Information Commissioner's Office

Cabinet Office

17 October 2016, Central government

The complainant submitted a request to the public authority for documents and correspondence relating to the award of honours to the late British artist David Bowie by Her Majesty The Queen. The public authority disclosed most of the information in scope at the time of the request and withheld a small amount of information on the basis of the exemptions at sections 37(1)(b) (the conferring by the Crown of any honour or dignity), 40(2) (personal data) and 41(1) (information provided in confidence) FOIA. The Commissioner’s decision is that the public authority was entitled to rely on the exemption at section 37(1)(b) to withhold all of the remaining information that has not been disclosed to the complainant. No steps are required.

FOI 37: Not upheld