Department for Communities

The complainant requested from Department for Communities (“DfC”) information relating to the Casement Park Redevelopment. DfC refused the request under regulation 12(4)(d) (material in the course of completion, unfinished documents and incomplete data) of the EIR. However, during the course of the Commissioner’s investigation, DfC considered that much of the information could be released, and this information was subsequently disclosed to the complainant. The Commissioner’s decision is that the request relates to unfinished documents. Regulation 12(4)(d) is therefore engaged and DfC correctly withheld some of the information under this exception. The public interest favoured maintaining the exception. The Commissioner also finds that DfC did not comply with its obligation under regulations 5(2) (duty to make information available on request) and 14(2) (time limits for refusing a request) of the EIR as DfC did not respond to the request within the statutory time limit of 20 working days. The Commissioner does not require DfC to take any steps as a result of this decision.