The complainant submitted a request to The Civil Aviation Authority (the CAA) for information relating to the Air Travel Organiser’s Licensing (ATOL) scheme. 

The Commissioner’s decision is that the CAA was entitled to rely upon section 44(1)(a) of FOIA (prohibitions on disclosure) via the statutory prohibition on disclosure created by section 23 of the Civil Aviation Act 1982. In relation to question seven, the Commissioner’s decision is that the CAA does not hold further information, and that it complied with its section 16 (advice and assistance) obligations. However, in failing to confirm that information, in relation to question seven, was held within the statutory timescale, the CAA breached sections 1(1)(a) and 10(1) of FOIA.