Our ref: FOI/56547/08/AL

Dear Ms Gant,

Freedom of Information Request

I refer to your email of 13 November 2008, requesting the following information:

“Could you please supply me with the tariffs HM Prison Service is

signed up to for International, National, Local and Mobile phone calls for the inmate telephone system. Could this information please be provided for the previous year in monthly or quarterly breakdowns? (Copies of bills for the last 12 months if possible)

Could you please supply me copies of the current contracts with the telecoms provider for the inmate telephone system”.

I can confirm that the Department holds the information which is relevant to your request, however, the following exemptions applies to the information that you have requested:

Section 31 - Law Enforcement

Section 43 - Commercial Interests

Sections 31 and 43 are qualified exemptions, the Department must consider where balance of the public interest lies in disclosure of the information within the scope of your request.

By virtue of section 10(3), where public authorities have to consider the balance of the public interest in relation to a request, they do not have to comply with the request until such time as is reasonable in the circumstances.

The MoJ has not yet reached a decision on the balance of the public interest. Due to the need to consider, in all the circumstances of the case, where the balance of the public interest lies in relation to the information that you have requested, the Department has not been able to respond to your request in full within 20 working days. I anticipate that it will take us a further 10 working days to respond to your request fully.

I hope to let you have a response by 29 December 2008. If you do not receive my response or further information by then, please contact me.

If you are unhappy with the result of your request for information, you may request an internal review within two calendar months of the date of this letter by writing to Data Access & Compliance Unit, Information Directorate, Ministry of Justice,1^st Floor - Area C, 102 Petty France, London SW1H 9AJ

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.

Yours sincerely

Amrit Lotay (Ms)

Data Access & Compliance Unit

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