Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
- Date 30 October 2024
- Sector Central government
- Decision(s) FOI 10: Upheld, FOI 17: Upheld, FOI 27: Not upheld, FOI 40: Not upheld
The complainant submitted a request to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) seeking correspondence between the FCDO in London and the British High Commission in Sri Lanka concerning David Cameron's involvement with the Colombo Port City. The FCDO disclosed some information in response to the request but sought to withhold further information on the basis of sections 27(1)(a), (c) and (d) (international relations) and 40(2) (personal data) of FOIA. The Commissioner’s decision is that these exemptions provide a basis upon which the FCDO can withhold the undisclosed information falling within the scope of the request. However, the Commissioner has concluded that the FCDO breached sections 10(1) and 17(1) of FOIA by failing to respond to the request within 20 working days. The Commissioner does not require further steps.