Information Commissioner's Office

Charity Commission

29 October 2015, Local government (Other)

The complainant made a freedom of information request to the Charity Commission for details of complaints made against Charities which involved issues of radicalisation and extremism. The Charity Commission refused the request under section 12(1) of FOIA (appropriate limit). The Commissioner has investigated the complaint and found that the Charity Commission applied section 12(1) correctly but that it had failed to provide advice and assistance in accordance with section 16. The Commissioner requires the public authority to provide the complainant with advice as to how his fourth request of 23 December 2014 could be refined to bring it within the cost limit or else it should confirm that it is not possible to refine the request and no information can be supplied within the appropriate limit. The public authority must take these steps within 35 calendar days of the date of this Decision Notice. Failure to comply may result in the Commissioner making written certification of this fact to the High Court (or the Court of Session in Scotland) pursuant to section 54 of the Act and may be dealt with as a contempt of court.

FOI 12: Not upheld FOI 16: Upheld