General direction to relevant officials—s 22 applied
A requester sought a copy of the ‘internal directive or memorandum or letter’ which related to a process whereby the Customs Service settled disputes involving seized vehicles. Neither the requester nor the Customs Service recognised this as a section 22 request, but the Ombudsman found the document to be ‘in the nature of a general direction to relevant officials’. It was clearly an aid to decision making in relation to the settling of disputes involving seized vehicles, the application of which would affect people personally. Section 22 did apply.
This case note is published under the authority of the Ombudsmen Rules 1989 opens page in this tab. It sets out an Ombudsman’s view on the facts of a particular case. It should not be taken as establishing any legal precedent that would bind an Ombudsman in future.