Charity Commission for England and Wales

The complainant made a request to the Charity Commission for information relating to its investigation into Central Mosque Northampton. The Charity Commission withheld the requested information, relying on the exemptions under sections 31(1) (law enforcement) and 40(2) (personal information) of FOIA. The Commissioner’s decision is that the Charity Commission was entitled to rely on section 31(1)(g) of FOIA to withhold the requested information. However, he has recorded a procedural breach of section 10 of FOIA, as the Charity Commission failed to respond to the complainant’s request within 20 working days of receipt. The Commissioner does not require the Charity Commission to take any steps as a result of this decision notice.