Freedom of Information request on minutes of meeting held between members of the MHRA Management team between April 2020 and April 2021 (FOI 21-544)
Published 13 August 2021
© Crown copyright 2021
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22nd June 2021 FOI 21/544
Dear
Thank you for your information request, dated 20 May 2021, where you requested copies of minutes of meetings or records of meetings held between members of the MHRA Management team between April 2020 and April 2021. On 21 May 2021, you confirmed that the reference was to the “Executive committee”.
I am pleased to provide you with the information requested. Redactions have been applied to information exempt from release under the following sections of the FOI Act.
Section 35 - Formulation of Government policy: the information you have requested is being withheld under section 35 of the FOI Act. Section 35 protects the internal deliberative process as it relates to Government policy making. In other words, the exemption is intended to ensure that the possibility of public exposure does not deter from full, candid and proper deliberation of policy formulation and development, including the exploration of all options, the keeping of detailed records and the taking of difficult decisions. Section 35 is a qualified exemption, which means that we have considered whether the public interest in releasing the information is outweighed by the public interest in not giving the information. In favour of disclosure, we consider that there is a general public benefit in transparency and accountability. However, we consider that the public interest will be better served by not releasing the information as premature disclosure of this sort of information could prejudice good working relationships, the neutrality of civil servants and, ultimately, the quality of Government.
Section 40 - Personal information: information is exempt if it contains personal data which would identify a living person. Redactions have been applied to information we cannot release such as person-identifiable information (such as, names, email addresses, telephone numbers, or the company they work for).
I confirm that meeting minutes have been provided for the Executive Committee, October 2020 - April 2021. Prior to this, the Corporate Executive Team (CET) was in place. CET minutes have been provided April 2020 - August 2020.
The Freedom of Information Act only entitles you to access to information – the information supplied is subject to Crown copyright, and there are some restrictions on its re-use. For information on the reproduction or re-use of MHRA information, please visit https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/reproduce-or-re-use-mhra-information/reproduce-or-re-use-mhra-information.
If you have a query about the information provided, please reply to this email.
Yours sincerely,
MHRA