Dear Mr Elibank

Re: Freedom of Information Request

I am writing in response to your request for information which was submitted online on 4th February 2010. We have considered your request under the terms of the Freedom of Information Act 2000. You requested the following information:

“May I ask for all information you happen to have on the subject of the Post Office Investigation Branch and the Post Office Security Investigation Services, particularly with reference to their policing and/or investigative powers, staffing, history, activities, and so on.”

To retrieve all information which potentially falls within the scope of your request would significantly exceed the appropriate cost limit for dealing with requests for information, which is set under section 12(1) of the Freedom of Information Act. The appropriate limit for Royal Mail Group is set at £450. This represents the estimated cost of one person spending 18 hours in determining whether we hold the information, and in locating, retrieving and extracting the information. Recorded information covering all aspects of our security department's operations would technically fall within the scope of your request and would take far longer than 18 hours to retrieve all such information. Consequently, we are not obliged to comply with the request.

However, we are able to provide you with a brief history of security within Royal Mail - a copy of which I have enclosed. The British Postal Museum and Archive (BPMA) may also be a useful point of reference for you. Their website address is www.postalheritage.org.uk.

It may be possible to retrieve further information within the cost-limit if you are able to narrow the scope of your request. If there is specific recorded information that you wish to request please contact us again and we will happy to assist you. Please note that any reformulated request we receive from you will need to be treated as a fresh FOI request and the cost-limit or other exemptions may still apply - for example where disclosure would prejudice security operations.

I hope that the information provided is helpful. However, if for any reason you are not satisfied with this response, you do have the right to request a review. If you wish to do so please set out in writing your grounds of appeal and send to the Head of Information Compliance, Royal Mail Group, Company Secretary's Office, 100 Victoria Embankment, LONDON, EC4Y 0HQ. An internal panel will then review the request, and you will be advised of the outcome

If, having requested an internal review by Royal Mail, you are still not satisfied with our response you also have a right of appeal to the Information Commissioner at:

Information Commissioner's Office

Wycliffe House

Water Lane

Wilmslow

Cheshire

SK9 5AF

Telephone: 01625 545 700

www.informationcommissioner.gov.uk

Cont…

04^th March 2010