Information Commissioner's Office

Summary: The complainant made a request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (the -�Act-�) to the British Broadcasting Corporation (the -�BBC-�) for information relating to the drama series -�Our Friends in the North-�. The BBC answered the majority of the complainant-�s requests however it refused request iv as it stated that the information was exempt from disclosure by virtue of section 42 of the Act. Once the Commissioner-�s investigation had commenced, and in light of recent High Court decisions, the BBC explained that the information relevant to request iv was in fact held for the purposes of journalism, art or literature and that the BBC was not obliged to comply with Parts I to V of the Act. Upon considering the withheld information and the BBC-�s submissions, the Commissioner considers that the information relevant to request iv was held for the purposes of journalism, art or literature and therefore the BBC was not obliged to comply with Parts I to V of the Act.
Section of Act/EIR & Finding: FOI 1 - Complaint Not upheld