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Logic Study: Notes from meetings Sept 2024-Feb 25

Reference: 24-25510

Date response sent: 17/03/2025

Details of enquiry

Please provide agendas, minutes and any recorded notes of meetings relating to the LOGIC Study held in the last six months (17/09/2024 – 17/02/2025).

Response sent

During the requested period, ie six months prior to 17th February 2025, the LOGIC study (Longitudinal Outcomes of Gender Identity in Children) held one meeting, on 30th August 2024.

This meeting was attended by some of the participants and researchers involved in the LOGIC Study.   The subject of discussions was participants experiences of the study and progress made.  This involved personal information volunteered by the participants about themselves, upon condition of anonymity, and findings so far by the research team which were being written up for submission to various academic peer reviewed journals with a view to future publication.

Once the finished manuscripts are submitted and accepted for publication, we would expect the LOGIC Study to be publicly available within that year.

The Trust is withholding further detail on the content of the LOGIC Study meeting held 30th August 2024as this data is exempt from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA) section 40(2), as well as sections 22, and 22a, This is further explained below.

Exemption from Disclosure:  Section 40 (2) Personal Information.

  1. The Trust considers that the information you have requested is exempt under Section 40(2) of the FOIA, Personal information. This exemption covers personal information about third parties, where complying with the request would contravene the UK General Protection Regulation or the Data Protection Act 2018.
  2. Section 40 is an absolute exemption that does not require the authority to carry out the public interest test.
  3. The Trust recognises that personal information about its patients must be treated confidentially and respectfully. Accordingly, notes of this meeting cannot be anonymised for public availability because it was about patients’ personal experiences, which puts them at risk being identified/recognised by others who know them/of them, particularly in view of the relatively small size of the cohort group (xx patients).
  4. This is not just a question of considering the means reasonably likely to be used by general public to identify individuals, but also the means likely to be used by a determined person with a particular reason to want to identify individuals from data in the public domain now or in the future, and/or gained from other sources

As well as exemption under FOIA section 40(2), as described above, the requested meeting notes are also exempt from disclosure under Sections 22(a) and 22 as follows:

FOIA section 22a:  Research Information –

  1. This exemption specifically relates to ongoing research, and applies to information ‘obtained in the course of, or derived from, a programme of research, where the research is ongoing and there is a plan to publish a report of the outcome.
  2. This exemption also covers information that is not necessarily going to be published, and this covers the notes of the LOGIC Study meeting, as requested.
  3. Section 22A is a qualified exemption and requires the authority to conduct a public interest test. We have conducted the public interest test:

Public Interest Arguments for Releasing the Notes of the Meeting

  • To release information that is of public interest, in accordance with general principles of openness and accountability.
  • Disclosure would provide increased transparency via an early release of interim progress data
  • Disclosure of the information under FOIA would be consistent with the Trust’s intentions to proactively release data on matters of a wider public interest

Public Interest Arguments for Withholding the Notes of the Meeting

  • It is in the public interest to allow researchers to complete their programme of research and finalise their findings before the research programme is subjected to external scrutiny.
  • To allow the time and space for research findings to be thoroughly examined and tested by peer review, thereby adding to the quality of the final research report and standards of research
  • To prevent an incomplete picture arising from the publication of research that is still ongoing, or from information being published without relevant context or explanation.

The Weight of Balance

We have concluded that, on balance, the public interest is in withholding this information.

FOIA section 22:  Information Withheld pending Future Publication

  1. The meeting notes you have requested, are being withheld from disclosure under s22 of FOIA 2000 because they contain some of the research findings which are intended for future publication once the LOGIC study concludes.
  2. This is in addition to discussion around the patients personal details, which are withheld under FOIA section 40(2) as set out above.

Public Interest Arguments for Releasing the Notes of the Meeting

  • Disclosure would provide increased transparency via an early release of LOGIC Study data
  • Disclosure of the information under FOIA would be consistent with the Trust’s intentions to proactively release data on matters of a wider public interest.
  • Once the finished manuscripts are submitted and accepted for publication, we would expect the LOGIC Study to be publicly available within that year.

 

Public Interest Arguments for Withholding the Notes of the Meeting

  • Whilst there is a public interest in providing information within scope of an FOI request as quickly as possible, this needs to be balanced with the public interest in ensuring the data can be accessed simultaneously by the general public rather than piecemeal by disclosure to a small number of applicants under FOIA.
  • It is in the wider interest that information is accessible to the public domain by adhering to the Trust’s publication schedule, to ensure that it has adequate time to complete all planned data checks prior to final publication..
  • It is in the public interest that the Trust’s quality assurance process is able to conclude before making information available to the public to ensure confidence and accuracy.

The Weight of Balance

We have concluded that, on balance, the public interest is in withholding this information

We hope that you are satisfied with this response. If you are dissatisfied you can ask us to carry out an internal review of our handling of your request. You can request a review by emailing us at FOI@tavi-port.nhs.uk. Your review will be carried out by a senior officer within the Trust who has not been involved in this response. If you remain dissatisfied following completion of our internal review, you have a right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) at https://ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint/official-information-concerns-report/official-information-concern/ or visit https://ico.org.uk/global/privacy-notice/how-you-can-contact-us/

 

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