Department For Environment, Food And Rural Affairs (DEFRA)

The complainant has requested information about Defra’s intranet. Defra relied on section 14(1) of FOIA to refuse the request. The Commissioner’s decision is that the request was not vexatious and therefore Defra was not entitled to rely on section 14(1) of FOIA to refuse it. The Commissioner requires Defra to take the following step to ensure compliance with the legislation. Issue the complainant with a fresh response to their request that does not rely on section 14(1) of FOIA.