Dear Ms. Cassidy,

Freedom of Information request (our ref. 11667): internal review

Thank you for your e-mail of the 15 May 2009 and 5 June 2009, in which you asked for an internal review of our response to your Freedom of Information (FoI) request about the security clearance procedures of social workers co-located with UK Border Agency staff on UK Border Agency premises. I apologise for the length of time that it has taken to conclude this matter.

I have now completed the review. I have examined all the relevant papers, and have consulted the policy unit which provided the original response. I have considered whether the correct procedures were followed. I confirm that I was not involved in the initial handling of your request.

My main conclusion is that the original response was substantially correct, although the UK Border Agency were at fault in not replying within the time limit and in not providing an answer to question 7 of your request and therefore are in breach of sections 1(1)(a) and 10(1) of the FoI Act. Section 1(1)(a) was breached because you were not correctly informed that the Home Office does not hold the information you asked for in question 7. My detailed findings are set out in the attached report.

This completes the internal review process by the UK Border Agency. The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) have been in contact about this case as a result of you contacting them about it. We will also send a copy of the outcome of this review to the ICO. Should you be dissatisfied with this response the ICO will consider the case further on your behalf.

Yours sincerely

Mr. Stephen Quick

Information Access Policy Team

Resource Management Group

UK Border Agency