Americas Directorate
WH2.323
King Charles Street
London
SW1A 2AH
Tel: 020 7 008 2606
Fax: 020 7 008 2476
www.fco.gov.uk
Ms Natasha Morgan
By email:
[FOI #22582 email]
2 December 2009
Dear Ms Morgan,
FREEDOM OF INFORMATION REQUEST: 0938-09
I write in relation to your Freedom of Information Act request dated 04 November
2009 in which you requested;
“any documentation, correspondence or related material detailing the number of
Colombian military personnel who have benefitted from UK counter narcotics training
in 2007.”
I can confirm the Foreign and Commonwealth Office does hold information relevant
to your request. This letter serves as a refusal notice under Section 17 of the
Freedom of Information Act 2000 (the Act).
We do not provide any details of our counter-narcotics work in Colombia. To do so
could endanger the lives of personnel involved in this work, and our decision has
been upheld by the Parliamentary Ombudsman. The information is exempt under
section 23(1) of the Act (information supplied by, or relating to, bodies dealing with
security matters). Section 23 (1) is an absolute exemption and does not require the
application of the public interest test in favour of disclosure.
If you are unhappy with the service you have received in relation to your request and
wish to make a complaint or request a review of our decision, you should write to me
at the above address. You have 40 working days to do so from the date of our
response.
If you are not content with the outcome of the internal review, you have the right to
apply directly to the Information Commissioner for a decision. The Information
Commissioner can be contacted at:
Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
If you have any queries about this letter, please contact me. Please remember to
quote the reference number above in any future communications.
Yours faithfully
Catherine Shaw
Assistant Desk Officer Andean Section
South America Team
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
