Home Office

The complainant requested information associated with a meeting between the Rt Hon Chris Philp MP and Facewatch Ltd from the Home Office. The Home Office disclosed some information, with redactions under sections 35(1)(a) of FOIA (the formulation or development of government policy), 40 (personal information) and 43 (commercial interests). The Home Office withheld some further information (a briefing document) by virtue of section 36(2)(b)(i) of FOIA (the free and frank provision of advice). The Commissioner’s decision is that the Home Office was entitled to withhold the requested information within the readout under section 35(1)(a) of FOIA. As he has found section 35(1)(a) to apply to all the redactions within the disclosed readout, the Commissioner has not needed to consider the Home Office’s reliance on sections 40 and 43 of FOIA. He also finds that the Home Office was entitled to withhold the briefing document in its entirety by virtue of section 36(2)(b)(i) of FOIA, In both cases, the Commissioner has concluded that the public interest favours non-disclosure. No steps are required as a result of this notice.