Information Commissioner's Office

Summary: The complainant requested information about immigration at Glasgow International Airport. Although the Home Office confirmed it was considering applying section 31(1)(e) (immigration controls) to the request and would need to extend the time to fully consider the associated public interest test, it has yet to provide the complainant with a substantive response.The Information Commissioner finds a delay of over five months in carrying out a public interest determination to be an unreasonable delay in breach of section 17(3). The Information Commissioner requires the public authority issue a notice compliant with section 17(3) setting out its conclusion about where the balance of the public interest lies. If the public authority concludes that the balance of the public interest favours disclosing the information or no longer considers the exemption to apply, the information should be provided to the complainant.
Section of Act/EIR & Finding: FOI 17 - Complaint Upheld