Information Commissioner's Office

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

2 March 2016, Central government

The complainant submitted a request to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) for information about the dismissal of the Governor of St Kitts and Nevis in 1981. The FCO provided the complainant with information falling within the scope of this request but withheld certain parts on the basis of sections 40(2) (personal data) and 41(1) (information provided in confidence) of FOIA. It subsequently sought to also rely on section 37(1)(a) (communications with The Sovereign) to  withhold some of this information, before extending its reliance on this exemption to use it as a basis to withhold all of the withheld information. The Commissioner’s decision is that all of the withheld information is exempt from disclosure on the basis of section 37(1)(a).  

FOI 37: Not upheld