Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
- Date 7 March 2023
- Sector Central government
- Decision(s) FOI 27: Not upheld
The complainant submitted a request to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) seeking information about projects currently funded or partially funded by the FCDO in the occupied Palestinian territories. The FCDO explained that it did not hold some parts of the requested information, provided some of the information falling within the scope of the request and sought to withhold further information on the basis of the following sections of FOIA: 21(1) (information reasonably accessible), 27(1)(b), (c) and (d) and 27(2) (international relations), 38(1)(a) and (b) (health and safety) and 43(2) (commercial interests). The complainant challenged the FCDO’s reliance on these exemptions with the exception of section 21(1). The Commissioner’s decision is that the withheld information is exempt from disclosure on the basis of sections 27(1)(b), (c) and (d) of FOIA. Information Tribunal appeal EA/2023/0189 appeal allowed in part.