ICO rejects FOI request on lobby group
The Information Commissioner has upheld a decision by the Cabinet Office to withhold some information relating to meetings between the Multinational Chairman's Group, a lobbying group composed of leading executives of multinational companies, and the former Prime Minister under the Freedom of Information Act
However, in his decision, the Commissioner ruled that it was in the public interest to release background briefing materials in relation to the meetings to 'increase public confidence that decisions are properly made'.
A request was made under the Freedom of Information Act for the minutes, correspondence and other information between the Multinational Chairman's Group and the former Prime Minister and his officials. The Cabinet Office provided some of the requested information, including a list of dates and attendees of the meetings, but withheld the remainder citing the exemption on formulation or development of government policy. The Commissioner agreed that this exemption has been correctly applied.
In relation to other relevant information withheld by the Cabinet Office, mainly background briefing materials, the Commissioner ruled that there was a strong public interest in releasing the information in order to inform public debate. In his decision the Commissioner considered that there is, 'public interest in facilitating understanding of how government formulates policy and in increasing public confidence that decisions are properly made'.
The Commissioner also found the Cabinet Office in breach of the Act by failing to communicate to the complainant information to which he was entitled and also for not explaining adequately why the information should not be released.
The Cabinet Office has 35 days from the date of the decision notice to release the information outlined in the notice.
