Information Commissioner's Office

University of Oxford

29 July 2008, Education (University)

The complainant made a request for information for some documents that were referred to in a letter from the public authority to the Inland Revenue on 2 August 1977. The public authority replied that it did not hold these documents. The public authority in its internal review carried out a further search and came to the same conclusion. However it later located a small amount of information that was within the scope of the request which it provided to the complainant after its internal review. The Commissioner has concluded that the public authority breached section 1(1)(a) in denying that it held relevant information. It also breached section 10(1) in failing to comply with section 1 within twenty working days of the request and section 1(1)(b) in failing to provide the relevant material by the completion of the internal review. He has concluded that on a balance of probabilities the public authority does not hold any further information relevant to the request. Information Tribunal appeal number EA/2008/0072 has been dismissed.

FOI 1: Upheld FOI 1: Upheld FOI 10: Upheld