Networking, Virtualisation, and Cloud

Reference: 25-26376

Date response sent: 23/12/2025

Details of enquiry

See Table Below and/or Attached.

Response sent

You will note that at Question 3 we have withheld data on our servers under FOI s31(a). the explanation of this is provided as follows:

Exemption from disclosure has been engaged to withhold data to protect the security of our servers, under s.31(a) of the FOIA, Law Enforcement: the prevention or detection of crime.  This is  a qualified exemption that requires the Trust to carry out the public interest test. We have carried out the public interest test and have set out below the public interest arguments which we have considered:

Arguments in favour of disclosure:

• Promoting accountability and transparency on how public funds are utilised and spent
• There is undoubtedly a public interest in how public bodies protect and secure their information assets

Arguments in favour of maintaining the exemption:

• The Trust has a duty to ensure that its information systems and assets are kept secure
• Disclosure of the requested information could prejudice the security of our information assets by facilitating criminal criminal activity, in particular cybercrime, especially when combined with information already in the public domain and other sources, including any information that the Trust has previously provided or may be forced to disclose in the future.
• Disclosure of the requested information could, therefore, increase vulnerability to malicious attack, including the corruption or loss of data, software, hardware or other equipment, which would impact on the Trust’s ability to provide essential services
• These vulnerabilities could extend to suppliers on whose services the Trust relies.
• Any compromise to the confidentiality, integrity or availability of our information assets is likely to impact on our operations.
• Any impact on services could compromise patient safety and wellbeing, and could require substantial resources to resolve and incur significant costs

We have concluded that, on balance, the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosure.