Freedom of Information request on a copy of the minutes from the Gastroenterology, Rheumatology, Immunology and Dermatology Expert Advisory Group (GRID EAG) meeting (FOI 21-676)
Updated 27 April 2022
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12th July 2021 FOI 21/676
Dear
Thank you for your email.
Regarding your request for a copy of the minutes from the Gastroenterology, Rheumatology, Immunology and Dermatology Expert Advisory Group (GRID EAG) meeting, unfortunately these minutes are exempt from release under Section 35 (Formulation of government policy) and Section 38 (Health and safety) of the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act. MHRA is an independent regulator, who carry out work for central government in order that decisions can be made on government policy regarding the use of medicines. To reach unbiased and objective decisions, guided solely by the interest of the public health in the UK, it is our duty to ensure that any consultation or review process remains free from external pressures and undue influences. As the GRID EAG meeting minutes are part of a live process to determine government policy on an issue, MHRA feels that it is right to not disclose any further information until a final decision has been made regarding the policy. The release of such information at this time could result in its misuse by external parties interested in influencing government decisions in this matter, which can adversely affect the integrity of the consultation and review process, and eventually compromise the final policy decision itself. For this reason, we believe that Section 35 of the FOI Act (Formulation of government policy) is engaged.
Further to the above, as no final decision has been made on this policy issue, we also believe that the release of the meeting minutes may cause some patients to stop taking or modify the dosage of their medication, which could be dangerous. For this reason, we also believe that Section 38 of the FOI Act (Health and safety) is engaged.
Section 35 and 38 are qualified exemptions and require that MHRA considers the public interest. We have considered the public interest and cannot see any public interest argument that outweighs the harm that would be caused by releasing this information, as outlined above.
EAG information regarding this issue has been made publicly available and therefore we do not consider releasing the minutes for an ongoing issue would be of any additional benefit to the public at this time
MHRA intends to publish further information from the GRID EAG meetings including the outcome of the review as soon as possible once a decision on this policy matter has been made.
If you disagree with how we have interpreted the Freedom of Information Act 2000 with regards to your request, you can ask for the decision to be reviewed. The review will be carried out by a senior member of the Agency who was not involved with the original decision.
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Yours sincerely
MHRA Customer Service Centre
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