Audit Commission

The complainant has requested from the Audit Commission copies of all statistical data provided by local authorities in their latest annual return of the Fraud and Corruption Survey. The Audit Commission considered that the requested information was exempt from disclosure under section 31(1)(a) (prevention or detection of crime) of FOIA. The Commissioner’s decision is that the exemption is engaged and that, in all the circumstances, the public interest arguments in favour of withholding the requested information outweigh the arguments in favour of disclosure. He does not therefore require the Audit Commission to take any steps as a result of this notice.