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Concerns raised by journalists about the Scottish government's handling of freedom of information requests are to be probed by the information watchdog.

MSPs have unanimously condemned the government's performance on the topic and called for an independent inquiry.

Scottish Information Commissioner Daren Fitzhenry wrote to ministers to discuss the terms of an "intervention".

Ministers have accepted that their performance has "not been good enough" and have pledged to make improvements.

The issue was raised after journalists from across Scotland's media signed an open letter voicing concerns about how the government handles freedom of information (FoI) requests.

They highlighted a series of issues, including long delays in responding to requests, legal deadlines not being met, requests being blocked or refused for "tenuous" reasons, and claimed that requests were being "screened for potential political damage by special advisers".

MSPs voted to call for an independent inquiry in June, with even SNP members supporting a Conservative motion on the topic despite it including strong criticism of the government.

Image caption Scottish government business manager Joe Fitzpatrick has accepted that performance has "not been good enough"

Mr Fitzhenry's predecessor, Rosemary Agnew, first launched an intervention against the Scottish government over how long they take to respond to FoI requests in January 2017.

That probe is ongoing, although Mr Fitzhenry noted that compliance with timescales has "improved considerably" in recent months.

And he confirmed in a letter to Scottish government business manager Joe Fitzpatrick that his staff was working on the terms of "a further intervention into the Scottish government's wider FoI practice".

The exact scope of the inquiry is yet to be fixed, but Mr Fitzhenry wrote that "in general terms it will include a consideration of the issues of culture and practice raised in the journalists' letter and the debate on the parliamentary motion, such as allegations of deliberate delaying tactics and requests being blocked or refused for tenuous reasons".

Mr Fitzpatrick repeatedly insisted during parliamentary debates that Scotland has the most robust FoI system in the UK, saying that his party "believes in open government".

However he added: "We accept our recent performance has not been good enough, and we are working to improve it."

The government has pledged to engage with Mr Fitzhenry and continue to work to improve performance.