Home Office

The complainant requested the cost to the Home Office of chartering individual flights for the purposes of deporting and/or administratively removing people from the UK. The Home Office refused to provide the requested information, citing section 43(2) (commercial interests) of FOIA. The Commissioner’s decision is that the Home Office failed to demonstrate why the exemption is engaged and is therefore not entitled to rely on the exemption. The Commissioner requires the Home Office to take the following step to ensure compliance with the legislation: disclose the requested information, as provided to the Commissioner during the course of her investigation, to the complainant. First-tier Tribunal (General Regulatory Chamber) Information Rights appeal EA/2021/0342 withdrawn.