Ministry of Defence
- Date 21 September 2022
- Sector Central government
- Decision(s) FOI 27: Not upheld
The complainant submitted a request to the Ministry of Defence (MOD) asking to know what options were being considered to repay the debt the International Military Services, a defunct arms sales arm of the UK MOD, owed to the Ministry of Defence of Iran in relation to an order of tanks which was cancelled in the 1970s. The MOD confirmed that it held information falling within the scope of the request but it considered this to be exempt from disclosure on the basis of sections 27(1)(a) and (c) (international relations) and 35(1)(a) (formulation or development government policy) of FOIA. The Commissioner’s decision is that the withheld information is exempt from disclosure on the basis of sections 27(1)(a) and (c) of FOIA and that in all the circumstances of the case the public interest favours maintaining the exemptions.