Ministry of Defence

The complainant submitted a request to the Ministry of Defence (MOD) seeking a copy of a report by the Defence Safety Authority into the fire safety of defence single living accommodation and along with all emails and correspondence associated with this report. The MOD directed the complainant to a copy of the report which was already available online. The MOD sought to refuse to comply with the remainder of the request on the basis of section 12(1) (cost limit) of FOIA and regulation 12(4)(b) (manifestly unreasonable) of the EIR. The complainant argued that the request should have been considered entirely under the EIR. The Commissioner has concluded that the requested information contains both environmental and non-environmental information. She has also concluded that MOD can refuse to provide the environmental information on the basis of regulation 12(4)(b) and can refuse to provide the non-environmental information on the basis of section 12(1) of FOIA.