Ministry of Defence

The complainant sent three emails to the Ministry of Defence (MOD) on the same day which in total contained 24 separate information requests concerning post-traumatic stress disorder and associated issues. The MOD considered the requests to be vexatious and therefore relied on section 14(1) of FOIA not to answer them. Furthermore, in light of its previous communications with the complainant it did not provide him with a refusal notice stating this fact but instead relied on the provision contained at section 17(6) of FOIA not to do so. The Commissioner has concluded that the requests are vexatious and furthermore that the MOD was entitled to rely on section 17(6) of FOIA not to provide the complainant with a refusal notice stating this.