Cabinet Office
- Date 23 January 2018
- Sector Central government
- Decision(s) FOI 23: Upheld, FOI 24: Upheld, FOI 27: Not upheld
The complainant submitted a request to the Cabinet Office for a copy of a closed file, PREM 19/1828, which concerned UK relations with Libya following the shooting of WPC Yvonne Fletcher outside the Libyan People’s Bureau in 12 April 1984. The Cabinet Office sought to withhold this information on the basis of the exemptions contained at sections 26(1) (defence), 27(1) and 27(2) (international relations), 41(1) (information provided in confidence), 38(1)(b) (health and safety) and 40(2) (personal data) of FOIA. The Cabinet Office also sought to rely on sections 23(5) (security bodies) and section 24(2) (national security) to refuse to confirm or deny whether it holds any further information. The Commissioner is satisfied that the withheld information is exempt from disclosure on the basis of sections 27(1)(a), (c) and (d). However, she has also concluded that sections 23(5) and 24(2) cannot be relied on in this case.