Exemptions:

Some information may not be available because it falls within one of the exemptions of the Act.  When that happens, we will tell you which exemption applies and, in most cases, why the information cannot be released.  There are 24 such exemptions and they can be applied to information held for a variety of purposes.  The exemptions include material related to national security, law enforcement, formulation of government policy, information provided in confidence, commercial interests and personal data (individuals already have the right of access to information about themselves under the Data Protection Act 1998).  These exemptions have been considered when determining the content of our Publication Scheme.