Department of Health and Social Care

The complainant has requested information about contract associated with a report into adult social care reform that was awarded to Public First Limited. The Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) withheld the information under section 22(1) of FOIA (information intended for future publication) and section 35(1)(a) (formulation or development of government policy). DHSC subsequently published the information to which it had applied section 22 and is now relying on section 21(1) to withhold it (information accessible to applicant by other means). The complainant is dissatisfied with DHSC’s reliance on section 35(1)(a) of FOIA to withhold the remaining information they have requested. The Commissioner’s decision is as follows: The information to which DHSC applied section 35(1)(a) of FOIA engages that exemption and, at the time of the request, the public interest favoured maintaining this exemption. The Commissioner does not require DHSC to take any corrective steps.