Information Commissioner's Office

Department for Transport

12 February 2015, Central government

The complainant made a freedom of information request to the Department for Transport (DfT) for information related to the work of the Cross-Government Working Group on Remote Piloted Aircraft. In response the DfT disclosed some of the information it held but withheld some minutes of meetings of the group under the exemption in section 35(1)(a) (formulation and development of government policy) of FOIA. The Commissioner has investigated the complaint and found that section 35(1)(a) was correctly applied and that the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosure. The Commissioner requires no steps to be taken. Information Tribunal appeal EA/2015/0067 withdrawn.

FOI 35: Not upheld