Data Protection vs. Freedom of Information

CHAPTER 3: RESTRICTIONS ON DISCLOSURE UNDER THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT

Although the underlying aim of the Act is greater transparency in government, there is clearly a range of information which should not be released because of the adverse consequences of doing so.

There is exemption for a wide range of matters where secrecy is paramount, or where revealing the information would be detrimental to the activity, such as:

•  security, defence and international relations;

•  law enforcement, audits and other investigations;

•  information about the economy and information relating to the formulation of government policy, or whose release would be ‘[prejudicial] to effective conduct of public affairs’, but not, generally, the statistical information ...