Information Commissioner's Office

Home Office

29 July 2014, Central government

The complainant requested a copy of the report of a healthcare audit carried out on Harmondsworth Immigration Removal Centre in June 2012. The Home Office refused to disclose this report and cited the exemptions provided by the following sections of the FOIA: 36(2)(c) (prejudice to the effective conduct of public affairs) 40(2) (personal information)43(2) (commercial interests). The Commissioner’s decision is that sections 36(2)(c) and 43(2) are engaged, but that the public interest favours disclosure, and that apart from one redaction section 40(2) is not engaged. The Home Office is, therefore, required to disclose the report. The Commissioner requires the Home Office to disclose a copy of the audit report, redacting the reference to medication as noted in paragraph 53 below.

FOI 36: Upheld FOI 40: Partly upheld