Information Commissioner's Office

Cabinet Office

18 March 2015, Central government

The complainant has requested information about the Public Duty Costs Allowance. The Cabinet Office wrote to advise that further time was required to consider the balance of the public interest test in relation to the application of section 35(1)(a). By the date of this notice the Cabinet Office had yet to provide a substantive response to this request. The Information Commissioner’s decision is that the Cabinet Office breached section 17(3) of the FOIA in that it has failed to provide a response to the request within a reasonable timescale. The Commissioner requires the Cabinet Office to provide the complainant with a substantive response to the request for information. In the event that the Cabinet Office decides to withhold any information then the complainant should be provided with a refusal notice giving a full explanation as to why the information is not being disclosed, including details of any public interest considerations. 

FOI 1: Upheld FOI 10: Upheld FOI 17: Upheld