Department for Exiting the European Union

The complainant has requested information on meetings from 10 May 2018 between then Brexit minister Steve Baker and Shanker Singham. The Commissioner’s decision is that in the circumstances of the case the Department for Exiting the European Union (“DExEU”) has appropriately relied on the exemptions at sections 36 FOIA – Prejudice to effective conduct of public affairs. The Commissioner finds that DExEU failed to complete its deliberations on the balance of the public interest within a reasonable time and therefore breached section 17(3) of the FOIA. The Commissioner does not require the public authority to take any steps to ensure compliance with the legislation.