Department for Business & Trade (DBT)

The complainant submitted a request to the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) seeking information about how it handled a press query he had submitted to it. DBT initially withheld all of the information in scope of the request on the basis of sections 36(2)(b)(i) and (ii) (effective conduct of public affairs) and section 40(2) (third party personal data) of FOIA. It disclosed a redacted version of the information in scope during the course of the Commissioner’s investigation. The Commissioner’s decision is that: some of the information DBT withheld on the basis of sections 36(2)(b)(i) and (ii) is the complainant’s personal data and is therefore exempt from disclosure under FOIA on the basis of section 40(1) (first party personal data); the remainder of the information DBT withheld on the basis of sections 36(2)(b)(i) and (ii) is exempt from disclosure on the basis of those exemptions and the public interest favours maintaining each exemption; and the information redacted on the basis of section 40(2) (third party personal data) is exempt from disclosure on the basis of this exemption.