Northern Ireland Prison Service

The complainant has requested information from the Northern Ireland Prison Service (NIPS) regarding prisoners who have attempted to smuggle drugs into prisons. The NIPS refused to disclose the requested information, citing section 31 of the FOIA as a basis for non-disclosure. The Commissioner’s decision is that the NIPS has incorrectly applied section 31 of the FOIA to the requested information. The Commissioner requires the public authority to take the following steps to ensure compliance with the legislation. To disclose the requested information to the complainant. The public authority must take these steps within 35 calendar days of the date of this decision notice. Failure to comply may result in the Commissioner making written certification of this fact to the High Court pursuant to section 54 of the Act and may be dealt with as a contempt of court. Information Tribunal appeal EA/2021/0028 consent order.