Electoral Commission

The complainant made a freedom of information request to the Electoral Commission for information related to its investigation into donations made to the Liberal Democratic Party by the company 5th Avenue Partners Ltd. Most of the request was dealt with to the complainant’s satisfaction, however, some of the requested information was withheld under the exemption in section 42(1) of the Act (Legal professional privilege). The Commissioner has investigated the complaint and has found that section 42(1) was correctly engaged and that the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighed the public interest in disclosure. The Commissioner also found that in its handling of the request the Electoral Commission breached section 17(1) of the Act (Refusal of a request) but requires no steps to be taken. Information Tribunal appeal number EA/2011/0136 dismissed.