Heather Brooke

[By email: [FOI #15303 email]]

Ivan Pocock

Department for Transport

Information Rights Unit

Zone D/04

Ashdown House

Sedlescombe Rd North

St Leonards on Sea

East Sussex

TN37 7GA

Web Site: www.dft.gov.uk

20^th August 2009

Freedom of Information Request F0005554

Dear Ms Brooke,

I am writing to confirm that the Department has now completed its search for the information which you originally requested on 28^th July 2009 and clarified for us on the 5^th August 2009. You asked for:

“Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 I seek the following information about the Department's staffing and funding for publicity and communications. I would like this information broken down annually for the past three years up to the time this request is answered. The years may be financial or calendar, whichever is convenient, but please keep them consistent.

1. The number of staff (full-time equivalent) working in marketing,

external communications and press offices.

2. The number of dedicated Freedom of Information officers

(full-time equivalent).

3. Total staffing cost of marketing, external communications and

press officers.

4. Total staffing cost of dedicated Freedom of Information staff.

5. Total spending on marketing, external communications and press

offices.

6. Total spending on Freedom of Information.

7. If the department produces a newsletter then the name of this

publication and all associated costs.”

As previously advised I am responding to you in relation to questions 2, 4 & 6 only. Colleagues in our Communications Directorate will respond separately in relation to questions 1, 3, 5 &7.

The Department was formed in 2002 and is made up of a central Department and seven Executive Agencies. This response includes both the central Department and our Executive Agencies.

2. The number of dedicated Freedom of Information officers

(full-time equivalents).

Key to the Grade Structure

G6 = Grade 6

PB6 / G7 = Grade 7

PB5 / SEO = Senior Executive Officer

PB4/HEO = Higher Executive Officer

PB3/EO = Executive Officer

PB2/AO = Administrative Officer

Central Department

Please note the central department's dedicated FOI Team was relocated from London to Hastings during Financial Year 2008/09.

Vehicle & Operator Services Agency

Vehicle Certification Agency

Maritime & Coastguard Agency

Highways Agency

Driver Vehicle & Licensing Agency

Driving Standards Agency

Government Car & Despatch Agency

The Government Car & Despatch Agency does not have dedicated Freedom of Information Officers due to the size of the Agency and the fact that they receive so few FOI requests in any one year. However procedures are in place to allocate requests across the Agency based on the subject matter.  

4. Total staffing cost of dedicated Freedom of Information staff.

As per your clarification e-mail of the 5^th August we are providing you with the salary scales (minimum to maximum with salary steps in between) of the identified grades in question 2. Please note that not all staff will be on either the maximum or the minimum of the scale. As a rough guide the average salary would be the middle point of each salary scale. The salary scales are shown at Annex A to this letter.

6. Total spending on Freedom of Information.

The Department does not hold a total spending figure on Freedom of Information as you describe in your clarification e-mail of the 5^th August 2009.

Responsibility for handling and deciding the response to FOI requests is delegated to Divisional Managers or equivalent at Senior Civil Service pay band 1 level or above in the appropriate area of the central department, or one of our 7 Executive Agencies depending on the actual subject area.

The requests will be further delegated to a relevant member of staff to identify and locate the information and to recommend the appropriate response to the decision taker. Many requests require input from more than one division and/ or Agency. As a result, potentially any member of staff within the department could be involved in handling a request as a task alongside their day-to-day duties. However, we do have a small team dedicated to Information Rights policy and advice on complex cases, who support case-handling within the department, monitor performance and deliver training. Each Agency has a similar control team varying between one and four staff.

The last time any such exercise was undertaken was in 2005 when we responded to an FOI request relating to the Department's spend on start up costs for the FOI regime. I enclose a link to the response on our FOI disclosure log in case you find it useful.

http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20090303092156/http://www.dft.gov.uk/foi/responses/2005/apr/internalauditoffoi/

We have therefore estimated that the cost of complying with this part of your request would exceed £600. Section 12 of the Act (the full text of which is attached at Annex B) does not oblige the Department to comply with requests that exceed this limit, and we are therefore refusing this part of your request.

If you send us a new, more specific request, we will consider if that can be dealt with within the limit. This may include specifying a particular element(s) of FOI expenditure for a particular area of the Department.

In keeping with the spirit and effect of the Freedom of Information Act, all information is assumed to be releasable to the public unless exempt.  The Department will, therefore, be simultaneously releasing to the public the information you requested, together with any related information that will provide a key to its wider context.

If you are unhappy with the way the Department has handled your request or with the decisions made in relation to your request you may complain within two calendar months of the date of this letter by writing to the Department's Information Rights Unit at:

Zone D/04

Ashdown House

Sedlescombe Road North

Hastings

East Sussex TN37 7GA

E-mail: [email address].uk   

Please see attached details of DfT's complaints procedure and your right to complain to the Information Commissioner.from [department] you may ask for an internal review. You should contact [name of official and address] if you wish to complain

If you have any queries about this letter, please contact me. Please remember to quote the reference number above in any future communications.

Yours sincerely,

Ivan Pocock

Your right to complain to [DfT/Agency] and the Information Commissioner

You have the right to complain within two calendar months of the date of this letter about the way in which your request for information was handled and/or about the decision not to disclose all or part of the information requested. In addition a complaint can be made that DfT has not complied with its FOI publication scheme.

Your complaint will be acknowledged and you will be advised of a target date by which to expect a response. Initially your complaint will be re-considered by the official who dealt with your request for information. If, after careful consideration, that official decides that his/her decision was correct, your complaint will automatically be referred to a senior independent official who will conduct a further review. You will be advised of the outcome of your complaint and if a decision is taken to disclose information originally withheld this will be done as soon as possible.

If you are not content with the outcome of the internal review, you have the right to apply directly to the Information Commissioner for a decision. The Information Commissioner can be contacted at:

 Information Commissioner's Office
 Wycliffe House
 Water Lane
 Wilmslow
 Cheshire
 SK9 5AF

Annex A - Salary Scales

Central Department

The central departments FOI Team was relocated from London to Hastings during Financial Year 2008/09. I have therefore listed below the London and National pay scales for the central department for the grades that have been identified in question 2.

2008

London scales

G7 46446, 47552, 48658, 49764, 50870, 51976, 53082, 54188, 55294, 56400

SEO 36080, 36960, 37840, 38720, 39600, 40480, 41360, 42240

HEO 30287, 31024, 31761, 32498, 33235, 33972, 34710

EO 25533, 26148, 26763, 27378, 27992

AO 22295, 22825, 23355

National scales

G7 42643, 43658, 44673, 45688, 46703, 47718, 48733, 49748, 50766, 51781

SEO 33516, 34332, 35148, 35964, 36780, 37596, 38409, 39225

HEO 27653, 28326, 28999, 29672, 30345, 31018, 31694

EO 22838, 23388, 23938, 24488, 25038

AO 19426, 19889, 20355

2007

London scales

G7 44234, 45340, 46446, 47552, 48658, 49764, 50870, 51976, 53082, 54188, 55292

SEO 35200, 36080, 36960, 37840, 38720, 39600, 40480, 41358

HEO 29550, 30287, 31024, 31761, 32498, 33235, 33972, 34710

EO 24640, 25255, 25870, 26485, 27100, 27714

AO 21235, 21765, 22295, 22825, 23355

National scales

G7 40613, 41628, 42643, 43658, 44673, 45688, 46703, 47718, 48733, 49748, 50766

SEO 32700, 33516, 34332, 35148, 35964, 36780, 37596, 38409

HEO 26980, 27653, 28326, 28999, 29672, 30345, 31018, 31694

EO 22040, 22590, 23140, 23690, 24240, 24790

AO 18050, 18501, 18952, 19403, 19853

2006

London Scales

G7 43366, 44450, 45534, 46618, 47702, 48786, 49870, 50954, 52038, 53122, 54207

SEO 34328, 35109, 35890, 36671, 37452, 38233, 39014, 39765, 40576, 41358

HEO 28463, 29157, 29851, 30545, 31239, 31933, 32627, 33321, 34015, 34710

EO 24030, 24557, 25084, 25611, 26138, 26665, 27192, 27714

AO 20655, 21135, 21615, 22095, 22575, 23055

National Scales

G7 39816, 40811, 41806, 42801, 43796, 44791, 45786, 46781, 47776, 48771, 49770

SEO 31880, 32605, 33330, 34055, 34780, 35505, 36230, 36955, 37680, 38409

HEO 25990, 26624, 27258, 27892, 28526, 29160, 29794, 30428, 31062, 31694

EO 21493, 21964, 22435, 22906, 23377, 23848, 24319, 24790

AO 17487, 17883, 18279, 18675, 19071, 19463

Vehicle & Operator Services Agency - National Pay Scales

2008/9

HEO 27580, 28863, 29910, 31070

EO 22066, 22973, 23930, 24928

2007/8

HEO 26351, 27307, 28297, 29324, 30231

EO 21260, 21847, 22523, 23461, 24439

2006/7

HEO 25860, 26798, 27770, 28777, 29293

EO 20864, 21621, 22405, 23218, 23960

Vehicle Certification Agency - National Pay Scales

2008

SEO 34550, 36995, 39440, 40665, 41480, 42700

HEO 26000, 29805, 32760, 34450

2007

SEO 33200, 34800, 37200, 38800, 39600, 41200

HEO 25000, 26652, 29956, 33260

2006

SEO 30200, 32160, 35099, 37059, 38038, 39998

HEO 24000, 25658, 28974, 32290

Maritime & Coastguard Agency - National Pay Scales

Highways Agency - National Pay Scales

2008

PB5 29356, 30090, 30843, 31615, 32406, 33217, 34385

2007

PB5 28356, 29065, 29792, 30537, 31301, 32084, 32887, 33710

2006

PB5 27390, 28075, 28777, 29497, 30235, 30991, 31766, 32561

Driver Vehicle & Licensing Agency - National Pay Scales

2008

SEO 31768, 32228, 33166, 34095, 35380

HEO 25322, 25880, 26687, 27493, 28880

EO 19498, 20233, 21414, 23020

AO 16500, 16733, 17725

2007

HEO 24600, 25422, 26245, 27066, 27890

EO 18720, 19875, 21035, 22300

AO 15800, 16405, 17010

2006

SEO 29786, 30309, 31149, 31990, 33185

HEO 23881, 24151, 24952, 25753, 27078

EO 18167, 18916, 20074, 21648

AO 15338, 15649, 16515

Driving Standards Agency - National Pay Scales

Government Car & Despatch Agency

See response to question 2.

Annex B - Section 12 exemption:

Exemption where cost of compliance exceeds appropriate limit

(1) Section 1(1) does not oblige a public authority to comply with a request for information if the authority estimates that the cost of complying with the request would exceed the appropriate limit.

(2) Subsection (1) does not exempt the public authority from its obligation to comply with paragraph (a) of section 1(1) unless the estimated cost of complying with that paragraph alone would exceed the appropriate limit.

(3) In subsections (1) and (2) “the appropriate limit” means such amount as may be prescribed, and different amounts may be prescribed in relation to different cases.

(4) The Secretary of State may by regulations provide that, in such circumstances as may be prescribed, where two or more requests for information are made to a public authority—

(a) by one person, or

(b) by different persons who appear to the public authority to be acting in concert or in pursuance of a campaign,

the estimated cost of complying with any of the requests is to be taken to be the estimated total cost of complying with all of them.

(5) The Secretary of State may by regulations make provision for the purposes of this section as to the costs to be estimated and as to the manner in which they are to be estimated.