Section 30: Investigations And Proceedings Conducted By Public Authorities
Section 30 is concerned primarily with preserving the integrity of certain
proceedings and investigations which public authorities have the power
or duty to conduct. There are two ways in which the application of section
30 may be triggered:
where information has at any time been held for the purpose of specified
criminal and other investigations or proceedings; and
where information relates to the obtaining of information from confidential
sources and was obtained or recorded for a number of specified investigations
or proceedings.
Key points:
Section 30 can only be relied on by an authority which itself exercises
one of the investigation or litigation functions that are specified
in the exemption.
Section 30 is quite a complex exemption and Departments will need
to be alert to the precise terms in which its two limbs are expressed.
Section 30 is subject to a public interest balance.
