Cabinet Office

The complainant has requested a copy of the Honours Secretaries' Handbook and related validation forms. The Cabinet Office disclosed the forms in full, and the Handbook with redactions made under sections 23(1) (Information supplied by, or relating to, bodies dealing with security matters) or 24(1) (National security) in the alternative, section 37(1)(b) (The conferring by the Crown of any honour or dignity) and section 40(2) (Personal information) of FOIA. The Commissioner’s decision is that section 37(1)(b) was applied correctly to all of the withheld information. The Cabinet Office did not complete its deliberations on the  balance of the public interest within a reasonable time, and therefore breached section 17(3) of FOIA.