Correspondence on Scotland's census 2021

This request has been withdrawn by the person who made it. There may be an explanation in the correspondence below.

Dear National Records of Scotland,

For the period 1 January 2017 to 13 September 2019, please provide copies of all correspondence between NRS and the Equality Network/Scottish Trans Alliance in relation to the sex and gender identity questions in Scotland's 2021 census.

Yours faithfully,

H Swan

National Records of Scotland

Dear H Swan

Thank you for your request dated 13 September 2019 under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA) requesting copies of all correspondence between NRS and the Equality Network/Scottish Trans Alliance in relation to the sex and gender identity questions in Scotland's 2021 census.

We received your request on 17 September 2019 and will respond in accordance with FOISA by 15 October 2019.

If you have any queries, please contact the NRS FOI Team quoting case number FOI/19/02127.

NRS FOI Team
17 September 2019

-----Original Message-----
From: H Swan <[FOI #603601 email]>
Sent: 13 September 2019 17:34
To: NRS : Freedom of Information Mailbox <[NRS request email]>
Subject: Freedom of Information request - Correspondence on Scotland's census 2021

Dear National Records of Scotland,

For the period 1 January 2017 to 13 September 2019, please provide copies of all correspondence between NRS and the Equality Network/Scottish Trans Alliance in relation to the sex and gender identity questions in Scotland's 2021 census.

Yours faithfully,

H Swan

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[FOI #603601 email]

Is [NRS request email] the wrong address for Freedom of Information requests to National Records of Scotland? If so, please contact us using this form:
https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/change_re...

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If you find this service useful as an FOI officer, please ask your web manager to link to us from your organisation's FOI page.

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This e-mail (and any files or other attachments transmitted with it) is intended solely for the attention of the addressee(s). Unauthorised use, disclosure, storage, copying or distribution of any part of this e-mail is not permitted. If you are not the intended recipient please destroy the email, remove any copies from your system and inform the sender immediately by return.

Communications with the Scottish Government may be monitored or recorded in order to secure the effective operation of the system and for other lawful purposes. The views or opinions contained within this e-mail may not necessarily reflect those of the Scottish Government.

Tha am post-d seo (agus faidhle neo ceanglan còmhla ris) dhan neach neo luchd-ainmichte a-mhàin. Chan eil e ceadaichte a chleachdadh ann an dòigh sam bith, a’ toirt a-steach còraichean, foillseachadh neo sgaoileadh, gun chead. Ma ’s e is gun d’fhuair sibh seo gun fhiosd’, bu choir cur às dhan phost-d agus lethbhreac sam bith air an t-siostam agaibh agus fios a leigeil chun neach a sgaoil am post-d gun dàil.

Dh’fhaodadh gum bi teachdaireachd sam bith bho Riaghaltas na h-Alba air a chlàradh neo air a sgrùdadh airson dearbhadh gu bheil an siostam ag obair gu h-èifeachdach neo airson adhbhar laghail eile. Dh’fhaodadh nach eil beachdan anns a’ phost-d seo co-ionann ri beachdan Riaghaltas na h-Alba.
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National Records of Scotland

Corrected acknowledgement:

Dear H Swan

Thank you for your request dated 13 September 2019 under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA) requesting copies of all correspondence between NRS and the Equality Network/Scottish Trans Allliance in relation to the sex and gender identity questions in Scotland's 2021 census.

We received your request on 13 September 2019 and will respond in accordance with FOISA by 11 October 2019.

If you have any queries, please contact the NRS FOI Team quoting case number FOI/19/02127.

NRS FOI Team
18 September 2019

-----Original Message-----
From: H Swan <[FOI #603601 email]>
Sent: 13 September 2019 17:34
To: NRS : Freedom of Information Mailbox <[NRS request email]>
Subject: Freedom of Information request - Correspondence on Scotland's census 2021

Dear National Records of Scotland,

For the period 1 January 2017 to 13 September 2019, please provide copies of all correspondence between NRS and the Equality Network/Scottish Trans Alliance in relation to the sex and gender identity questions in Scotland's 2021 census.

Yours faithfully,

H Swan

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[FOI #603601 email]

Is [NRS request email] the wrong address for Freedom of Information requests to National Records of Scotland? If so, please contact us using this form:
https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/change_re...

Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be published on the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies:
https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/help/offi...

For more detailed guidance on safely disclosing information, read the latest advice from the ICO:
https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/help/ico-...

Please note that in some cases publication of requests and responses will be delayed.

If you find this service useful as an FOI officer, please ask your web manager to link to us from your organisation's FOI page.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

______________________________________________________________________
This email has been scanned by the Symantec Email Security.cloud service.
For more information please visit http://www.symanteccloud.com ______________________________________________________________________

**********************************************************************
This e-mail (and any files or other attachments transmitted with it) is intended solely for the attention of the addressee(s). Unauthorised use, disclosure, storage, copying or distribution of any part of this e-mail is not permitted. If you are not the intended recipient please destroy the email, remove any copies from your system and inform the sender immediately by return.

Communications with the Scottish Government may be monitored or recorded in order to secure the effective operation of the system and for other lawful purposes. The views or opinions contained within this e-mail may not necessarily reflect those of the Scottish Government.

Tha am post-d seo (agus faidhle neo ceanglan còmhla ris) dhan neach neo luchd-ainmichte a-mhàin. Chan eil e ceadaichte a chleachdadh ann an dòigh sam bith, a’ toirt a-steach còraichean, foillseachadh neo sgaoileadh, gun chead. Ma ’s e is gun d’fhuair sibh seo gun fhiosd’, bu choir cur às dhan phost-d agus lethbhreac sam bith air an t-siostam agaibh agus fios a leigeil chun neach a sgaoil am post-d gun dàil.

Dh’fhaodadh gum bi teachdaireachd sam bith bho Riaghaltas na h-Alba air a chlàradh neo air a sgrùdadh airson dearbhadh gu bheil an siostam ag obair gu h-èifeachdach neo airson adhbhar laghail eile. Dh’fhaodadh nach eil beachdan anns a’ phost-d seo co-ionann ri beachdan Riaghaltas na h-Alba.
**********************************************************************

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National Records of Scotland

2 Attachments

Dear H Swan,

Please find attached the response from National Records of Scotland to your recent Freedom of Information request.

Regards,

NRS FOI Team
11 October 2019

-----Original Message-----
From: Wotherspoon D (Donna) <[email address]> On Behalf Of NRS : Freedom of Information Mailbox
Sent: 18 September 2019 15:14
To: H Swan <[FOI #603601 email]>
Cc: NRS : Freedom of Information Mailbox <[NRS request email]>
Subject: RE: NRS - FOI/19/02127 - H Swan re Correspondence on Scotland's census 2021

Corrected acknowledgement:

Dear H Swan

Thank you for your request dated 13 September 2019 under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA) requesting copies of all correspondence between NRS and the Equality Network/Scottish Trans Allliance in relation to the sex and gender identity questions in Scotland's 2021 census.

We received your request on 13 September 2019 and will respond in accordance with FOISA by 11 October 2019.

If you have any queries, please contact the NRS FOI Team quoting case number FOI/19/02127.

NRS FOI Team
18 September 2019

-----Original Message-----
From: H Swan <[FOI #603601 email]>
Sent: 13 September 2019 17:34
To: NRS : Freedom of Information Mailbox <[NRS request email]>
Subject: Freedom of Information request - Correspondence on Scotland's census 2021

Dear National Records of Scotland,

For the period 1 January 2017 to 13 September 2019, please provide copies of all correspondence between NRS and the Equality Network/Scottish Trans Alliance in relation to the sex and gender identity questions in Scotland's 2021 census.

Yours faithfully,

H Swan

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[FOI #603601 email]

Is [NRS request email] the wrong address for Freedom of Information requests to National Records of Scotland? If so, please contact us using this form:
https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/change_re...

Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be published on the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies:
https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/help/offi...

For more detailed guidance on safely disclosing information, read the latest advice from the ICO:
https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/help/ico-...

Please note that in some cases publication of requests and responses will be delayed.

If you find this service useful as an FOI officer, please ask your web manager to link to us from your organisation's FOI page.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

______________________________________________________________________
This email has been scanned by the Symantec Email Security.cloud service.
For more information please visit http://www.symanteccloud.com ______________________________________________________________________

**********************************************************************
This e-mail (and any files or other attachments transmitted with it) is intended solely for the attention of the addressee(s). Unauthorised use, disclosure, storage, copying or distribution of any part of this e-mail is not permitted. If you are not the intended recipient please destroy the email, remove any copies from your system and inform the sender immediately by return.
Communications with the Scottish Government may be monitored or recorded in order to secure the effective operation of the system and for other lawful purposes. The views or opinions contained within this e-mail may not necessarily reflect those of the Scottish Government.
**********************************************************************

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Dear National Records of Scotland,

Please pass this on to the person who conducts Freedom of Information reviews.

I am writing to request an internal review of National Records of Scotland's handling of my FOI request 'Correspondence on Scotland's census 2021'.

The recently published Office for Statistics Regulation assessment on the 2021 censuses advises that: "Census offices should be open and transparent on their decision-making processes and in their decisions on Census questions and guidance, particularly in relation to any areas of contention." This is explained further in relation to decision-making on sex and gender identity:

"The importance of the Census reflects the strong views from users, with often differing opinions and viewpoints.For example,in relation to the development of sex and gender identity/transgender status. Census questions and related guidance, some users consider there has been a lack of transparency in relation to some aspects of the question development and testing. processes and continue to raise concerns on how the quality of Census data will be affected given the proposals being developed. Census offices must ensure their actions and decisions are visibly taken with the honesty, integrity and independence necessary to deliver data and statistics that are of high quality and serve the public good. Census offices should be open and transparent on their decision-making processes and in their decisions on Census questions and guidance, particularly in relation to any areas of contention."

Withholding the information request in this FOI is not consistent with the advice given by the OSR.

A full history of my FOI request and all correspondence is available on the Internet at this address: https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/c...

Yours faithfully,

H Swan

National Records of Scotland

Dear H Swan,

Thank you for your request of 11 October for a review of our response to your request under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA) for correspondence between NRS and the Equality Network/Scottish Trans Alliance in relation to the sex and gender identity questions in Scotland's 2021 census.

I have been asked by Paul Lowe to carry out the review because I was not involved in handling your original request. I will be looking at the case afresh to establish whether the original response should be confirmed, with or without modifications as appropriate, or a fresh decision should be substituted.

We received your review request on 11 October 2019 so I will respond in accordance with FOISA by 8 November 2019.

If you have any queries please contact me quoting case number FOI/19/02127.

Regards,

Linda Sinclair
Director of Corporate Services

-----Original Message-----
From: H Swan <[FOI #603601 email]>
Sent: 11 October 2019 13:05
To: NRS : Freedom of Information Mailbox <[NRS request email]>
Subject: Internal review of Freedom of Information request - Correspondence on Scotland's census 2021

Dear National Records of Scotland,

Please pass this on to the person who conducts Freedom of Information reviews.

I am writing to request an internal review of National Records of Scotland's handling of my FOI request 'Correspondence on Scotland's census 2021'.

The recently published Office for Statistics Regulation assessment on the 2021 censuses advises that: "Census offices should be open and transparent on their decision-making processes and in their decisions on Census questions and guidance, particularly in relation to any areas of contention." This is explained further in relation to decision-making on sex and gender identity:

"The importance of the Census reflects the strong views from users, with often differing opinions and viewpoints.For example,in relation to the development of sex and gender identity/transgender status. Census questions and related guidance, some users consider there has been a lack of transparency in relation to some aspects of the question development and testing. processes and continue to raise concerns on how the quality of Census data will be affected given the proposals being developed. Census offices must ensure their actions and decisions are visibly taken with the honesty, integrity and independence necessary to deliver data and statistics that are of high quality and serve the public good. Census offices should be open and transparent on their decision-making processes and in their decisions on Census questions and guidance, particularly in relation to any areas of contention."

Withholding the information request in this FOI is not consistent with the advice given by the OSR.

A full history of my FOI request and all correspondence is available on the Internet at this address: https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/c...

Yours faithfully,

H Swan

-------------------------------------------------------------------
Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[FOI #603601 email]

Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be published on the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies:
https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/help/offi...

For more detailed guidance on safely disclosing information, read the latest advice from the ICO:
https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/help/ico-...

Please note that in some cases publication of requests and responses will be delayed.

If you find this service useful as an FOI officer, please ask your web manager to link to us from your organisation's FOI page.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

______________________________________________________________________
This email has been scanned by the Symantec Email Security.cloud service.
For more information please visit http://www.symanteccloud.com ______________________________________________________________________

**********************************************************************
This e-mail (and any files or other attachments transmitted with it) is intended solely for the attention of the addressee(s). Unauthorised use, disclosure, storage, copying or distribution of any part of this e-mail is not permitted. If you are not the intended recipient please destroy the email, remove any copies from your system and inform the sender immediately by return.
Communications with the Scottish Government may be monitored or recorded in order to secure the effective operation of the system and for other lawful purposes. The views or opinions contained within this e-mail may not necessarily reflect those of the Scottish Government.
**********************************************************************

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National Records of Scotland

1 Attachment

Dear H Swan,

Please find attached the response from National Records of Scotland to your recent Freedom of Information review request.

Regards,

NRS FOI Team
6 November 2019

-----Original Message-----
From: Wotherspoon D (Donna) <[email address]> On Behalf Of NRS : Freedom of Information Mailbox
Sent: 16 October 2019 09:55
To: H Swan <[FOI #603601 email]>
Cc: NRS : Freedom of Information Mailbox <[NRS request email]>
Subject: NRS - FOI/19/02127 - H Swan re Correspondence on Scotland's census 2021 REVIEW

Dear H Swan,

Thank you for your request of 11 October for a review of our response to your request under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA) for correspondence between NRS and the Equality Network/Scottish Trans Alliance in relation to the sex and gender identity questions in Scotland's 2021 census.

I have been asked by Paul Lowe to carry out the review because I was not involved in handling your original request. I will be looking at the case afresh to establish whether the original response should be confirmed, with or without modifications as appropriate, or a fresh decision should be substituted.

We received your review request on 11 October 2019 so I will respond in accordance with FOISA by 8 November 2019.

If you have any queries please contact me quoting case number FOI/19/02127.

Regards,

Linda Sinclair
Director of Corporate Services

-----Original Message-----
From: H Swan <[FOI #603601 email]>
Sent: 11 October 2019 13:05
To: NRS : Freedom of Information Mailbox <[NRS request email]>
Subject: Internal review of Freedom of Information request - Correspondence on Scotland's census 2021

Dear National Records of Scotland,

Please pass this on to the person who conducts Freedom of Information reviews.

I am writing to request an internal review of National Records of Scotland's handling of my FOI request 'Correspondence on Scotland's census 2021'.

The recently published Office for Statistics Regulation assessment on the 2021 censuses advises that: "Census offices should be open and transparent on their decision-making processes and in their decisions on Census questions and guidance, particularly in relation to any areas of contention." This is explained further in relation to decision-making on sex and gender identity:

"The importance of the Census reflects the strong views from users, with often differing opinions and viewpoints.For example,in relation to the development of sex and gender identity/transgender status. Census questions and related guidance, some users consider there has been a lack of transparency in relation to some aspects of the question development and testing. processes and continue to raise concerns on how the quality of Census data will be affected given the proposals being developed. Census offices must ensure their actions and decisions are visibly taken with the honesty, integrity and independence necessary to deliver data and statistics that are of high quality and serve the public good. Census offices should be open and transparent on their decision-making processes and in their decisions on Census questions and guidance, particularly in relation to any areas of contention."

Withholding the information request in this FOI is not consistent with the advice given by the OSR.

A full history of my FOI request and all correspondence is available on the Internet at this address: https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/c...

Yours faithfully,

H Swan

-------------------------------------------------------------------
Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[FOI #603601 email]

Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be published on the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies:
https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/help/offi...

For more detailed guidance on safely disclosing information, read the latest advice from the ICO:
https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/help/ico-...

Please note that in some cases publication of requests and responses will be delayed.

If you find this service useful as an FOI officer, please ask your web manager to link to us from your organisation's FOI page.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

______________________________________________________________________
This email has been scanned by the Symantec Email Security.cloud service.
For more information please visit http://www.symanteccloud.com ______________________________________________________________________

**********************************************************************
This e-mail (and any files or other attachments transmitted with it) is intended solely for the attention of the addressee(s). Unauthorised use, disclosure, storage, copying or distribution of any part of this e-mail is not permitted. If you are not the intended recipient please destroy the email, remove any copies from your system and inform the sender immediately by return.
Communications with the Scottish Government may be monitored or recorded in order to secure the effective operation of the system and for other lawful purposes. The views or opinions contained within this e-mail may not necessarily reflect those of the Scottish Government.
**********************************************************************

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