Scottish ministers win an appeal after the Court of Session rules that the Scottish Information Commissioner “erred in law” when ordering disclosure of material connected to the Salmond ministerial code inquiry. A panel of three judges upholds the ministers’ challenge, finding the Commissioner used the wrong legal test for deciding whether exempt information should be released.
The dispute centres on how the legal threshold is applied when there is a risk that complainers could be identified. The Herald Scotland says the court determines that a “real risk” of identifying complainers is enough to prevent disclosure, rather than requiring a different standard.
Across outlets, the core outcome is consistent: the court overturns the Commissioner’s approach and supports the ministers’ appeal. Coverage differs mainly in emphasis—some leads focus on the ministers’ success and the court’s finding that the Commissioner made a legal error, while others foreground that an appeal was made against an order for disclosure of exempted material.
