Information Commissioner's Office

Summary: Following a request for information related to the proposed development of a new surgery using a private developer the complainant alleged that some information had been withheld, including minutes of meetings, the Heads of Terms and requests for financial assistance held by the developer on behalf of the Medical Centre. However, the Commissioner has found that formal minutes of meetings had not been created. Some notes containing action points were made but these were destroyed once the matter had been dealt with and so at the time of the request no such notes existed. The Commissioner considers that some information in the Heads of Term, such as proposed rent, was exempt under section 43 although other information should be disclosed. The private developer did hold information relating to the financial assistance that was available from the associated primary care trust; however, this information concerned its own negotiations regarding rental values and was held for its own commercial purposes rather than on behalf of the Medical Centre.
Section of Act/EIR & Finding: FOI 43 - Complaint Partly Upheld