Information Commissioner's Office

Commission for Racial Equality

25 September 2007, Education (Other)

The complainant, representing the London Metropolitan University (LMU), sought access to communications between the Commission for Racial Equality (CRE) and the National Association of Teachers in Further and Higher Education during the period when the LMU had been under investigation for possible breaches of the race relations legislation. CRE initially said that it did not hold information in relation to one part of the request and refused to release other information it held, citing section 30 of the Act. This information was subsequently released to the complainant once the investigation had been completed, as was additional information relating to that part of the request for which CRE had previously said no information existed. The Commissioner found CRE to be in breach of section 1(1) of the Act, and of section 17(3) for an initial failure to consider the public interest test.

FOI 1: Upheld