. This question as currently framed cannot be readily answered by COPFS.
- Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 20 December 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Gillian Martin on 15 January 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what datasets are being developed to improve flood resilience decision making.
Answer
The National Flood Resilience Strategy demonstrates our commitment to improving flood resilience through the use of data. It sets out that we will work with partners to review how we can improve the presentation and use of data to drive flood resilient activity. We will also look how to best use data to raise community awareness of current and future flood exposure to inform decision making and support communities on their climate adaptation journeys and explore how developing new datasets may help improve decision making.
- Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 10 January 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Ivan McKee on 14 January 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what types of vehicles are included in its fleet, and what proportion of these are (a) electric and (b) hybrid.
Answer
The Scottish Government vehicle fleet, broken down by vehicle and fuel type, is provided in the following table.
Vehicle type | Electric (EV) | Plug-in hybrid electric (PHEV) | Range extender electric (REV) | Diesel | Total |
Car | 48 | 95 | 0 | 0 | 143 |
Light Commercial | 2 | 6 | 3 | 30 | 41 |
Heavy Goods | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
- Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 10 January 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Ivan McKee on 14 January 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how many personalised or special vehicle number plates it owns, and what the cost of any such plates has been over the last five years.
Answer
The Scottish Government does not own any personalised or special vehicle number plates, therefore there are no associated costs.
- Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 January 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Ivan McKee on 14 January 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how many Tesla cars it currently (a) owns and (b) leases.
Answer
The Scottish Government currently own 10 Tesla’s. We do not have any leased vehicles.
- Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 January 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 14 January 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what evaluation it has made of the use of Experimental Traffic Regulation Orders (ETROs) since 2021.
Answer
Changes to legislation came into force in November 2021 which allow for local authorities to put experimental projects on the ground with 7 days’ notice and a minimum 6 month consultation period which begins on the day the project is put in place. There is also a streamlined process to follow if the authority then wish to make the Experimental Traffic Regulation Order (ETRO) a permanent Traffic Road Order (TRO).
No full review of this process has been undertaken since 2021 but officials have had a number of discussions with local authorities to provide further information on the change in process and to assist in putting the new measures in place. No concerns regarding the new procedures have been raised during these discussions.
- Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 January 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 14 January 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how many Experimental Traffic Regulation Orders (ETROs) have been put in place by local authorities since 2021.
Answer
Local authorities can use Experimental Traffic Regulation Orders (ETROs) as set out in The Local Authorities' Traffic Orders (Procedure) (Scotland) Regulations 1999. As with all other Traffic Regulation Orders, local authorities are under no obligation to inform the Scottish Government when they use these measures and as such, we do not hold an accurate record of how many have been deployed during this time period.
Details of Traffic Regulation Orders published by local authorities, including ETROs, can be found on Tell Me Scotland's website at: Public Information Notices for Scotland | Tellmescotland.
- Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 20 December 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Angus Robertson on 14 January 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what measures are in place to prevent duplication of efforts between its international offices and UK embassies.
Answer
Other than Brussels, Scottish Government international network offices outside the UK are based in the corresponding British Embassy or High Commission. Scottish Government staff in these locations regularly engage with their UK Government counterparts, sharing information to ensure opportunities for collaboration are maximised and to avoid any risk of duplication. All our offices prepare business plans setting out priorities and activity for the year. Where possible we seek to collaborate around key Scottish events in the diplomatic calendar including Burns Night and St Andrew’s Day. Similarly, our teams based in Scotland regularly engage with the FCDO’s devolution unit and with various operational teams and governance structures to ensure a good flow of information.
The Scottish Government would welcome assistance from the UK Government to do more to promote Scotland, especially in those places where we don’t yet have an international presence.