The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has issued a decision notice (IC/432575/D7f7) concerning a complaint against the Secretary of State for Defence (Ministry of Defence). The complainant sought information about 'nuclear site events' at Faslane naval base. The ICO determined that while the MOD was justified in withholding the information under regulation 12(5)(a) (defence and national security), it breached regulation 5(2) by failing to respond to the request within the stipulated 20 working days and regulation 11(2) by not completing an internal review within 40 working days.

This decision highlights the importance of adhering to statutory timeframes for information requests, even when the information itself is exempt. Government agencies must ensure their internal processes are robust enough to meet these deadlines. While no penalties are explicitly detailed in this notice, failure to comply with information rights legislation can lead to further enforcement action. Regulated entities should review their procedures for handling information requests and internal reviews to ensure compliance with the EIR and GDPR time limits.