St Mary's University

The complainant has requested consultation material and email correspondence associated with the Universities and Colleges Employers Association (UCEA). St Mary’s University (‘the University’) relied on section 41(1) of FOIA to refuse part one of the request and stated that it did not hold the information requested in part two. The Commissioner’s decision is that the University was entitled to rely on section 41(1) of FOIA to refuse the first part of the request. However, he also finds that the University breached sections 1(1)(a) and 17(1) of FOIA by failing to confirm that it held the requested information, and by failing to provide a section 41 refusal notice within 20 working days of the request. The Commissioner does not require further steps.