UKGC Redacts ONS Correspondence Data
Regulator withholds some communications with the national statistics body, citing privacy and relevance.
The UK Gambling Commission has partially fulfilled a Freedom of Information request for its 2021-2022 correspondence with the Office for National Statistics. The regulator redacted personal data and chose not to disclose communications it deemed unrelated to official business, limiting public insight into their collaboration on gambling statistics.
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The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has released a partial record of its correspondence with the Office for National Statistics (ONS) following a Freedom of Information (FOI) request, a new disclosure reveals.
The request, dated 25 June 2024, asked for all communications between the two public bodies for the period covering 2021 and 2022. While the Commission released a 2.1 MB document, it applied significant exemptions, limiting a full public view of their interactions.
Why This Data Matters
Collaboration between the Gambling Commission and the ONS is critical for understanding gambling trends in the UK. The ONS is the UK's recognised national statistical institute, responsible for collecting and publishing statistics on the economy, population, and society. Its data on gambling participation and harm informs government policy and the UKGC's own regulatory approach. For consumers, the quality of this data directly impacts the effectiveness of regulations designed to make gambling safer.
What Was Withheld?
The UKGC's response indicates that information was withheld for two main reasons: legal exemption and administrative discretion.
First, the Commission applied Section 40(2) of the Freedom of Information Act, which protects personal data. This is a standard exemption used to redact information such as:
- Names of staff members
- Email addresses
- Training registration details
In its response, the UKGC stated there is "no legitimate public interest in disclosing this information and it would not be fair to do so."
More significantly, the Commission also made the decision not to review or disclose entire categories of correspondence it deemed irrelevant to its official business. These excluded items include:
- Correspondence between the ONS and a Commission staff member acting in their capacity as an Infrastructure and Projects Authority (IPA) reviewer.
- Routine administrative emails, such as password reset reminders, meeting confirmations, and webinar invitations.
- Internal staff communications, including annual surveys and ideas for team activities.
Significance for Transparency
This partial disclosure highlights the challenges in achieving full transparency from regulatory bodies. While the redaction of personal data is a standard and legally required practice, the decision to exclude certain categories of correspondence based on an internal judgement of relevance is more notable.
By defining some communications as outside the scope of "Commission business," the UKGC limits public scrutiny of the full nature of its relationship with the ONS. For consumers and researchers, this means that a complete picture of how gambling statistics are discussed, formulated, and shared between these key organisations remains partially obscured. The response provides a glimpse into their interactions but underscores the regulator's power to control the flow of information into the public domain.