Outcomes - Selected Case Summaries
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List of suppliers to Immigration Detention Centre
Informal Resolution | 04 April 2019
Ministry of Human Resources and Immigration (HRI)
An applicant asked for a list of suppliers of goods or services to the Immigration Detention Centre, but was dissatisfied after receiving a record with all supplier names redacted as personal information. The Ministry asked the applicant to narrow the request but was not satisfied with their response, and claimed that complying with the request would be an unreasonable diversion of its resources.
The applicant asked for an explanation concerning the number of hours it would take to fulfill the request and described his willingness to wait, depending on the estimated time. However, HRI responded that the time could not be estimated and refused to comply with the request.
In the course of the ensuing appeal we asked HRI to consider a particular record for release which we felt would provide the applicant with the requested information. However, HRI disagreed and upheld their initial decision. We then reviewed the responsive records and expressed our views that complying with the request would not be an unreasonable diversion of resources, and encouraged HRI to review and apply any relevant redactions. Eventually the record was released to the applicant in a form that was satisfactory.