History and Chronology: 3. On 3 May 2022, the Appellant wrote to the public authority and requested the following information: “What allowance has been made in the estimated cost of the Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre for optimism bias, in percentage terms, and in particular, what (a) category of project, (b) mitigation factor and (c) optimism bias factor were used.” 4. The public authority’s initial response was addressed in a decision notice issued by the Commissioner on 11 January 20231. This directed the public authority to issue a new response to the Request and on 14 February 2023 it refused to provide the requested information, citing the exemption in section 35(1)(a) – formulation of government policy. The public authority’s final position is that section 35(1)(a) applies to the requested information. The Commissioners Decision: 5. The Commissioner has previously considered complaints which relate to requests for information about the Government’s pledge to establish a UK Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre (“HMLC”) in a central London location. 6. The public authority has explained that it is the lead for Government on delivering the HMLC. It confirmed that The UK Holocaust Memorial Foundation (UKHMF) was set up in 2015 to provide independent advice to Ministers on a wide range of issues relating to the formulation and delivery of the policy relating implementation/construction to the and HMLC operation including of development and presentation of its learning content. 3 the the design, Memorial, and