British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

The complainant has requested correspondence between the BBC and the Royal Family. The BBC refused to provide the requested information, citing section 37(1)(a) (communications with His Majesty and the awarding of honours). The Commissioner’s decision is that the requested information is exempt under section 37(1)(a) and, on the balance of probabilities, no further information is held. The Commissioner has recorded procedural breaches of section 10 (timescales for compliance) and section 17 (refusal notice) of FOIA. The Commissioner does not require further steps.