Information Commissioner's Office

Land Registry

8 March 2016, Central government

The complainant submitted a number of requests to the Land Registry seeking information concerning the registration of a particular parcel of land. The complainant complained to the Commissioner about the Land Registry’s failure to provide him with the information sought by two of these requests dated 5 June and 13 September 2015. During the course of the Commissioner’s investigation the Land Registry sought to refuse these requests on the basis of section 14(1) (vexatious) of FOIA, or in the alternative, regulation 12(4)(b) (manifestly unreasonable) of the EIR. The Commissioner has concluded that the requests should be considered under the EIR but that the Land Registry is entitled to refuse to comply with the requests on the basis of regulation 12(4)(b) because they are manifestly unreasonable.

EIR 12(4)(b): Not upheld