Information Commissioner's Office

Yorkshire Forward

5 June 2007, Local government (District council)

On 28 June 2005 the complainant requested information from Yorkshire Forward, a Regional Development Agency, regarding corporate events it had hosted from 2003 to date. Yorkshire Forward responded on 4 July 2005, providing information it had already issued in response to a previous request made by a different requester. The Information Commissioner finds that Yorkshire Forward complied with section 11 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (the “Act”).Yorkshire Forward refused to provide the names and organisations of delegates attending its events on the basis of the exemption at section 40(2) of the Act. The Information Commissioner’s decision is that Yorkshire Forward correctly applied section 40(2) in respect of the names of individuals attending events. However the Commissioner considers that the names of the organisations represented would not normally be personal data and therefore would not be exempt from disclosure under section 40(2) of the Act. He requires that Yorkshire Forward disclose this information in respect of events it hosted between 2003 and 28 June 2005. The Commissioner also finds that the refusal notice issued by Yorkshire Forward did not comply with section 17 of the Act. An appeal was made to the Information Tribunal, who have ruled that the appeal should be allowed and the decision overturned.

FOI 11: Not upheld