Information Commissioner's Office

Department for Communities

17 August 2016, Central government

The complainant has requested information transferred to the Public Records Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI), part of the Department for Communities. At the time of issuing this decision notice PRONI had not provided the complainant with a substantive response to the request.  The Commissioner’s decision is that the public authority has failed to respond to the complainant’s request within the statutory timescale. The Commissioner requires the public authority respond to the complainant’s request: Firstly, confirm or deny that the requested information is held (or, if the public authority decides to refuse to confirm or deny that any of the requested information is held, then a refusal notice should be issued that complies with the requirements of section 17 of the FOIA). Secondly, and subject to the above: to the extent that the requested information is held the public authority must either disclose it or, if it wishes to withhold any information, issue a refusal notice in relation to the information it wishes to withhold and disclose the remainder.

FOI 1: Upheld FOI 10: Upheld