Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
- Date 30 March 2023
- Sector Central government
- Decision(s) FOI 23: Not upheld, FOI 24(2): Not upheld, FOI 27: Not upheld
The complainant requested from the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (the FCDO), information regarding surveillance on residents, tenants or visitors to the Ecuadorean embassy in London. The FCDO refused to confirm or deny whether it held information within the scope of the request and cited sections 23(5) (Security bodies), 24(2) (National security) and 27(4) (International relations) of FOIA.
The Commissioner’s decision is that the FCDO is entitled to rely on these exemptions as its basis for refusing to confirm or deny whether it holds the requested information. However, the FCDO breached section 10 (time limits for compliance) of FOIA by not responding to the request within 20 working days.
The Commissioner does not require the FCDO to take any steps as a result of this decision.