Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister
- Date 24 October 2011
- Sector Central government
- Decision(s) FOI 1: Upheld, FOI 10: Upheld
The complainant requested information relating to funding of victims groups over a period of three financial years. The Information Commissioner’s decision is that the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister (OFMDFM) failed to comply with section 1(1)(a) promptly and within the statutory timelines for handling the request and in so doing breached section 10(1) of the FOIA. The Information Commissioner requires the public authority to take the following steps to ensure compliance with the legislation: write to the complainant to confirm whether it holds the information and then disclose that information or issue a valid refusal notice under section 17 of the FOIA.