Our Ref: DE00000417165
17 June 2009
Dear Mr Brooks
Thank you for your email of 28 May requesting, under the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act, details of the number of practitioners who have by now been registered in each of the three disciplines currently open for registration.
The Department of Health does not hold information about the numbers of applications received, accepted and rejected in any of the three disciplines which are currently eligible to register with the CNHC.
You also mention that you had not, at the time of your request, received a reply to your earlier request, our ref. DE00000407770. I am sorry to learn that you did not receive our reply, which was sent to you on 11 May. I have therefore attached a copy of this, below, for your convenience.
I hope that this is helpful. 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
Richmond House
79 Whitehall,
London
SW1A 2NS
Email:
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xx.xxx.xxx.xxIf 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
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
Yours sincerely,
Colin McDonald
FOI Casework Advisor
Department of Health
ANNEX: DH response to DE00000407770, sent on 11 May 2009
8 May 2009
DE00000407770
Dear Mr Brooks,
Thank you for your email of 22 April requesting, under the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act, a list of practitioners registered with the Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council (CNHC) and minutes from CNCH board meetings. Your email has been passed to me for reply.
The Department of Health does not hold the information you have requested.
However, I will try and clarify the points you raise.
The Department understands that the CNHC has a direct relationship with its registrants, not with their professional bodies, known as Professional Associations (PAs). We are advised that the CNHC and the PAs have good collegiate relationships, and that some of the PAs are recommending to their members that they should apply to register with the CNHC. However, the PAs cannot register their members with the CNHC. Rather, individual practitioners have to apply to the CNHC if they wish to be admitted to the register.
As the CNHC is not a public body they are not obliged to provide this information in response to a FOI request. In common with other regulators, it is not possible to view an entire register on-line. However, members of the public can search the register and find a therapist by name, postcode or registration number.
As far as your second paragraph refers, the CNHC Board will, with effect from their meeting in May, be making decisions from their meetings available on the CNHC website. The committee meeting minutes will not be publicly available as the function of the committees is to advise and report to the Board.
I hope this reply is helpful.
If you have any queries about this email, 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
Richmond House
79 Whitehall,
London
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 (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:
The Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
Yours sincerely,
David Winks
Freedom of Information Team
Department of Health