The complainant submitted a request to the FCO seeking information about US border controls. The FCO provided the complainant with a substantive response to that request, albeit nearly a year later, and sought to withhold the information falling within the scope of the request on the basis of a number of exemptions. During the FCO’s processing of that request, the complainant submitted a ‘meta-request’ seeking internal email correspondence regarding the processing of his original request. The FCO confirmed that it held information falling within the scope of this meta-request but explained that it considered this to be exempt from disclosure on the basis of section 27 (international relations) of FOIA and it needed additional time to consider the balance of the public interest test. To date, the FCO has failed to complete its public interest test deliberations in relation to the meta-request.
FOI 17: Complaint upheld
Citations:
[2019] UKICO fs50885553
Links:
Jurisdiction:
England and Wales
Information
Updated: 30 November 2022; Ref: scu.650295
