xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx.xxx
Our ref: DE00000413477
20 May 2009
Dear Mr Hannay,
Thank you for your email of 13 May to the Department of Health requesting, under the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act, advice on how to frame a future FOI request that you intend to make regarding a list of expenses claimed by Ben Bradshaw for 2008/9. Your email has been passed to me for reply.
We have considered your question and would be grateful if you could clarify whether you are referring to expenses in Mr Bradshaw’s capacity as Minister of State for Health Services or as a Member of Parliament (MP).
If you are able to clarify, please notify us and we will offer as much advice as possible to help you frame your request. Please note that MPs’ expenses are not held by the Department, so, should this be the focus of your enquiry, you may wish to redirect it directly to the House of Commons, for which contact details are available at: www.parliament.uk.
Section 1(3) of the FOI Act states:
Where a public authority?
(a) reasonably requires further information in order to identify and locate the information requested, and
(b) has informed the applicant of that requirement,
the authority is not obliged to comply with subsection (1) unless it is supplied with that further information.
Therefore, until we receive such clarification, we will not be able to process your request further.
If you have any queries about this response, please contact me. Please remember to quote the reference number above in any future communications.
If you are dissatisfied with the handling of your request, you have the right to ask for an internal review. Internal review requests should be submitted within two months of the date of receipt of the response to your original letter and should be addressed to:
Head of the Freedom of Information Team
Department of Health
Room 317
79
SW1A 2NS
Email: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xx.xxx.xxx.xx
If you are not content with the outcome of your complaint, you may apply directly to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) for a decision. Generally, the ICO cannot make a decision unless you have exhausted the complaints procedure provided by the Department. The ICO can be contacted at:
Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
SK9 5AF
Yours sincerely,
William Scott
Freedom of Information Officer