The Office of Government Commerce have, after being prompted by the Office of the Information Commissioner, clarified slightly the information which they held at the time of our FOIA request back in January 2005, regarding the Gateway Reviews of the Home Office's Identity Cards Programme.
Is it worth asking for this newly revealed document: a draft version of the "Technical Risk Assessment of an Entitlement Cards Scheme" dated 17th March 2003. ?
We are expecting a Preliminary Decision Notice, from the Office of the Information Commissioner, but not before the end of October (our original appeal was back in April), as it appears that lawyers are being consulted.
We see no reason why these Gateway Reviews cannot be released to the public, with the names and identifying details of any of the individual civil servants or external consultants censored or redacted. There is , by definition, no commercially sensitive information such as tender bid prices in these reports, as the official procurement phase has not yet begun, even today.
The test of the "print only , no copy and paste" Adobe .pdf file which they sent:
OGC Office for Government CommerceAAA BBB
Head of information Management
Tel: 01603 704nnn
Fax: 01603 704817
e-mail: AAA.BBB@ogc.gsi.gov.ukby email to [email address]
3 October 2005
Dear Mr XXX
FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT REQUEST
REFERENCE NO. NNNN
I refer to your request under the above legislation for information about the home Office Identity Cards Programme. You requested the two pre-Stage Zero and th eactual Stage Zero Gateway Reviews of the identity Cards Programme being run by the Home Office.In our letter to you of 1st February 2005 we incorrectly stated tha the Office of Government Commerce holds the information you requested.
In the course of investigating your complaint the information Commissioner's Office has advised OGC to clarify the information that we hold.
Of the information you requested OGC holds:
- two Gateway Zero reports - June 2003 and January 2004
- a draft version of the "Technical Risk Assessment of an Entitlement Cards Scheme" dated 17 March 2003. This is the only information we hold tht pre-dates the Gateway Zero reports.
We did not consider the Technical Risk Assessment when answering your request as the Home Office hold a final version of the Information and it was being dealt with in their response to your simultaneous request to them. I am sorry we not make this explicit in our correspondence with you.
Yours sincerely
AAA BBB
Head of Information Management
Office of Government Commerce, Rosebury Court, St. Andrew's Business Park, Norwich, NR7 0HS1 T: 01903 704704 F: 01903 704817 Service Desk: 0845 000 4999 E: service.desk@ogc.gosi.gov.uk W: ogc.gov.uk
Leave a comment