Ministry of Justice

The complainant has requested information about a press statement issued by the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) about a high profile prisoner. The MOJ disclosed some information but withheld information about the staff involved in preparing and authorising the press statement, on the grounds that it was exempt from disclosure under section 40 (personal information) of the FOIA. The Commissioner’s decision is that the MOJ was entitled to apply section 40 to withhold the names of the members of staff who prepared and authorised the statement, but that section 40 was not engaged in respect of the job titles of senior staff who authorised the issue of the statement. The Commissioner requires the public authority to disclose to the complainant the job titles of the senior staff who authorised the issue of the press statement. Information Tribunal appeal EA/2019/0132 under appeal. Information Tribunal appeal EA/2019/0144 under appeal.