The complainant requested information from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) concerning contracts between the FCDO and Torchlight Group Ltd. A substantive response to the request had not been issued by the date of this notice. The Commissioner’s decision is that the FCDO has failed to complete its deliberations on the balance of the public interest within a reasonable time and has therefore breached section 17(3) of the FOIA. The Commissioner requires the FCDO to take the following steps to ensure compliance with the legislation. Having confirmed that information is held within the scope of the request: either disclose the requested information or issue a refusal notice in accordance with the requirements of section 17 of the FOIA. The FCDO must take these steps within 35 calendar days of the date of this decision notice. Failure to comply may result in the Commissioner making written certification of this fact to the High Court pursuant to section 54 of the FOIA and may be dealt with as a contempt of court.
FOI 17: Complaint upheld
Citations:
[2021] UKICO IC-80443
Links:
Jurisdiction:
England and Wales
Information
Updated: 06 December 2022; Ref: scu.657978
