Department for Education

The complainant has requested from the Department for Education (DfE) information about whether Dominic Cummings had had any complaints made about him whilst working as a special adviser for Michael Gove at the DfE. The DfE refused to confirm or deny whether there had been any complaints as to do so would in itself breach data protection principles. The Commissioner’s decision is that the DfE was entitled to rely on section 40(5B)(a)(i) of the FOIA to neither confirm or deny holding any information falling within the scope of the request. The Commissioner does not require any further steps to be taken.