Information Commissioner's Office

Summary: The complainant submitted a request to the Cabinet Office seeking all information concerning the selection procedure for the appointment of Ms Margaret Aldred as Secretary to the Iraq Inquiry and Mr Rae Stewart as head of communications for the Iraq Inquiry. The Cabinet Office issued a refusal notice stating that it held some information falling within the scope of the request but considered it exempt from disclosure of the basis of sections 35(1)(a) and 35(1)(b) of the Act. The complainant subsequently requested an internal review of this decision and the internal review, issued nearly a year after being requested, found that the information determined in the refusal notice to be exempt from disclosure did not in fact fall within the scope of the request. The complainant queried this finding and argued that the Cabinet Office may hold further information falling within the scope of this request. Following enquiries with the Cabinet Office the Commissioner has concluded that it does not hold information falling within the scope of this request.
Section of Act/EIR & Finding: FOI 1 - Complaint Upheld, FOI 10 - Complaint Upheld