Foreign and Commonwealth Office
- Date 8 February 2018
- Sector Central government
- Decision(s) EIR 9: Upheld, FOI 16: Upheld
The complainant submitted two requests to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) seeking lists of correspondence exchanged between it and two other public authorities about the Policy Review and Feasibility Study into the Resettlement of the Chagos Archipelago. The FCO refused both requests on the basis of regulation 12(4)(b) (manifestly unreasonable) of the EIR. The complainant complained to the Commissioner about the FCO’s failure to provide him with any advice and assistance to allow him to submit refined requests. The Commissioner has concluded that no advice and assistance was provided and therefore the FCO breached regulation 9(1) of the EIR and also section 16(1) of FOIA as part of the requested information also fell under that access regime. Following the Commissioner’s intervention, advice and assistance has been provided by the complainant and therefore no steps are required by the FCO as a result of this notice.