Cabinet Office

The complainant submitted a request to the Cabinet Office seeking a copy of the report produced by its Implementation Unit in 2016 into the shale gas industry. The Cabinet Office sought to withhold the report on the basis of the follow regulations of the EIR: 12(4)(e) (internal communications), 12(5)(e) (confidentiality of commercial information), 12(5)(f) (interests of the person who provided the information) and 12(5)(b) (the course of justice). The Commissioner has concluded that the report is exempt from disclosure on the basis of regulation 12(4)(e) and that for the majority of the content the public interest favours maintaining the exception. However, she has concluded that the public interest favours disclosure of the Background and Executive Summary sections of the report. Albeit, that the Commissioner accepts that some parts of these sections of the report are exempt from disclosure on the basis of regulation 12(5)(e) of the EIR and the public interest favours withholding such information. Information Tribunal appeal EA/2018/0270 allowed in part.