Letter to the Parliamentary Relations
and Devolution Department, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, from
the Second Clerk of the Committee, 25 February 2004
DEPARTMENTAL PROPERTIES
Thank you for your letter of 23 February responding
to my request for further information on the sales and purchases
of residential properties by the Foreign Office.
The Committee regrets that you are unable to
supply the detailed information it requested owing to, "reasons
of commercial confidentiality". It notes the relevant sections
of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information, which
were referred to by the Office in its reply to Mr Maples' original
questions, namely:
12. Privacy of an individual
Unwarranted disclosure to a third party of
personal information about any person (including a deceased person)
or any other disclosure which would constitute or could facilitate
an unwarranted invasion of privacy.
13. Third party's commercial confidences
Information including commercial confidences,
trade secrets or intellectual property whose unwarranted disclosure
would harm the competitive position of a third party.
However, the Committee fails to understand why
these prevent the Office from supplying the information it requested
on historical purchases and sales.
The Committee, therefore, repeats its request
for the information on individual sales and purchases. If, on
reflection, you are still unable to supply the data, the Committee
asks that you supply a detailed explanation as to how this refusal
is covered by the two exemptions quoted above. I would be grateful
for an answer by Thursday 4 March at the latest.
Steve Priestley
Clerk of the Committee
25 February 2004
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