FOI 54-24: Information regarding communications between Chairperson of the Committee for the Executive Office in advance of the TEO Committee evidence session on 23 October 2024

Information Standards Freedom of Information Response

Our Ref: FoI 54-24

5 December 2024

Freedom of Information Act 2000

I am writing to confirm that the Northern Ireland Assembly Commission (Assembly Commission) has processed your request dated 23 October 2024 in line with the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA). In your request, you asked:

'Under the [FOIA], can you please provide me with all communications between Michelle O'Neill and her officials and Paula Bradshaw and her officials, as well as any communication with third parties, in relation to a private meeting between the pair in advance of the TEO Committee evidence session on 23rd October.'

 

Our response

The Assembly Commission holds information in relation to your request. This is included in Appendix A. A small number of redactions have been made to this information. These concern the names of Assembly Commission employees who are relatively junior (below Northern Ireland Civil Service Grade 7 equivalent).

The Assembly Commission holds information in relation to your request as outlined in the document below:

This information has been removed pursuant to section 40 of the FOIA, which provides that information is exempt from disclosure if it constitutes personal data of which the applicant is not the data subject and satisfies one of the three conditions. In this case, the relevant condition is section 40(3A) of the FOIA: '… disclosure of the information to a member of the public would contravene any of the data protection principles'.

The data protection principles are set out at Article 5 of the UK General Data Protection Regulation. The first principle requires that personal data be processed 'lawfully, fairly and in a transparent manner in relation to individuals'. Article 6(1) sets out six conditions for lawful processing, at least one of which must be satisfied. The Assembly Commission considers that the public task condition at Article 6(1)(e) is engaged, and notes the provisions of the Data Protection Act 2018 which supplement this condition.

The Assembly Commission does not consider that the processing of the names of junior employees is necessary to discharge its obligations under the FOIA. It is, however, satisfied that the disclosure of the personal data of other individuals named in Annex A is necessary under the public task function.

 

Further Information

You have the right to request an internal review of this decision by the Assembly Commission. If you wish to request such a review, please write to me at the above address. If, after that review, you are dissatisfied with the way in which the Assembly Commission has handled your request for information, you may complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF.

Your request for information and our response may be published in the disclosure log maintained by the Assembly Commission under a publication scheme agreed with the ICO. The request and our response will be anonymised.

Yours sincerely

INFORMATION STANDARDS