Information Commissioner's Office

Summary: The complainant requested a copy of any digital version of a weather station dataset sent from the Climatic Research Unit (-�CRU-�) at the University of East Anglia (-�UEA-�) to Georgia Tech between certain specified dates. He also requested a copy of any instructions or stipulations accompanying the sending of the data. UEA withheld the datasets under regulation 6 (information already publicly available and easily accessible) and the exceptions contained in regulation 12(5)(a) (adverse affect on international relations), 12(5)(c) (adverse affect on intellectual property rights) and 12(5)(f) (adverse affect on the interests of the information provider) of the Environmental Information Regulations (-�EIR-�). The Commissioner has decided, based on the evidence provided to him, that regulation 6 and 12(5)(a),(c) and (f) were not applicable to the datasets. He has therefore ordered that they be disclosed to the complainant. In relation to the request for a copy of any instructions or stipulations accompanying the sending of the data, the Commissioner has decided that UEA did not hold any information falling within the scope of this request and that it correctly applied regulation 12(4)(a). This decision notice is currently under appeal to the Information Tribunal.
Section of Act/EIR & Finding: EIR 5 - Complaint Upheld, EIR 5 - Complaint Upheld, EIR 6 - Complaint Upheld, EIR 12.4.a - Complaint Not upheld, EIR 12.5.a - Complaint Upheld, EIR 12.5.c - Complaint Upheld, EIR 12.5.f - Complaint Upheld