Dear Alex Skene,

I am writing in response to your email of 16 June in which you requested information, in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act, on -

i) details of the Honours Scrutiny Committee (formerly known as the Political Honours Scrutiny Committee) publication scheme and a contact email address to send FOI requests to;

ii) a copy of the terms of reference for the Committee; and

iii) a copy of the related Order of the Council dated 18 October 2002 as cited in Hansardbeing supplied with the file - Ceremonial Office H31.

I have considered your request in light of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and I can confirm that the Cabinet Office has now completed its search and that we do hold the information that falls within the scope of your request.

However, it is being withheld because it is exempt under section 37(1)(b) (conferring by the Crown of any Honour or Dignity) applies.

37. (1) Information is exempt information if it relates to -

Section 37(1)(a) and Section 37(1)(b) are qualified exemptions and in applying these exemptions we have had to balance the public interest in maintaining the exemption against the public interest in disclosing the information.

In favour of disclosure there is a general public interest in The Royal Family and its communications with Government. In favour of withholding the information there is a strong public interest that communications between officials and The Sovereign should remain confidential to ensure:

We have decided that the public interest in maintaining the exclusion outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information.

If you have any queries about this letter, please contact me. Please remember to quote the reference number above in any future communications.

If you are unhappy with the service you have received in relation to your request or wish to request an internal review, you should write to:

Ms Sue Gray

Head

Propriety and Ethics Team and Private Offices Group

70 Whitehall

London

SW1A 2AS

e-mail: [email address]

You should note that the Cabinet Office will not normally accept an application for internal review if it is received more than two months after the date that the reply was issued.

If you are not content with the outcome of your internal review, you may apply directly to the Information Commissioner for a decision. Generally, the Commissioner cannot make a decision unless you have exhausted the complaints procedure provided by Cabinet Office. The Information Commissioner can be contacted at -

The Information Commissioner's Office

Wycliffe House

Water Lane

Wilmslow

Cheshire

SK9 5AF

Yours sincerely,

Abby Oshodi

Deputy Team Leader