Housing and Work Advisory Group (HAWAG) minutes (FOI)

Request

Please provide meeting minutes from 2017 of the Housing and Work Advisory Group (HAWAG) and other HAWAG records such as a vote count, in other words, how many andwhich members voted in favour or against proceeding to recommend a residency of individuals holding Russian citizenship. Please redact the individual names due to privacy but include the dates of the HAWAG voting decisions.

Response

Decision records on 2(1)(e) applications from 2017 are maintained as part of the individual person’s record. In 2017, the Housing and Work Advisory body was not a collective decision-making body, and no votes were taken. 

Information cannot be disclosed under Article 25 of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011.

Article 34 of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law has also been applied on the grounds that decisions in relation to 2(1)e applications have a bearing on the island’s wider economic interests.  

Articles applied 

Article 25 - Personal information

(1) Information is absolutely exempt information if it constitutes personal data of which the applicant is the data subject as defined in the Data Protection (Jersey) Law 2005.

(2) Information is absolutely exempt information if –

(a) it constitutes personal data of which the applicant is not the data subject as defined in the Data Protection (Jersey) Law 2005; and

(b) its supply to a member of the public would contravene any of the data protection principles, as defined in that Law.

Article 34 - The economy

Information is qualified exempt information if its disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice –

(a) the economic interests of Jersey; or

(b) the financial interests of the States of Jersey.

Public Interest Test

Article 34 is a qualified exemption which requires there to be a likelihood of prejudice against the economic interests of Jersey or the financial interests of the States of Jersey. Whilst this could include reputational concerns, the larger concern is whether the economic interests of the States of Jersey could be prejudiced by the release of this information. 

Public interest would not be served by disclosing information which may have a detrimental impact on the economy.