The complainant alleged that the Privy Council Office (PCO) did not respond within the extended period under subsection 9(1) of the Access to Information Act to an access request. The request was for Electronic records from the Privy Council Office that mention the terms "[ ]" or "Democracy Watch" from October 1, 2015 to April 23, 2023. The allegation falls under paragraph 30(1)(a) of the Act.

The investigation determined that PCO did not respond by the required date and is deemed to have refused access to the requested records under subsection 10(3). The delay was caused by the failure of the Access to Information and Privacy (ATIP) office to initiate consultations and process the request in a timely manner.

The Information Commissioner ordered that PCO provide a complete response to the access request by November 30, 2024 and provide interim releases of records where possible.

PCO gave notice to the Commissioner that it would be implementing the order and would respond to the access request by the ordered due date.

The complaint is well founded.