Third-party application for redaction of information fails

An appeal is to be heard in a case between an associate of Mr Mellor and HMRC relating to the tax treatment of a payment made by a bank under a settlement agreement. 

The bank which is not party to the that litigation made an application to the tribunal for ‘certain commercially sensitive matters’ to be redacted from the eventual publication of the tribunal’s decision on the appeal. These matters included the name of the bank the amount of the settlement and any information which might enable a member of the public to identify either the bank or the sum. 

Its reason for the request was that it was  concerned that because banks operate in a commercial environment where they are regarded as having ‘deep pockets’ by potential claimants the approach taken by any bank  to the management of its litigation exposure including appetite for and...