Information Commissioner's Office

National Offender Management Service

25 November 2008, Central government

The complainants requested information about the awarding of a contract for the provision of healthcare at HMP The Mount. The public authority initially refused to disclose any information as it believed this information to be exempt by virtue of section 21(1). At internal review stage the public authority located additional information falling within the scope of the request. The majority of this information was disclosed, with the remainder withheld under section 36(2)(b)(ii). The information previously withheld under section 21(1) was also disclosed at that stage. The Commissioner finds that section 36(2)(b)(ii) was applied correctly to the majority of this information. In relation to the remainder of this information, the Commissioner concludes that the opinion of the qualified person that disclosure would result in inhibition to the free and frank exchange of views is not reasonable and the public authority is required to disclose this information.

FOI 17: Upheld FOI 36: Partly upheld