The complainant requested a copy of a report prepared by the public authority on the hull of a steamship in the process of construction. The public authority declined relying upon an exemption under section 43(2) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 indicating that release of the information would prejudice or be likely to prejudice the commercial interests of both the public authority and the builder of the steamship and that the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighed the public interest in disclosing the information. The Commissioner raised a number of enquiries with the public authority regarding both the process of and purpose for the preparation of the report in addition to considering the report itself as a consequence of which the Commissioner finds that the public authority incorrectly applied the section 43 exemption. The public authority is accordingly directed to release the information.
Section of Act/EIR and Finding: FOI 43 – Complaint Upheld
Citations:
[2006] UKICO FS50105734
Links:
Jurisdiction:
England and Wales
Information
Updated: 06 July 2022; Ref: scu.533562