Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The complainant requested minutes and notes taken by UK delegates to a working group on the reform of an EU regulation relating to access to documents. The public authority refused to disclose the majority of the information requested and cited the exemptions provided by the following sections of the Act: 27(1)(a) (prejudice to relations between the UK and any other State), 27(1)(b) (prejudice to relations between the UK and any international organisation or international court) and 35(1)(a) (information relating to the formulation or development of government policy). The Commissioner finds that the exemptions were cited correctly in relation to some of the information in question, but that other information was either not exempt or exempt but should nevertheless be disclosed in the public interest. The public authority breached sections 1(1)(b) and 10(1) in failing to disclose this information within 20 working days of receipt of the request. The public authority is now required to disclose that information. Information Tribunal appeal EA/2011/0268 disposed of by consent.