Request
Please confirm details of all office space which is currently being occupied by the States of Jersey/Government of Jersey and arms-length organisations on a lease agreement, including in each case:
(a) The address at which the office space is being leased;
(b) The date on which the existing lease on the office space was agreed and when it expires;
(c) The annual rent being paid for the office space;
(d) Why the office space was leased at the time the lease agreement was signed and if there has been any subsequent change from the original intended use.
Response
The response to questions a, b and d regarding leased office space is provided within the following spreadsheet:
Government leased office space
The leases have expired for two of the properties, however the landlords have agreed to maintain the leases while decisions are made regarding the future use of these buildings.
Some of the leases include break options that will allow the Government to vacate the offices in advance of the lease termination dates shown. These details are commercially sensitive and will not be released under Article 33 (Commercial interests) of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011 (the Law).
The information you have requested regarding the annual rent paid is exempt under Article 23 of the Law as the information is already accessible to view on www.gov.je within a previous Freedom of Information response linked below.
Government rented office space (FOI)
Article applied
Article 23 Information accessible to applicant by other means
(1) Information is absolutely exempt information if it is reasonably available to the applicant, otherwise than under this Law, whether or not free of charge.
(2) A scheduled public authority that refuses an application for information on this ground must make reasonable efforts to inform the applicant where the applicant may obtain the information.
Article 33 Commercial interests
Information is qualified exempt information if –
(a) it constitutes a trade secret; or
(b) its disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice the commercial interests of a person (including the scheduled public authority holding the information).
Prejudice / public interest test
Article 33 (b) allows an authority to refuse a request for information where its disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice the commercial interests of a person (including the scheduled public authority holding the information). Whilst we accept that the public may have an interest in the potential for contract breaks within Government of Jersey rental contracts, we believe that, as such terms are the outcome of negotiations between parties, release of this data could affect the negotiation of future contracts with rental property providers.
