Information Commissioner's Office

Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency

11 August 2015, Health (Other)

The complainant has requested copies of all correspondence dating from 24 August 2014 involving the chief executive of the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). The request was refused under sections 35, government policy, and 43, commercial information. During the course of the Commissioner’s investigation the MHRA also sought to rely on sections 27, international relations,40, personal information, 41 information provided in confidence and section 42, legal professional privilege. The Commissioner’s decision is that MHRA is entitled to withhold the requested information under section 35(1)((a). Having found that all the information can be withheld under section 35 he has not gone onto to consider the application of the other exemptions cited. The Commissioner does not require the public authority to take any further action in this matter.

FOI 35: Not upheld