Welsh Government

The complainant requested copies of correspondence concerning Powys Fadog and Assembly negotiations relating to the River Lodge Hotel, Llangollen. The Welsh Government provided some information, but withheld other information under sections 31, 40, 42 and 43. During the Commissioner’s investigation the Welsh Government disclosed some information but maintained its reliance on sections 40, 42 and 43. The Welsh Government also introduced its reliance on section 36 of the Act. The Commissioner has investigated and found that some of the withheld information was correctly withheld under sections 36, 40 and 42. The Commissioner has also concluded that section 43 is not engaged in relation to some of the withheld information. The Commissioner has ordered disclosure of the parts of the requested information which he does not consider to be covered by any of the exemptions cited by the Welsh Government. The Commissioner has also identified a number of procedural shortcomings in the way the Welsh Government handled the complainant’s request.