Freedom of information request
Advisory Council summaries
- Freedom of information request reference
- CAS-279713
- Request resolved
Request
Please release the Advisory Council meeting summaries from June 2024 to the present time (27 August 2025).
Outcome
Information withheld.
Response
I can confirm that The National Archives holds information relevant to your request.
We are unable to provide you with the information you have requested. Some of it is covered by the exemption at section 21 of the FOI Act, which exempts information if that information is readily available by other means.
Some of the information is covered by the exemption at section 22 of the FOI Act, which exempts information from disclosure if it is intended for future publication. For further information about why these exemptions have been applied, please see the explanatory annex at the end of this email.
The summaries of meetings of the Advisory Council on National Records and Archives (ACNRA) from June 2024 to May 2025 are exempt under section 21 of the FOI Act, as they have been published in the public domain. They can be viewed here.
Please note that the summary for the July 2025 meeting is exempt under section 22 of the FOI Act, as there is already an intention for them to be published in the future. Please note that the summary of a particular meeting will not be published until after the following meeting has taken place, as the minutes of each session are approved by the ACNRA at the next meeting.
Annexe
Exemptions applied
Section 21: Information readily available to the applicant by other means
Section 21 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA) does not oblige a public authority to provide information if it is already reasonably accessible by other means.
Further guidance on the application of this exemption can be found at:
Information accessible to the applicant by other means (section 21) | ICO
Section 22: Information intended for future publication
Section 22 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA) exempts from release information intended for future publication if (a) the information is held by the public authority with a view to its publication, by the authority or any other person, at some future date (whether determined or not), or (b) the information was already held with a view to such publication at the time when the request for information was made, and or (c) it is reasonable in all the circumstances that the information should be withheld from disclosure until the date referred to in paragraph (a).
Section 22 is a qualified exemption and we are required to conduct a public interest test when applying any qualified exemption. This means that after it has been decided that the exemption is engaged, the public interest in releasing the information must be considered. If the public interest in disclosing the information outweighs the public interest in withholding it then the exemption does not apply and the information must be released. In the FOIA there is a presumption that information should be released unless there are compelling reasons to withhold it
We have considered whether it would be in the public interest for us to provide you with the information ahead of publication, despite the exemption being applicable. Please find below the reasoning for and against disclosure.
Arguments in favour of disclosure:
Disclosure of the requested information would demonstrate The National Archives’ commitment to being a transparent and accountable organisation and would increase public awareness of the discussions held and decisions made by the ACNRA.
Releasing information at the current time would allow for contemporary discussion on the issues considered by the ACNRA and would consequently enable and enrich public debate.
Arguments against disclosure:
There are public interest arguments against disclosure of this information at the present time. These arguments include that it is in the public interest to adhere to the existing publication process for ACNRA meeting summaries, which includes time for the information to be collated and properly verified before being placed in the public domain.
It would not be practical to accelerate the disclosure of this information, and publication of this information now would also place a burden on officials, unfairly diverting resource away from other activities related to the administration of the ACNRA.
It is also in the public interest to ensure that the information is available to all members of the public at the same time, and premature publication could undermine the principle of making the information available to all at the same time through the official publication process.
On this occasion, we have concluded that the balance of the public interest test falls in favour of withholding this information.