FOI2025/00059 – Home postcodes of VMD staff
Published 5 February 2026
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1. FOI2025/00059 Request
Please could you provide the following information:
A list of the outward codes from the home postcodes of Veterinary Medicines Directorate staff, including the number of staff living in each outward code (for example, X number of staff living in E2).
2. Our reply
We are refusing your request under Section 40(2) – Personal Information.
Section 40(2) of the FOIA exempts information that constitutes personal data where disclosure would contravene any of the data protection principles under the UK GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018.
Although outward codes cover a wider area than full postcodes, releasing them in combination with the number of staff could allow individuals to be identified, particularly in less populated areas. Furthermore, when combined with other publicly available information or data already held by third parties, this could increase the likelihood of identifying specific individuals.
This would breach the principle of fairness and lawfulness in processing personal data.