Information Commissioner's Office

Summary: The complainant has requested information from the Department for Education (the -�DfE-�) which consists of the product of keyword searches in the email accounts of named individuals. The DfE has relied upon section 8(1)(c) and section 1(3) of the FOIA to refuse the request. It argued that it was not a valid request as it failed to describe the information required, and that attempts to narrow the scope of the request with the complainant to help identify the information had not been successful. Therefore it was not obliged to comply with section 1(1) of the FOIA. The Commissioner-�s decision is that the complainant failed to provide the clarification reasonably required by the DfE in accordance with section 1(3). He is satisfied that the DfE fulfilled its obligations under the FOIA and therefore he does not require the DfE to take any steps in this case.
Section of Act/EIR & Finding: FOI 1 - Complaint Not upheld, FOI 8 - Complaint Upheld