We have sent off a request to the Home Office for an Independent Internal Review, regarding the handling of the FOIA request for the meeting diaries etc. of the home Office Identity Cards Programme Team, following the unsatisfactory partial disclosure.
One point worth checking is the address to which paper copies of letters should be sent. Is it to the Information Policy Team in Marsham Street, as the unsatisfactory reply states, or is it to the Home Office Information Access Manager of the Record Management Service, apparently still at the old 50 Queen Anne's Gate offices, as stated on the Home Office FOIA webpage ?
Will our request for a review get "lost" between the two buildings / departments ?
It is necessary to exhaust the internal appeal / review process, before contacting the Information Commissioner.
Information Policy Team
Home Office
4th Floor, Seacole Building
2 Marsham Street
London
SW1P 4DF
To:public.enquiries@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk
info.access@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk
cc:AAA.BBB@homeoffice.gsi.gov.ukattached: home_office_foia.pdf
18th April 2005
Dear Sir or Madam,I formally ask for an Independent Internal Review of the handling of my Freedom of Information Act request.
My request was for the official meeting diaries, agendas of meetings,
travel and entertainment expenses of the senior members of the Home Office Identity Cards programme team, including Katherine Courtney, Stephen Harrison, and whoever fulfilled the role of the new post of Head of Marketing, ideally, from 11 September 2001.I attach the .pdf file reply I received earlier this month from AAA BBB.
This FOIA request was submitted in January, but not answered until April this year, i.e. beyond the statutory 20 working days, and with no formal claim for more time to conduct a public interest balancing exercise.
I also wish the public interest balance to be reviewed, especially about the meeting diaries, in the light of the Parliamentary Answer given to Mark Oaten, the Liberal Democrat Home Affairs spokesman, which listed over 60 organisations which the Home Office Identity Cards Programme Team had had meetings with, or had attended seminars or trade shows organised by private sector lobbyists.
House of Commons Hansard Written Answers for 27 Jan 2005 (pt 8)
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200405/cmhansrd/cm050127/text/50127w08.htm#column_472At the very least, the reply to the FOIA request should have made a
reference to this information, and, in the spirit of the new culture of openness, have provided more details about such meeting e.g. how many times such meetings were held with individual organisations.
I look forward to your reply
yours sincerely[address]
teh Home Office?
Thanks for pointing out the spelling mistake.
Now that the General Election writ is in force, neither Geoff Hoon, nor anybody else, is allowed to style themselves as "MP", until the results are declared.