9 October 2008

Mr S Hardwicke Carruthers

Via email ([FOI #3192 email])

Our ref: CS/08/0073/HJP

(Please quote our reference when contacting us)

If telephoning contact Hilary Pook on 020 7217 4734

or if using email send to: [email address]

Dear Mr Hardwicke Carruthers

Request for information

In your email of 26 September, you asked whether the CLAE provide electronic access to its datasets to the Audit Commission and other public body [sic].

The Audit Commission, and any other individuals/bodies who care to look for it, have access to the figures on complaints dealt with by the LGOs relating to specific local authorities on our website. There are two sets of figures - one is included with the Ombudsman's annual letter to councils to be found at www.lgo.org.uk/2007-08/index.htm. The other set of data is given in various excel spreadsheets, which show complaints determined against councils (and other authorities, including schools); these can be found on the same page as above or at www.lgo.org.uk/annual.htm. In future, we will be including more than one year's worth of data for both these sets on our website.

You refer in your request to a passworded page on the Audit Commission's website. As I don't have the password I cannot access this. I cannot therefore verify the figures you quote. We have no documents identifying why the Audit Commission's data might be different to that published by the CLAE. Perhaps it is an administrative error?

That concludes my response and I hope you find the information useful. If you feel I have not dealt properly with your request, you have the right to appeal and, should you wish to do so, I can supply a copy our internal complaints procedure. You also have the right to apply to the Information Commissioner to determine whether your request has been properly dealt with. You should note however that the Commissioner will not consider any complaint where you have not first exhausted our internal complaints process or where there has been undue delay in contacting him. You will be able to obtain further details of the Information Commissioner's role from the website on www.ico.gov.uk.

Yours sincerely

Hilary Pook (Ms)

Communications and Records Manager

LGO 01 (03/08)