Dear Transport for London, My Freedom of Information request regards a single term. That is, does Transport for London (TFL) have a definition of the concept "public interest" that is referred to on the TFL website. If the answer to this question is yes, could this member of the public, please, be directed on where to find this information. Additionally, if such a formal definition of public interest exists, has this definition been updated in recent years (and how many times)? Is there consideration of the fact that the term may need to be amended and or expanded as many laws and definitions are? Are all employees of TFL made aware of the definition of public interest through, say, exposure to in-house communication campaigns? Finally, is the TFL's concept of public interest consistent with other public authorities, or are their official views (if they exist) on the term of no relevance to TFL proceedings. If the TFL does not have a formal, or at least, public definition of public interest, is there a reason for its absence?  Addendum: Definition here means an exact statement or description of the nature, scope, or meaning of something. Formal is used to denote something officially sanctioned or recognized.

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TfL Ref 1010-2021

Thank you for your request received by Transport for London (TfL) on 7 September 2020 asking for information about whether we hold a definition of ‘Public Interest’ as referred to on our website.

Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act and our information access policy. 

Unfortunately we do not hold the information you have requested as we don’t have any recorded information that describes what we define as being in the ‘Public Interest’ nor do we hold a written TfL specific definition of ‘Public Interest’.

In terms of our Transparency Strategy and FOI requests, ‘The Public Interest’ is a fluid concept incorporating the factors described in the guidance from the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) which also takes into account decisions made by the ICO and appeals against decisions heard by the First and Upper Tribunals. The meaning of ‘Public Interest’ will also vary depending on the context – making a decision about whether the public interest favours applying an FOI exemption will involve different factors to a decision about, say, whether the public interest favours prosecuting a fare evader. In essence it’s not possible to construct an adequate definition of ‘Public Interest’ due to the multitude of variables that need to be carefully considered when taking decisions around the release of certain information or in making organisational decisions around policy.    

The impact of current circumstances on TfL’s resources means we are not able to answer FOI requests readily and we ask that you please do not make a request to us at present.

Answering FOI requests will require the use of limited resources and the attention of staff who could be supporting other essential activity. In any event, please note that our response time will be affected by the current situation.

Please see the attached information sheet for details of your right to appeal.

Yours sincerely

Sara Thomas

FOI Case Management Team

General Counsel

Transport for London

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