Information Commissioner's Office

Export Credits Guarantee Department

28 July 2008, Education (Other)

The complainant requested information contained in a report by the Business Principles Unit of the Export Credits Guarantee Department (ECGD) of its assessment of the case for ECGD to support a United Kingdom interest in a project to build a pipeline to transport oil from Baku to Ceyhan via Tbilisi. He also requested the minutes of an ECGD meeting, held to review the report, and related correspondence along with a list of any correspondence and related information being withheld from him. He also complained to the Commissioner of excessive delay by ECGD. ECGD disclosed parts of the report and some related documentation but withheld parts of the report, the minutes and some correspondence, citing what it saw as relevant sections of the Act and the exceptions contained in Regulations 12(4)(e), 12(5)(a), and 12(5)(e) of The Environmental Information Regulations 2004. The Commissioner decided that the Regulations applied to all of the information and that ECGD must disclose in full both the report and the relevant sections of the minutes. On procedural matters, he found that ECGD breached Regulations 5, 7 and 14. Exceptions breached were those specified under Regulations 12(4)(e) and 12(5)(a). The Commissioner severely criticised ECGD’s excessive delay in responding to the request. Information Tribunal appeal number EA/2008/0071 dismissed.

EIR 5: Upheld