10 May 2016, Central government
The complainant requested information concerning plans for the placement of Syrian refugees. The Home Office refused this request under section 40(2) (personal information) of the FOIA. The Commissioner’s decision is that the Home Office cited section 40(2) incorrectly and it is now required to comply with the request. The Commissioner also found that the Home Office breached section 17(1) of the FOIA in this case through its failure to respond to the request within 20 working days of receipt. The Commissioner requires the Home Office to respond afresh to the complainant, disclosing the answers required by the first and third parts of the request and seeking clarification about the second part of the request.
FOI 17: Upheld FOI 40: Upheld