Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS)

The complainant has requested information about the repeal of section 40 of the Crime and Courts Act 2013. The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) relied on section 35 (formulation or development of government policy) to withhold the requested information from the complainant. The Commissioner’s decision is that the exemption at section 35 is engaged but he finds that the public interest in maintaining the exemption does not outweigh the public interest in disclosure. The Commissioner requires DCMS to disclose the information falling within the scope of the request, subject to any appropriate redactions for personal data.