Summary: The complainant asked the Cabinet Office for the names of individuals, who were now dead, who had refused an honour in the period 1949 to the present day. The complainant also asked the Cabinet Office to specify the nature of each honour. The Cabinet Office provided the complainant with the information for the years 1949 and 1950 but refused to provide the information for 1951 to 2010 on the basis that some of it was in the public domain -“ and thus exempt from disclosure of the basis of section 21 of the Act -“ with the remainder being withheld on the basis of sections 37(1)(b) and section 41(1). The complainant asked the Commissioner to consider the application of the latter two exemptions. Having done so the Commissioner has concluded that section 41(1) does not provide a basis to withhold any of the information. He has also concluded that all of the information is exempt from disclosure on the basis of section 37(1)(b). For the information concerning the years 1951 to 1989 the public interest favours disclosing the information. For the information concerning the years 1990 to 2010 the public interest favours maintaining the exemption.
Section of Act/EIR & Finding: FOI 37 - Complaint Not upheld