Dear Mr McGillivray

Request under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002

Thank you for your email received on 17 September 2009 requesting that the following information be provided to you:

“Please can you provide full details of any emergency response plans prepared by your authority to deal with widespread outbreak of a disease pandemic such as H1N1 Influenza in the City.

Please include:

1. What actions will be taken by your authority in the event of a state of emergency being declared arising from a disease pandemic?

2. What personnel and departments will be mobilised in your authority in the event of a disease pandemic emergency?

3. What external organisations, personnel and resources will be called upon by your authority in the event of a disease pandemic emergency?

4. What plans and resources has your organisation put in place to deal with mass fatality management in the event of a disease pandemic emergency? What is the daily handling capacity of such measures?

5. What quarantine measures would be implemented by your authority in the event of a disease pandemic emergency and where would quarantine locations be situated? Would individuals be subject to quarantine orders and if so what would be the maximum duration of

these, how would these be enforced and what would be the maximum penalty for failure to comply? Would individuals be permitted to self-quarantine at home and if so what provisions are in place to provide them with food, medical care and other essentials?

6. What restrictions on movement within and travel to and from the City would be imposed in the event of a disease pandemic emergency and how would these restrictions be enforced (in particular upon road users)? What would be the maximum penalty for failure to comply?

7. What measures are in place to ensure the continued operation of key services and infrastructure in the city in the event of large numbers of simultaneously absent personnel due to disease infection in the event of a pandemic emergency?

8. Who would be in overall charge of pandemic emergency response in the City?”

The Council is treating your request as a request under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002.

On inspecting our records and the information which we hold, it would appear that the information requested is covered by an exemption or exemptions contained within the Act. We are required to explain why we believe this to be the case.

The information which you have requested is, in our opinion, exempt from a request under section 1 of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 because of the exemption contained in section 25(1) of the Act. In other words, the information you are looking for is “reasonably accessible” to you without having to make a formal section 1 request. Specifically, the information is available to you under the Council's Publication Scheme .

Corporate Services' Resilience and Safety Unit advise that this information is contained within the Council's website. Please refer to the weblink below:

http://www.glasgow.gov.uk/en/Residents/KeepingSafe/EmergenciesPlanning/Swineflu09.htm

I have highlighted where the information you have requested can be found within the online document entitled, `Glasgow City Council Influenza Pandemic Response Plan' below.

Point 1

Outlined throughout sections 1-4 of the Plan.

Point 2

Outlined throughout sections 1-4 of the Plan.

Point 3

Outlined throughout sections 1-4 of the Plan.

Point 4

Section 2.8 of the document states that there is a phased response to mass fatality management during the event of a disease pandemic emergency.

Where possible, the Council will aim to provide service as close to normal as possible, then enter the phased and measured response as noted in Section 2.8.

This is an agreed response between Resilience and Safety Unit and Bereavement Services (Land and Environmental Services).

Point 5

As stated in Section 2.2, `mandatory quarantine and curfews are generally not considered necessary and are not currently covered by public health

legislation.' This, in conjunction with the guidance received from Health Protection Scotland and NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde provides a comprehensive response.

Point 6

Section 2.2 of the Plan states that, `mandatory quarantine and curfews are not considered necessary and are not covered by current public health legislation.' It is envisaged that should any restrictions on travel / mass gatherings be suggested, that this would be communicated to the general public via all

available media (tv, radio, newspaper etc) by the Strategic Coordinating Group (for Strathclyde) or Scottish Government itself, in which they would ask for public co-operation with their request.

Point 7

Please refer to section 2.3 (Prioritisation of Essential Services) of the Plan.

Point 8

This information is covered in Section 1.2, entitled, `Control and Co-ordination.'

If you are dissatisfied with the way Glasgow City Council has dealt with your request you are entitled to require the Council to review its decision. Please note that for a review to take place you must:

Executive Director of Corporate Services

Glasgow City Council

City Chambers

George Square

Glasgow G2 1DU

Email: [email address]

You will receive notice of the results of the review within 20 working days of receipt of your request. The notice will state the decision reached by the reviewing officer as well as details of how to appeal to the Scottish Information Commissioner if you are still dissatisfied with the Council's response. You must

request an internal review by the Council before a complaint can be directed to the Scottish Information Commissioner.

If you have any further queries regarding this process, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Yours sincerely

Jennifer Small

Freedom of Information Officer

Glasgow - Proud Host City of the 2014 Commonwealth Games