Information Commissioner's Office

Cabinet Office

14 October 2008, Central government

The complainant wrote to the Cabinet Office (“the public authority”) to request information regarding a Cabinet Committee that was formed in order to consider data sharing within the public sector. The public authority provided the complainant with some information but refused to disclose the minutes of meetings of the committee under section 35(1)(a) and 35(1)(b) of the Act. The Commissioner considered the complaint and found that section 35 applies and that the public interest favours maintaining the exemption. The public authority also refused to disclose the names of junior civil servants who attended the Committee by relying on section 40(2) of the Act and the Commissioner found that the public authority also correctly withheld this information. However, the Commissioner found that in its handling of the complainant’s request the public authority breached sections 1(1)(a), 1(1)(b), 10(1), 17(1) and 17(1)(c). The Commissioner requires no steps to be taken. Information Tribunal appeal number EA/2008/0090 dismissed.

FOI 35: Not upheld FOI 40: Partly upheld FOI 10: Upheld