Secretary of State for Defence (Ministry of Defence)
- Date 16 July 2024
- Sector Central government
- Decision(s) FOI 17: Upheld, FOI 24: Not upheld, FOI 26: Not upheld, FOI 27: Not upheld, FOI 40: Not upheld
The complainant submitted a request to the Ministry of Defence (MOD) seeking interview notes relating to the interviews conducted by Jock Gardner of the Naval Historical Branch with former Royal Navy submarine commanders. The MOD confirmed that it held the requested information but considered it to be exempt from disclosure on the basis of sections 24(1) (national security), 26(1)(a) and (b) (defence), 27(1)(a) (international relations), 40(2) (personal data) and 41(1) (information provided in confidence) of FOIA. The Commissioner’s decision is that the withheld information is exempt from disclosure on the basis of the above exemptions. However, he has concluded that the MOD breached section 17(3) of FOIA by failing to complete its public interest test considerations in a reasonable time.