Jonathan Bourne v The Information Commissioner & Anor
[2023] UKFTT 952 (GRC)
Benjamin Faife v The Information Commissioner
26 July 2024
[2024] UKFTT 711 (GRC)
First-tier Tribunal
Someone requested information about land owned by their deceased relatives from the Land Registry. The Land Registry and the Information Commissioner refused, citing privacy concerns and the potential for crime. The court agreed, saying releasing the information could be harmful and wasn't necessary.
Key Facts
- •Benjamin Faife appealed a Decision Notice (DN) by the Information Commissioner regarding his Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA) request to HM Land Registry (HMLR).
- •The request sought information on land registered to deceased relatives and land subject to adverse possession since 1934.
- •HMLR refused the request citing exemptions under s.40(2) (personal information) and s.31(1)(a) (prevention and detection of crime) of FOIA.
- •The Information Commissioner upheld HMLR's refusal.
- •The appeal was determined on the papers.
Legal Principles
Right to information under FOIA, subject to exemptions.
FOIA s.1(1)(a), s.1(1)(b)
Exemptions under s.40(2) (personal data of third parties) and s.31(1)(a) (prevention or detection of crime).
FOIA s.40(2), s.31(1)(a)
Definition of personal data under the Data Protection Act 2018.
DPA 2018 s.3(2)
Tribunal's powers under FOIA s.58.
FOIA s.58
Motivated intruder test for identifiability of personal data.
Case law (not specified)
Land Registration Act 2002 (LRA) provisions on access to register of title.
LRA 2002 s.66(1)
GDPR principles regarding the processing of personal data.
GDPR Article 5(1)(a), Article 6(1)(f)
Outcomes
Appeal dismissed.
The Tribunal found that the requested information constituted personal data under the DPA 2018, and that disclosing it would breach data protection principles and prejudice the prevention and detection of crime. The public interest in maintaining the exemptions outweighed the public interest in disclosure.
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