Link for IOC full Decision notice pdf file: University of Durham (University of Durham) [2025] UKICO 353423 (29 April 2025)
The complainant, a limited company, requested information about the costs incurred by Durham University (the University) in particular legal cases. The University argued that a company name was not a valid name for the purposes of section 8(1)(b) (Request for information) of FOIA. It refused to respond to the request unless an individual name was provided for the requester. The Commissioner's decision is that the request for information was valid under section 8 of FOIA. The Commissioner requires the University to issue a substantive response to the request which does not rely on section 8 of FOIA.