Please note that we have exempted this response under Section 31(1) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000. Section 31 applies where complying with the request would prejudice or would be likely to prejudice various law enforcement purposes (listed in the Act) including preventing crime, administering justice. The exemption in Section 31(1) is designed to cover all aspects of the prevention and detection of crime.
Section 31 is a qualified exemption which means the Trust must undertake a public interest test which is set out below.
We acknowledge the public interest in openness and transparency and recognise that releasing this information would provide the public with assurance that we are protecting our technologies. However, disclosure of the information requested has the potential to make the Trust more vulnerable to cyber-crime as it outlines part of the Trust’s security posture which could be used as a starting point to attack network infrastructure and/or information systems.
It is in the public interest to disclose information that informs the public of how we spend our money, especially where this relates to the provision of public services. There is also always a strong interest in disclosure from the Freedom of Information Act; in addition to our Trust’s commitment to transparency and openness. However, while we strive to be transparent, we must also consider the importance of our duty to provide the public with quality and value for money services.
As a result of this duty, and the risk of potential prejudice to it posed by the various reasons laid out above, we believe the interest in withholding this information outweighs that for disclosure. We therefore find that the section 31(1) exemption is appropriately engaged.
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