Rule and Scottish Ministers: SIC 12 Nov 2009

Mr Rule requested from the Scottish Ministers (the Ministers) correspondence held by or on behalf of the First Minister’s Office relating to Event Scotland, Historic Scotland or Visit Scotland. The Ministers responded by releasing several documents to Mr Rule, but advised him that the remainder of the information was exempt from disclosure under various exemptions in FOISA.
Following a review, the Ministers released further documents, but continued to withhold the remainder of the information. Mr Rule remained dissatisfied and applied to the Commissioner for a decision.
Following an investigation, during which the Ministers disclosed additional information to Mr Rule, the Commissioner found that the Ministers had generally been entitled to withhold the remaining information. However, he found that they had incorrectly applied the exemption in section 29(1)(a) of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 to some of the remaining information and that they
had incorrectly applied the public interest test to some of the information. He required the Ministers to disclose this information to Mr Rule.
References: [2009] ScotIC 130 – 2009
Links: Bailii
Jurisdiction: Scotland

Last Update: 24 September 2020; Ref: scu.434069