14 November 2008

Mr F Robinson

Via email ([FOI #4046 email])

Our ref: CS/08/0099/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 Robinson

Request for information

In your email of 11 November, you asked us to confirm or deny that the Ombudsmen and their staff fall under s1(1)(a)(iii) of the Malicious Communications Act 1988.

The answer is yes, because that section of the Act applies to `any person'.

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)