Secretary of State for Defence (Ministry of Defence)

The complainant submitted a request to the Ministry of Defence (MOD) seeking information a copy of a particular US memorandum of understanding and a copy of a particular NATO doctrine. The MOD provided some of the information falling within the scope of the request but sought to withhold the remainder on the basis of sections 27(1)(a) and 27(1)(b). The Commissioner’s decision is that withheld information in question is exempt on the basis of each exemption and that for each exemption the public interest favours withholding the information.