Visit to Brussels

22 June 2022

Dear

Complaint in respect of ATISN 16332

Thank you for your request which was received by the Welsh Government on 31 May 2022.

I have considered your complaint in accordance with the procedure outlined in Requesting information from the Welsh Government which is available by post on request or via the internet.

You requested an internal review of your request, ATISN 16332, due to the request not being met within the timescales as required in the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

I have reviewed the circumstances and uphold your complaint in respect of the time taken to respond to your request. 

I am sorry that the Welsh Government were unable to respond to your request within the timescales to provide you with a response by 4 April 2022. I understand that you received a response to your request on 24 May 2022. The Welsh Government is facing unprecedented challenges during the present time following the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and as a result resources, both finances and people, have been diverted away from many of our usual activities. This has impacted on our ability to comply with the normal requirements for information rights work. I apologise that the Welsh Government did not keep you informed of these delays as the request was being progressed.

If you remain dissatisfied with this response you have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner.  The Information Commissioner can be contacted at: 

Information Commissioner’s Office 
Wycliffe House 
Water Lane 
Wilmslow
Cheshire, SK9 5AF
Telephone: 0303 123 1113
Website: www.ico.org.uk            
  

Yours sincerely

24 May 2022

Dear

ATISN 16322

Thank you for your request which I received on 17 May 2022. You asked for the following information:

Information on the First Minister’s visit to Brussels.

The information you have requested is exempt under Section 22 of the Freedom of Information Act (2000), information intended for future publication. Details of Ministerial visits overseas are published in line with the Ministerial code and this information will be published shortly with the next tranche of information for the financial year 2021-22.

Section 22 is a publicly tested exemption and I have set out my arguments for non-disclosure at Annex 1 to this letter. 

If you are dissatisfied with the Welsh Government’s handling of your request, you can ask for an internal review within 40 working days of the date of this response. Requests for an internal review should be addressed to the Welsh Government’s Freedom of Information Officer at:

Information Rights Unit 
Welsh Government
Cathays Park 
Cardiff 
CF10 3NQ 

or e-mail: Freedom.ofinformation@gov.wales

Please remember to quote the ATISN reference number above.   

You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner. The Information Commissioner can be contacted at: 

Information Commissioner’s Office 
Wycliffe House 
Water Lane 
Wilmslow 
Cheshire 
SK9 5AF

Telephone: 0303 123 1113

Website: www.ico.org.uk    

However, please note that the Commissioner will not normally investigate a complaint until it has been through our own internal review process.

Yours sincerely

Annex 1

Section 22: Information intended for future publication

The Welsh Government believes that Section 22 is applied in relation to the requested information. Section 22 of the Freedom of Information Act is subject to the public interest test. This means that in order to withhold information under its provisions, any personal interest of the requester notwithstanding, it has to be shown that the public interest in withholding the information outweighs that in releasing it.

Public interest arguments in favour of disclosure

The general presumption of openness and transparency, which the Freedom of Information Act aspires to.

Public interest arguments against disclosure

This information is published as a requirement in the Ministerial code. This information will be published along with details of other Ministerial visits overseas according to the usual schedule. The information for the financial year 2021-22 will be published shortly after the end of March 2022.

The Welsh Government acknowledges the public interest in openness and transparency, and it is a long-standing requirement that details of Ministerial visits overseas, including the costs, are published in line with the Ministerial code.

Therefore, we believe the public interest would be better served in the information being published at the appropriate time. To that end, I believe the information should be withheld under s22 of the Act, until it is published in due course at the following link: Ministerial code information publication 5th-assembly