Adverse Affect on International Relationss

Dear Department of Energy and Climate Change,

I refer to my information request of 27 December and your response
of 23 January 2012, your ref No: 11/1726, for which I will shortly
request an internal review under separate cover.

My Request 1 was:

“Please supply me with a copy of the First Order Draft of each of
the 14 chapters of the Working Group One Contribution to the Fifth
Assessment Report.”

Your reply was:

“We are withholding the information under the exception contained
in regulation 12(5)(a) which applies where disclosure of the
information would adversely affect international relations,
defence, national security or public safety. In applying this
exception we have had to balance the public interest in withholding
the information against the public interest in disclosure.”

[1] Please tell me for how many countries you have established that
disclosure “would”, as opposed to “may”, adversely affect
international relations, defence, national security or public
safety.
[2] Please tell which of the four matters would be adversely
affected.
[3] Please supply me with copies of any recorded evidence that hold
in support of your refusal on your started exception.

My Request 2 was
“Please supply the list of those in the UK to whom the report has
been sent for review.”
You indicated that it is not held by DECC.
[4] Please supply me with a copy of or a URL link to the latest
dated IPCC document held by DECC that contains the following
statement:
“The first draft Reports should be sent to Government Focal Points,
for information, along with a list of those to whom the Report has
been sent for review in that country. “
[5] Please supply me a copy of recoded information referring to the
supply or lack thereof of above mentioned list or any other matter
concerning the list.
Under Article 5(1) of the Aarhus Convention the British government
undertook to ensure that “Public authorities possess and update
environmental information which is relevant to their functions”
[6] Please supply me with any departmental instructions on
compliance with Aarhus Article 5(1).

My Request 5 was:
“Please provide me with a copy of your written departmental
procedures for conformance with EIR regulation 4.”
Your reply was “DECC does not have written departmental procedures
for conformance with regulation 4 of the EIRs.”
[7] Please supply me with a copy or URL link to any recorded
information held by DECC containing the following statement of
Information Commissioner or any similar one in respect of
regulation 4 that states, paraphrases or discusses it or discusses
it applicability or otherwise to DECC.
“This requires the dissemination to be ongoing, with an active
consideration of any new information to be included for
dissemination. The words “active” and “systematic” suggest
therefore that authorities set in place a written policy for the
consideration of any new environmental information it produces or
obtains for inclusion within the active dissemination of
information.”
[8] Please advise me where on DECC’s Internet home page, (I will
accept the URL that it links to) or is otherwise provided by
“electronic means”, there is a publication scheme for environmental
information relevant to DECC’s functions that is “easily
accessible” and organised “systematically”.

Yours faithfully,

David Holland