Navy Command FOI Section
Navy Command Headquarters
2 Deck, Leach Building
Whale Island
PORTSMOUTH
PO2 8BY
FOI2024/24800
E-mail:
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xxx.xxx.xx
Mr T Ata
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx.xxx
14 January 2025
Dear Mr Ata,
Release of Information
Thank you for your correspondence of 17 December 2024 in which you requested
the following information:
'Guy Martin: Arctic Warrior' is a new TV show that launched on Channel 4 on
11 December 2024. The filming took place at the Royal Navy's base at Camp
Viking in Norway, where Guy Martin was embedded with the Royal Marines.
Please provide the following:
- The contract signed between the Royal Navy and the production company.
- The Project Proforma document.
- The Royal Navy's strategic communications priorities for this TV show.’
Your enquiry has been considered to be a request for information in accordance with
the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (the Act).
A search for the information has been completed within the Ministry of Defence (MOD) and
I can confirm that some information in scope of your request is held. However, in
considering your request, it has been determined that some of the information you have
requested falls under the qualified exemptions at section 26 (Defence) and section 43
(Commercial) of the Act.
Under section 26(1)(b) of the Act, information is exempt if its disclosure, would, or
would be likely to, prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of any relevant
forces.
As the exemption at section 26 is a qualified exemption, it has been necessary for the
Department to decide whether, in all the circumstances of the case, the public
interest in maintaining the exemption outweighed the public interest in disclosure.
The Public Interest Test has now been completed and I can advise that after careful
consideration of the information and for the reasons detailed below, the balance of
public interest was found to be in favour of withholding some information relating to
the filming of material of specific sensitive areas of Defence.
It is accepted that full disclosure of the contents of the contract would demonstrate
the MOD’s commitment to openness and transparency and provide assurance to the
public that full consideration is given to Defence operations in a practical and safe
manner. However, there is a very compelling public interest in protecting our Armed
Forces. Disclosure of all of the information would prove extremely useful to hostile
forces in identifying the ways of working of specific personnel and their functions
within active Defence operations. As such, it is considered that the arguments
against disclosure outweigh those in favour of release and therefore, some
information relating to the filming of material of specific sensitive areas of Defence,
have been withheld.
Under section 43(2) of the Act, information is exempt if its disclosure would, or would
be likely to, prejudice the commercial interests of any person (including the public
authority holding it).
As section 43 is a qualified exemption, it has been necessary for the Department to decide
whether, in all the circumstances of the case, the public interest in maintaining the
exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosure. The Public Interest Test has now
been completed and I can advise that after careful consideration of the information and for
the reasons detailed below, the balance of public interest was found to be in favour of
withholding information relating to project costs detailed within the Project Initiation
Document (PID), in entirety. It may assist you to understand our decision if I outline the
factors that were considered.
It is accepted that disclosure of all of the information contained within the PID would
demonstrate the MOD’s commitment to openness and transparency and provide
public reassurance that the Department operates in a fair and open market. However,
there are also compelling reasons to protect the commercial interests of the MOD
and its commercial partners. The use of competition is at the heart of Government
procurement and the effectiveness of this strategy depends largely on the integrity of
the competitive process and the MOD’s ability to protect commercially sensitive
information. As such, it is considered that release of information detailing the project
costs between the MOD and North One Television Limited could jeopardise future
projects and arrangements. Disclosure of such information could potentially allow
companies to gain an unfair advantage and prejudice, not only current and future
commercial interests of the film company but may also prevent the MOD from
securing best value for money for future projects.
Therefore, in response to your request, a copy of the Contract, Project Proforma and
Royal Navy Broadcast Request Form detailing the strategic communications
priorities, which have been redacted for the reasons cited above, are enclosed with
this letter.
Please be advised that some personal information and contact details relating to
individuals contained within the documents have been withheld under Section 40
(Personal Information) of the FOI Act. Section 40(2) applies to personal data relating
to third parties, the release of which would contravene the Data Protection Act 2018.
If you have any queries regarding the content of this letter, please contact this office in the
first instance.
If you wish to complain about the handling of your request, or the content of this response,
you can request an independent internal review by contacting the Information Rights
Compliance team, Ground Floor, MOD Main Building, Whitehall, SW1A 2HB (e-ma
il CIO-
xxxxxx@xxx.xx). Please note that any request for an internal review should be made
within 40 working days of the date of this response.
If you remain dissatisfied following an internal review, you may raise your complaint directly
to the Information Commissioner under the provisions of Section 50 of the Freedom of
Information Act. Please note that the Information Commissioner will not normally
investigate your case until the MOD internal review process has been completed. The
Information Commissioner can be contacted at: Information Commissioner’s Office,
Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF. Further details of the role and
powers of the Information Commissioner can be found on the Commissioner's website at
https://ico.org.uk/.
Yours sincerely
Navy Command Secretariat - FOI Section
