Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The complainant requested copies related to the processing of a previous information request. The Commissioner’s decision is that the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (“the FCO”) has failed to complete its deliberations on the balance of the public interest within a reasonable time period and has therefore breached Section 17(3) of the Freedom of Information Act (“the FOIA”). The Commissioner requires the FCO to take the following steps to ensure compliance with the legislation: Issue a substantive response, under the FOIA, to the request.