FER0124796

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Decision Summary

  • Case Ref: FER0124796
  • Date: 21 December 2009
  • Public Authority: Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs
  • Summary: The complainant wrote to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to request details of contact and correspondence with HRH The Prince of Wales and his representatives. The public authority refused the request under section 12(2) of the Act on the grounds that the cost of confirming or denying if the requested information was held would exceed the appropriate limit. The Commissioner has investigated the complaint and has found that the request was for environmental information and that therefore the public authority should have dealt with it under the Environmental Information Regulations 2004. However, the Commissioner has found that the request was manifestly unreasonable within the meaning of regulation 12(4)(b) and that therefore the public authority was not obliged to comply with it. The Commissioner also found that the public authority met its obligations under regulation 9(1) (advice and assistance) but breached regulations 14(2) and 14(3) (refusal to disclose information) and regulation 11(4) (representations and reconsideration) in its handling of the complainant’s request. The Commissioner requires no steps to be taken.
  • View PDF of Decision Notice: [1]