Information Commissioner's Office

UK Government Investments

31 January 2017, Local government (Other)

The complainant has requested information concerning the due diligence process followed by the former Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS) prior to the Government’s sale of the remaining mortgage style student loans in November 2013. At the time of the request BIS withheld the requested information in its entirety under section 35(1)(a)(formulation or development of government policy) and section 43(2)(prejudice to commercial interests) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000. During the course of the Commissioner’s investigation, UK Government Investments provided the complainant with some of the previously withheld information but maintained that four of the five documents within scope of the request were exempt from disclosure under section 35(1)(a), section 43(2) and section 40(2) and that some of the information redacted from the fifth (disclosed) document was exempt from disclosure under section 43(2). The Commissioner’s decision is that UK Government Investments were correct to withhold four of the five documents in their entirety under section 35(1)(a) and that the small amount of information redacted from the disclosed fifth document within scope of the request is exempt from disclosure under section 43(2). UK Government Investments is therefore not required to take any further action in respect of this request.

FOI 35: Not upheld FOI 43: Not upheld