34 Notification of decisions and reasons

(1) An agency or Minister is to give written notice to an applicant for access of—

(a) the decision on the application; and

(b) if the application relates to a document that is not held by the agency or Minister—the fact that the document is not so held.

(2) The notice must specify—

(a) the day on which the decision was made; and

(b) if access to a document is to be given, the period within which the person may access the document under section 31A; and

(c) if access to a document is to be given subject to the deletion of irrelevant matter—that irrelevant matter has been deleted from the document under section 27(3); and

(d) if access is to be given to a copy of the document subject to the deletion of exempt matter—

(i) the fact that the document is such a copy; and

(ii) the provision of this Act under which the matter is exempt matter; and

(iii) the reasons for the decision classifying the matter as exempt matter; and

(e) if access to the document is to be given subject to deferral—

(i) the reason for the deferral; and

(ii) the day on which the agency or Minister expects the document to be presented or released as mentioned in section 31; and

(f) if access to the document is refused—the reasons for the refusal; and

(g) details of any public interest considerations on which the decision was based; and

(h) the name and designation of the officer who made the decision; and

(i) the rights of review conferred by this Act in relation to the decision, the procedures to be followed for exercising the rights and the time within which an application for review must be made.

(3) An agency or Minister is not required to include any exempt matter in the notice.

(4) This section does not apply in relation to a decision an agency's principal officer or a Minister is taken to have made under section 27(5).