[2014.]
Freedom of Information Act 2014.
[No. 30.]PT.4 S.35
(b) in the opinion of the head concerned, the disclosure of the existence or nonexistence of the record would have an effect specified in subsection (1),
he or she shall refuse to grant the request and shall not disclose to the requester
concerned whether or not the record exists.
(5) Subject to section 2, in this section “record” includes information conveyed in
confidence in person, by telephone, electronically or in writing (including a written
note taken of a phone message by a person authorised to receive such message).
Commercially sensitive information
36. (1) Subject to subsection (2), a head shall refuse to grant an FOI request if the record
concerned contains—
(a) trade secrets of a person other than the requester concerned,
(b) financial, commercial, scientific or technical or other information whose
disclosure could reasonably be expected to result in a material financial loss or
gain to the person to whom the information relates, or could prejudice the
competitive position of that person in the conduct of his or her profession or
business or otherwise in his or her occupation, or
(c) information whose disclosure could prejudice the conduct or outcome of
contractual or other negotiations of the person to whom the information relates.
(2) A head shall grant an FOI request to which subsection (1) relates if—
(a) the person to whom the record concerned relates consents, in writing or in such
other form as may be determined, to access to the record being granted to the
requester concerned,
(b) information of the same kind as that contained in the record in respect of persons
generally or a class of persons that is, having regard to all the circumstances, of
significant size, is available to the general public,
(c) the record relates only to the requester,
(d) information contained in the record was given to the FOI body concerned by the
person to whom it relates and the person was informed on behalf of the body,
before its being so given, that the information belongs to a class of information
that would or might be made available to the general public, or
(e) disclosure of the information concerned is necessary in order to avoid a serious
and imminent danger to the life or health of an individual or to the environment,
but, in a case falling within paragraph (a) or (c), the head shall ensure that, before
granting the request, the identity of the requester or, as the case may be, the consent of
the person is established to the satisfaction of the head.
(3) Subject to section 38, subsection (1) does not apply in relation to a case in which, in
the opinion of the head concerned, the public interest would, on balance, be better
served by granting than by refusing to grant the FOI request.
59
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