Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS)

The complainant requested information relating to correspondence from the European Commission to the United Kingdom about the Data Protection Act. The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) refused to provide the requested information citing sections 27(1) and (2) of FOIA (international relations). The Commissioner’s decision is that the information is exempt from disclosure on the basis of section 27(1)(b) of FOIA and that in all the circumstances of the case the public interest favours maintaining the exemption. The Commissioner did not proceed to consider MoJ’s application of section 27(2) to the same information. The Department for Culture Media and Sport (DCMS) is not required to take any steps as a result of this notice.