Secretary of State for Defence (Ministry of Defence)
- Date 12 November 2025
- Sector Central government
- Decision(s) FOI 10: Upheld, FOI 12(1): Not upheld, FOI 17(5): Upheld
The complainant has requested information held in relation to the UK's submission of defence spending data and any supporting internal analysis that breaks down the UK defence spending data into the sub-categories encompassed by the NATO definition from the Ministry of Defence (MOD).
The Commissioner’s decision is that the MOD was correct to rely upon section 12(1) and complied with its section 16 obligations. The MOD breached section 10 (timescale for compliance) and section 1 (general right of access to information) in failing to confirm it held information within the statutory timescale.
The Commissioner also finds that the MOD breached section 17(5) FOIA by relying on section 12(1) but failing to provide the complainant with a notice stating that fact within the 20 working day timescale.
The Commissioner does not require further steps.