Information Commissioner's Office

Cabinet Office

26 March 2007, Central government

The complainant requested a list of the recipients of Christmas Cards from the Prime Minister in the years 2003 and 2004. The Cabinet Office confirmed to the complainant that the only information it held in relation to the request was the Prime Minister’s working Christmas card list for 2004. Following an internal review the Cabinet Office refused to disclose the list to the complainant through the application of the following exemptions under the Freedom of Information Act: Section 27 (International relations), section 36 (Prejudice to effective conduct of public affairs), Section 38 (Health and safety) and Section 40 (Personal information). The Commissioner accepts that the only information held in relation to the request is the 2004 working list. He agrees that the majority of the list of names on the list should remain exempt for the reasons provided by the Cabinet Office. However, the Commissioner has also decided that the names of foreign leaders and heads of state on the list should be released, together with the names of headings used in the list and the number of recipients listed under each heading. This is because the Commissioner does not consider any exemption under the Act to apply to this information.

FOI 1: Not upheld