Secretary of State for Defence (Ministry of Defence)
- Date 29 April 2026
- Sector Central government
- Decision(s) FOI 17: Upheld, FOI 27: Not upheld
The complainant submitted a request to the Ministry of Defence (MOD) seeking information about a meeting between its Senior Advisor for the Middle East and North Africa and the Tunisian Minister of National Defence. The MOD confirmed that it held the requested information but it considered this to be exempt from disclosure on the basis of sections 27(1)(a) and 27(2) (international relations) of FOIA. The Commissioner’s decision is that the requested information is exempt from disclosure on the basis of sections 27(1)(a) and 27(2) and that the public interest favours maintaining each exemption. However, the MOD breached section 17(1) by failing to issue its refusal notice within twenty working days.