The Legal Service of the Parliament of the Canary Islands has issued a report concluding that the Government of the Canary Islands lacks a solid "legal basis" to refuse to provide socialist deputy Alicia Vanoostende with the identities of those who have received aid for the La Palma volcano. These subsidies, as of February, amounted to 340 million euros.

The refusal by the regional executive, formed by Coalición Canaria and the Partido Popular, to provide this information has caused discontent among the opposition and division among transparency experts. The Government argues that identifying beneficiaries would violate their privacy and right to honor, as it could reveal their economic situation before the 2021 eruption.

The Executive relies on the General Law on Subsidies and the regulatory order for these aids, which aim to "avoid the disclosure of the condition of being affected by the eruption." It also invokes the Canary Islands' volcano law, which was amended to prevent the disclosure of identities.

Deputy Vanoostende rejected the offer to consult the information in person at the facilities of the Vice-Ministry of Economic and Social Recovery of La Palma, denouncing a violation of her right to political participation as the documentation had not been formally declared secret.

The 24-page report from the Legal Service, dated May 27, describes the Government's stance as "incongruent." The Government, led in this instance by the Ministry of the Presidency under Nieves Lady Barreto, offered in-person consultation while denying formal access. The document points out that the legal route to protect the information would have been to request its declaration as "secret" from the Parliament's Bureau within ten days, which was not done.

The report concludes that the Government's refusal to provide the requested information could "imply an infringement of the right of access to documentation" by public representatives. Three avenues are detailed for the deputy to claim the data: a complaint to the Transparency Commissioner, an administrative litigation appeal, or a resolution proposal to the Plenary of the Parliament.

The socialist group has submitted a resolution proposal for the Chamber to vote to "reject any obstructionist attitude" by the Government and to support Vanoostende's right, demanding the submission of the documentation within "the non-extendable period of one day."

The controversy reached the courts after the Ministry of the Presidency sued the Transparency Commissioner, Noelia García, who advocated for the disclosure of the information. The Commissioner maintains that receiving public funds after a catastrophe is not a "specially protected" data and advocates for transparency to prevent fraud.

The body also questions the Government's retroactive amendment to the Volcanoes Law, intended to "avoid an unfavorable judicial ruling." The Superior Court of Justice of the Canary Islands (TSJC) has set April 14, 2027, for the vote and ruling in this case.