Freedom of Information Request - licensing scheme for grouse shooting - mapping
Date: 12 December 2024
Our ref: SIR177907/A4855414
Information Request – licensing scheme for grouse shooting - mapping
Your Request
Original
‘I am applying under the Freedom of Information Act (Scotland) Act for information contained in the maps submitted to date as part of the licensing scheme for grouse shooting.
Clarification
It is the maps themselves outlining the areas over which licenses have been applied for to date.
Our Response
We have completed our searches of the information we hold, and we have identified 392 records that fall within the scope of your request.
We are happy to provide information whenever we can, however, in this case, this is too big a task for us to review all relevant material to check whether personal data is contained within the maps and to assess the privacy impact of release in each case. Releasing personal data into the public domain in response to an access to information request would be likely breach the Data
Protection Act 2018. Further information is available from our privacy policy for online licencing.
We cannot divert such a significant amount of our staff time to assessing this volume of information as it would impede our ability to carry out other statutory duties. The public interest in us being able to deliver our function as a public body outweighs the public interest in release. I therefore need to advise you that we are applying EIRs Regulation 10(4)(b) to your request on this occasion. Under the EIRs 10(4)(b) it permits authorities not to comply with a request if it is too large for us to be able to deal with.
However, it is our intention to publish maps on our website in a collated form outlining the areas over which grouse licences have been applied for. At this stage we are unable to provide a specific date for publication, but it will be some time into next year.
In the meantime, you are welcome to contact our Licencing Team, [email protected] or 01463725364, to discuss this further.
How We Handled Your Request
We believe you have asked for environmental information as defined in the Environmental Information (Scotland Regulations 2004 (‘the EIRs’), so we are dealing with your request under those regulations. To be able to use the EIRs, we must apply an exemption under section 39(2) of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (‘FOISA’). The Scottish Information Commissioner’s guidance recommends that public authorities apply this exemption to environmental information and handle request under the EIRs.
If you would like to find out more about the access to information legislation, there is a guidance booklet available on the Scottish Information Commissioner’s website.
Review and Appeal
I hope this information meets your requirements, but if you are dissatisfied with how we have responded to your information request, please write to us within 40 working days explaining your concerns. You can contact us at Battleby, Redgorton, Perth, PH1 3EW or email us at [email protected]. We will carry out a review of our response and contact you with our findings within 20 working days.
If you are not satisfied following this, you can make an appeal to the Scottish Information Commissioner within 6 months. The Scottish Information Commissioner can be contacted at:
Scottish Information Commissioner
Kinburn Castle
Doubledykes Road
St Andrews
Fife
KY16 9DS
Telephone: 01334 464610
Yours sincerely
FOI Officer,
NatureScot