Mr R Varley Ref: FOI 1100/10

Date: 14/04/2010

E-Mail:

[FOI #30505 email]

Dear Mr Varley,

Thank you for your correspondence which has been considered to be a request for information in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOI 2000).

Your request: Copies of all formal grievances raised on a PPPA form 82 since January 2009, supporting statements and supporting documentation.

The Department is committed to ensuring that all employees have an opportunity to raise issues and concerns relating to employment through a structured process. Wherever possible, employees are encouraged to resolve grievances locally and informally.  However, where the informal approach is inappropriate, where the employee is unwilling to attempt informal resolution, or where the employee is dissatisfied with the outcome of informal resolution, then employees may raise the grievance formally by raising PPPA form 82.

I can confirm that in excess of 250 cases have been recorded since January 2009 but unfortunately to collate this data would involve an excessive level of investigative work. This data is not held within one database and collation would unfortunately fall within the remit of disproportionate cost. Also, due to the nature of the supporting data you seek, consideration must be given as to whether any release would lead to either an individual or department being identified. In such circumstances we have an obligation under the Act to protect the personal data involved, especially where it may have been presented to the department in confidence.

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 MOD therefore will be simultaneously posting the information you requested, together with any related information that will provide a key to its wider context, in our online FOI Disclosure Log at http://www.foi.mod.uk.

If you are not satisfied with this response or you wish to complain about any aspect of the handling of your request, then you should contact me in the first instance. If informal resolution is not possible and you are still dissatisfied then you may apply for an independent internal review by contacting the Head of Corporate Information, 6th Floor, MOD Main Building, Whitehall, SW1A 2HB (e-mail [email address]). Please note that any request for an internal review must be made within 40 working days of the date on which the attempt to reach informal resolution has come to an end.

If you remain dissatisfied following an internal review, you may take your complaint to the Information Commissioner under the provisions of Section 50 of the Freedom of Information Act. Please note that the Information Commissioner will not investigate your case until the MOD internal review process has been completed. Further details of the role and powers of the Information Commissioner can be found on the Commissioner's website, http://www.ico.gov.uk.

Yours sincerely,

^{Under s12(1) (3) and (5) of the FOIA 2000 a public authority is not obliged to comply with a request for information if it estimates that the cost of complying with the request would exceed the `appropriate limit'. The limit is currently set at approximately £600.00, based on £25.00 per hour unit costs / three and a half days work.}

^{Unfortunately because of the relatively small number of employees represented by this data release could inadvertently result in the identification of individuals. Therefore, the data is exempt from release under Section 40(2) and 40(3) (a) (i) of the Act. S40 is an absolute exemption and applies to any information which constitutes personal data (as defined in S1 (1) of the Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA98). Where release of data would contravene any of the data protection principles then the information is exempt.}

Info. & Data Compliance

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