7 July 2008, Police and criminal justice
The complainant wrote to the Legal Services Commission to request a copy of a report it had received in connection with an application for legal aid. The public authority refused the request under section 44 of the Act which provides for an exemption where disclosure is prohibited under any other law or enactment. The public authority said that the relevant statutory prohibitions were section 38 of the Legal Aid Act 1998 and section 20 of the Access to Justice Act 1999. The Commissioner has considered the complaint and has found that section 38 of the Legal Aid Act does apply to the requested information and that therefore it is exempt from disclosure under section 44 of the Act. The Commissioner requires no steps to be taken. Information Tribunal appeal number (EA/2008/0057) has been dismissed.
FOI 44: Not upheld