UK FOIA requests - Spy Blog: Home Office still in breach of the Freedom of Information Act re ID Cards Programme team meeting diaries, agenda and expenses

The Home Office have still not complied with our FOIA request for the official meeting diaries, agenda and expenses of senior members of the Home Office Identity Cards Programme team.

This is despite promising to reply "within 15 days" after they were already a week beyond the statutory 20 working days time limit.

Is this a deliberate tactic of neiither complying with the request, nor formally denying it, designed to delay the whole issue until after the forthcoming election ?

Will the attitude change once the Civil Service takes over the running of the country during the General Election period, or will they simply make no Freedom of Information Act decisions at all during this period ?

Is it worth initiating a Home Office Internal Review into these delays, before any refusal or disclosure ?

Subject: Re: Freedom of Information Request - a month has elapsed since the statutory period expired
Date: Thu, 31 Mar 2005 16:25:58 +0100
From: XXX
To: AAA.BBB
CC: public.enquiries@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk

Is there any progress on my Freedom of Information Act request ? It is
now a month since the statutory period of 20 working days expired.

Would it help if the answers to my request were to be broken down into
sections, e.g. diaries separate from expenses, if one of them is
proving difficult to assemble, due to staff holidays etc. ?

regards

XXX

>Date: Wed, 9 Mar 2005 17:24:34 -0000
>AAA BBB wrote:
>
> Dear XXX,
>
> Thank you for your email. Once again I apologise for the delay.
> Our priority is to give full and proper consideration to your
> request.
>
> You should receive a full reply within the next 15 working days. I > would like to assure you that we are dealing with your request as a > matter of urgency.
>
> Regards,
>
> AAA BBB
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: XXX
> Sent: 07 March 2005 3:34 PM
> To: AAA BBB
> Subject: Re: Freedom of Information Request - another week has elapsed
>
> Dear AAA
>
> Is there any update regarding my Freedom of Information Act request,
> which you wrote to me about on 28th February 2005 ? Another week
> has now elapsed.
>
> regards
>
> XXX
>
> >Thank you for your email received on 31 January in which you
> >request the official meeting diaries, >agendas of meetings,
> >travel and entertainment expenses involving Katharine Courtney,
> >Stephen Harrison, and the post of Head of Marketing, from
> >September 2001.
>
> >I regret that we are unable to comply with your request within 20
> >working days, as required by the Freedom of Information Act. This
> >is because further consideration is required. I would like to
> >offer my apologies for this delay and for any inconvenience that
> >this may cause. However I would like to assure you that we are
> >dealing with your request as a matter of urgency, and that we will
> >send you a full reply shortly.
>
> >If you have any queries about the handling of your information
> >request in the meantime then please >do not hesitate to contact me.
>