Cabinet Office

The complainant submitted a request to the Cabinet Office seeking a copy of correspondence between Sir Jeffrey Donaldson MP and the then Minister for the Cabinet Office, Ben Gummer, in relation to Brenda Hale being appointed to the Armed Forces Covenant Reference Group. The Cabinet Office confirmed that it held information falling within the scope of the request but it considered this to be exempt from disclosure on the basis of section 36(2)(c) (effective conduct of public affairs) of FOIA. The Commissioner accepts that this exemption is engaged but has concluded that in all the circumstances of the case the public interest in the disclosure of the information outweighs the public interest in maintaining the exemption.