PFAS further queries (FOI)

​​Request 682592824

​Please provide me with the following information: 

A) How much PFAS was disposed of in line with Jersey Government's announcement in February 2024 See here - https://www.gov.je/Government/FreedomOfInformation/pages/foi.aspx?ReportID=7197&utm_source=chatgpt.com

B) Whether PFAS is stored on the island in any form to this date

C) How much PFAS there is and where it is located

D) Whether there are any plans for disposal

E) The results from the PFAS hydrogeological study which was going to be commissioned

See here - https://www.gov.je/Government/FreedomOfInformation/pages/foi.aspx?ReportID=7197&utm_source=chatgpt.com

F) Whether any PFAS has been disposed of on the island. If yes, please outline the process of disposal

G) Whether any PFAS has been sent back to manufacturers off the island. If yes, please outline where

Response

A

Contaminated soils were encapsulated on site during the remediation of the Fire Training Ground in 2004, no soils were disposed of off-site, although further information may be held by Ports of Jersey should you wish to send your information request in writing to the address referenced at the end of the response. 

B 

The encapsulation cell and some temporarily stored soil in skips at the airport contain PFAS contaminated soils/rock.  

We do not hold information with respect to any continued storage of PFAS based firefighting foams, therefore, Article 3 of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011 applies, however, further information may be held by Ports of Jersey, should you wish to send your information request in writing to the address referenced at the end of the response.  

C and D

The information requested is not held by the Government of Jersey, therefore, Article 3 of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011 applies, although it may be held by Ports of Jersey, should you wish to send your information request in writing to the address referenced at the end of the response.

E

The Results from the PFAS hydrogeological study will be published on www.gov.je in Quarter 2 2025, therefore the information requested is exempt under Article 36 (Future Publication) of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011.

Article 36 is a qualified exemption; therefore, a public interest test has been applied and is shown at the end of this response

F and G

The information requested is not held by the Government of Jersey, therefore, Article 3 of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011 applies 

Articles applied

Article 3 Meaning of “information held by a public authority”

For the purposes of this Law, information is held by a public authority if –

(a)     it is held by the authority, otherwise than on behalf of another person; or

(b)     it is held by another person on behalf of the authority.

Article 36 - Information intended for future publication

(1) Information is qualified exempt information if, at the time when the request for the

information is made, the information is being held by a public authority with a view to

its being published within 12 weeks of the date of the request.

(2) A scheduled public authority that refuses an application for information on this ground

must make reasonable efforts to inform the applicant –

(a) of the date when the information will be published;

(b) of the manner in which it will be published; and

(c) by whom it will be published.

Public Interest Test 

Article 36 is a qualified exemption, which means that a public interest test has to be undertaken to examine the circumstances of the case and decide whether, on balance, the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information. 

Public interest considerations favouring disclosure 

• disclosure of the information would support transparency and promote accountability to the general public. 

Public interest considerations favouring withholding the information

• It is intended to publish the data within 12 weeks of the receipt of this request on www.opendata.gov.je. The information is currently being collated prior to publication and therefore it is not possible to release it at this stage. 

​Ports Of Jersey contact details

ask@ports.je

​or by post to: 

Ports of Jersey, St Peter, Jersey, JE1 1BY​