FOI 58-26: A request for information relating to the Hunting with Dogs Bill

Information Standards Freedom of Information Response

Our ref: FOI 58-26

2 September 2026

Freedom of Information Act 2000

I am writing to confirm that the Northern Ireland Assembly Commission (Assembly Commission) has processed your request dated 10 August 2026 in line with the Freedom of Information Act 2000. In your request, you asked:

“Under the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, I am writing to request access to recorded information held by the Northern Ireland Assembly Commission regarding the Hunting with Dogs Bill (Bill Sponsor: John Blair MLA).
Please provide copies of all correspondence, including emails, email attachments, letters, meeting minutes, and official notes, sent to or from the Office of John Blair MLA (or Assembly-funded staff acting on his behalf) that involve communication with third-party animal welfare, animal rights, or anti-hunting organizations."

Our response

The Assembly Commission does not hold information sent to or from the Office of John Blair MLA to third-parties. While the Assembly Commission can support Members in the development of Member's bills, consultation on policy proposals is a matter for the individual Member.

You may wish to contact Mr Blair directly via his Assembly email address to see whether he would be willing to provide you with the information you have requested. However, you should be aware that the FOIA does not apply to individual Members. Mr Blair’s email address is john.blair@mla.niassembly.gov.uk

Further Information

You may 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