Information Commissioner's Office

Summary: The complainant requested disclosure of a detailed breakdown of the full travel expenses of an MP for the year 2003-4, including expenses claimed for the MPs spouse. An aggregate figure for travel expenses for each MP is already published but this figure is not broken down into different categories of transport, as the complaint requested and also excludes the travel claimed for a spouse. The House of Commons withheld the information on the basis that it was exempt under section 40(2) of the Act. The Commissioner found that the requested information is personal information which can be disclosed without contravening any of the principles of the Data Protection Act 1998 and, consequently, that the exemption provided by section 40(2) of the Act does not apply. Therefore the Commissioner's decision is that the House has breached section 1(1) of the Act in that it incorrectly withheld the requested information on the basis that it was exempt under section 40(2). This decision is currently under appeal to the Information Tribunal.
Section of Act/EIR & Finding: FOI 40 - Complaint Upheld