Cabinet Office
| Case Outcome | Complaint not upheld |
| Subject Matter | Central government |
| Court | Information Commissioner (UK) |
| Record Number | IC-179612-N5V5 |
| Date | 12 March 2024 |
| Respondent | Cabinet Office |
Reference: IC-179612-N5V5
1
Date:
12 March 2024
Public Authority:
Cabinet Office
Address:
2 Marsham Street
London
SW1P 4DF
Decision (including any steps ordered)
1. The complainant has requested information about the awarding of a
peerage to Evgeny Lebedev. The Cabinet Office refused the request,
citing section 37(1)(b) (The conferring by the Crown of any honour or
dignity) of FOIA.
2. The Commissioner’s decision is that section 37(1)(b) of FOIA was
applied correctly to withhold the requested information. However, the
Commissioner found that the Cabinet Office did not complete its
deliberations on the balance of the public interest within a reasonable
time, which was a breach of section 17(3) of FOIA.
3. The Commissioner does not require further steps as a result of this
decision.
Background
4. Lord Lebedev is a Russian-British businessman, who owns a number of
media outlets. In November 2020, he was nominated for a life peerage
by Boris Johnson, for philanthropy and services to the media.
5. On 29 March 2022, a ‘humble address’ motion was tabled in the House
of Commons, seeking the disclosure of information concerning the
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