Freedom of Information Request - National Access Forum
Date: 17 March 2025
Our ref: SIR179088/A5031457
Information Request – National Access Forum
Your Request
- What were the reasons for the two month’s delay in the report being made available to ALAF?
- When and on what specific grounds was the ALAF’s nomination of [redacted] as a Candidate for Convenorship of the NAF deemed invalid, and why was this decision to invalidate the nomination not communicated to ALAF at the time or subsequently?
- If [redacted] candidacy, and ALAF’s endorsement of this candidacy, had been declared invalid, why was [redacted] allowed to present his case at a hustings prior to the election in October 2025?
- When and on what grounds was the decision made, apparently in October 2024, to alter the NAF ‘Full’ Membership listing on the NAF website from ‘Local Access Forums’ to ‘Local Access Forums Representative’?
- Was the NAF consulted before the decision in 4 above was taken and enacted? If not, then why not?
- [redacted] in his report assured the ALAF that ‘LAF’s remain corresponding members of the NAF’. Why is this not included in the NAF website’s listing of Corresponding Members, which was updated in October 2024?
Our Response
We have searched the information that we hold and can provide you with some of the information that meets the terms of your request.
- What were the reasons for the two month’s delay in the report being made available to ALAF?
The reasons for the delay in responding are indicated in pages 151, 156, 158, 162 of the information being released to you.
We cannot provide you with any other information for parts 2 – 6 of your requests for the following reason:
The Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 provides the public with access to information held by public authorities. The Act covers any recorded information that is held by us at the time we receive your request. In this case, however, you are asking a series of questions and requesting our opinion on something, which is not recorded information, which we cannot provide under FOI. There is more information on what can be asked for on the Scottish Information Commissioner’s website.
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
Document downloads
Due to accessibility issues the attached information, referenced above, is available on request by contacting the FOI team at [email protected]. Please reference the case number (starting with SIR).
