The complainant has requested the Department for Transport (DfT) to disclose copies of letters between Patrick McLoughlin, George Osborne, Chris Grayling and Philip Hammond relating to HS2 between 2016 and 2019. The DfT refused to disclose the requested information citing section 35(1)(a) and 35(1)(b) of the FOIA. During the Commissioner’s investigation the DfT confirmed that if it was found that the request should have been considered under the EIR, it wished to rely on regulations 12(4)(e), 12(4)(d) and 12(5)(e). The Commissioner’s decision is that the request should have been considered under the EIR and the DfT is entitled to rely on regulation 12(4)(e) for the non-disclosure of the requested information. She therefore does not require any further action to be taken.
EIR 12(4)(e): Complaint not upheld
Citations:
[2020] UKICO fer0884436
Links:
Jurisdiction:
England and Wales
Information
Updated: 19 July 2022; Ref: scu.653730