Information Commissioner's Office

Summary: The complainant made a request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (the -�Act-�) to the Department for Children, Schools and Families (the -�DCSF-�) for -�Copies of responses made to the public consultation held as part of the review of section 58, Children Act 2004, except for those responses where the respondent requested confidentiality.-� The DCSF refused to disclose some of the information it held relevant to the scope of the request as it stated that it was exempt from disclosure under section 40 of the Act. The Commissioner considers that the DCSF correctly applied the section 40(2) exemption by virtue of section 40(3)(a)(i) to the information it withheld in this case. However the Commissioner considers that the DCSF breached section 1(1)(b), section 10(1) and sections 17(1)(b) and (c) of the Act in its handling of this request.
Section of Act/EIR & Finding: FOI 10 - Complaint Upheld, FOI 17 - Complaint Upheld, FOI 40 - Complaint Not upheld