Information Commissioner's Office

Summary: The complainant has requested information on the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) Universal Credit Programme (UCP) including risk and issues registers and management plans and high level milestone schedules and information on the use of the Agile methodology to manage the project. The DWP identified three documents within the scope of the request but refused to provide these documents on the basis of section 36(2)(b) and (c). The Commissioner accepted that the exemptions were engaged and after considering the public interest arguments determined the DWP correctly withheld the risk register. However, the Commissioner found the public interest arguments in favour of maintaining the exemptions did not outweigh the public interest in disclosure in relation to the issues register and the high level milestone schedule and these documents should be disclosed. The Commissioner requires the public authority to disclose the issues register and high level milestone schedule.
Section of Act/EIR & Finding: FOI 36 - Complaint Partly Upheld