Welsh Government

The complainant requested information from the Welsh Government about the 2016 Exercise Cygnus pandemic drill and connected issues relating to: widespread infection and disease; PPE equipment; care homes; coronavirus assistance offered by the EU; testing and quarantine at Welsh ports and airports; and, border control. The Commissioner decided that the cost to the Welsh Government of providing the requested information would far exceed the appropriate cost limit and that its refusal had therefore complied with the section 12(1) (cost of compliance) FOIA exemption. The Commissioner also decided that, in the actions taken to provide advice and assistance, the Welsh Government had complied with its duties under section 16(1) FOIA. The Commissioner does not require the Welsh Government to take any steps to comply with the legislation.