The complainant alleged that the Privy Council Office (PCO) had not conducted a reasonable search for records in response to an access request under the Access to Information Act. The request was for minutes of the Joint Intelligence Committee for the period of November 1, 1957, to December 31, 1958. The allegation falls under paragraph 30(1)(a) of the Act. The Information Commissioner found that PCO did not initially conduct a reasonable search for records. In the course of the investigation, PCO agreed to conduct a new search for records and retrieved additional records responsive to the access request. The Information Commissioner ordered PCO to complete the retrieval of all records responsive to the request, process all additional records located as a result of the new search, give access to additional records, and provide a supplementary response to the access request by November 22, 2024. PCO gave notice to the Commissioner that it would implement the order. PCO issued a supplementary response to the complainant.

The complaint is well founded.