Office costs for David Linden MP

I can confirm that we hold information relevant to your request.

You can download the requested data here.

Some information has been redacted from the documents and is subject to a Refusal Notice under sections 31 and 40 of the FOIA and in accordance with Section C of IPSA’s Publication Policy.

With regard to Claim Ref. 60151312-3 this order was cancelled by Argos, therefore there was nothing for the MP to repay.

Section 31(1)(a) – law enforcement

This exemption applies where the disclosure of information would or would be likely to prejudice the prevention of crime. IPSA relies on this exemption to withhold transactional references and financial information.

This exemption is subject to the public interest test. IPSA understands how disclosure of information under the FOIA promotes accountability and transparency in the spending of public money, allows the public to understand the work of MPs and furthers public understanding. However, IPSA believes that the disclosure of these details could leave those concerned more vulnerable to financial crime, in particular fraud and electronic crime, especially with the increase in cyber attacks.

IPSA does not consider that the withholding of this information has a negative impact on the understanding of these claims. We therefore find that the public interest in withholding this information outweighs the public interest in disclosure at this time.

Sections 40(2) and 40(3A)(a) – personal information

This exemption applies to information which IPSA considers to be personal data within the meaning of Article 4(1) of the UK General Data Protection Regulation 2016 (UK GDPR) which states:

‘personal data’ means any information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person (‘data subject’); an identifiable natural person is one who can be identified, directly or indirectly

IPSA considers that the following are personal data within this definition: banking and financial information; personal information of the MP and MP staff. We then considered whether disclosure of this personal data would breach any of the Principles relating to the processing of personal data in the UK GDPR.

The relevant principle is Article 5(1)(a):

Personal data shall be:

a. Processed lawfully, fairly and in a transparent manner in relation to the data subject

As IPSA was unable to find a lawful basis on which it could rely, within Article 6 of the UK GDPR, it therefore finds that the information is exempt under section 40.