TfL Ref: FOI-0333-1718
Thank you for your request received by Transport for London (TfL) on 15 May 2017 asking for information about meetings and correspondence.
Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act and our information access policy. I can confirm we hold some of the information you require.
We do not hold any emails between Garrett Emmerson/Leon Daniels and David Plouffe.
I can confirm that Leon Daniels and Garrett Emmerson met with David Plouffe (and others from Uber) on December 10th 2015. This meeting was not minuted but we have attached all correspondence in relation to this meeting, along with all associated attachments.
Please note that in accordance with TfL’s obligations under the Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA) some personal data has been removed, as required by section 40(2) of the FOI Act. This is because disclosure of this personal data would be a breach of the DPA, specifically the first principle of the DPA which requires all processing of personal data to be fair and lawful. It would not be fair to disclose this personal information when the individuals have no expectation it would be disclosed and TfL has not satisfied one of the conditions of Schedule 2 of the Data Protection Act which would make the processing ‘fair’.
Additionally, in accordance with the FOI Act, we are not obliged to supply some of the information requested as it is subject to a statutory exemption to the right of access to information under section 43(2) of the FOI Act, which exempts information where disclosure would be likely to prejudice commercial interests.
Some of the detail covered by your request includes commercially confidential information regarding the business operations of Uber. This was shared at an informal meeting in which there would be no expectation it would be further circulated as it could be used by competitors to target particular markets by using information that there was no expectation would be placed into the public domain. This information is therefore covered by section 43(2) of the FOI Act which exempts information where disclosure would be likely to prejudice commercial interests.
The use of this exemption is subject to an assessment of the public interest in relation to the disclosure of the information concerned. We recognise that there is a public interest in openness and transparency. However we feel that there is a greater public interest in ensuring that we retain the confidence of businesses openly sharing confidential information with us, as well as ensuring we do not impact the competitiveness of the marketplace
If this is not the information you are looking for, or if you are unable to access it for some reason, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Please see the attached information sheet for details of your right to appeal as well as information on copyright and what to do if you would like to re-use any of the information we have disclosed.
Yours sincerely
Lee Hill
Senior FOI Case Officer
FOI Case Management Team
General Counsel
Transport for London
