Peter Collingbourne

Email: request-4419-91aa287f@whatdotheyknow.com

Reference: FOICR 12395/09

7 August 2009

Dear Mr Collingbourne,

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION REQUEST

Thank you for your request of 10 July 2009 in which you ask three follow up queries regarding contractual documents relating to the contracts to support the National Identity Service.

You firstly asked on what date the Identity and Passport Service (IPS) made a decision to embark on an exercise to release further contractual information.

IPS gained Ministerial approval to embark on this exercise on 1 July 2009.

Secondly you asked if the contract summaries are planned to be redacted versions of the full contracts or separately drafted documents and if the former are the redactions planned to be only those allowed by the Freedom of Information Act. Also, what was the date on which the plans to referred to in this question were made?

The documents will be summaries of the contracts awarded. Where possible this will use the documents themselves unaltered and where this is not possible due to a commercial, security or technical sensitivity we would provide a précis of the relevant document. We will also include the reasons for not releasing the information, under which part of the Freedom of Information Act this has been made and an indication of how long such a position is likely to be maintained. We do not intend to publish a redacted version of the actual contract documentation. The decision to produce the contract summaries was, as stated earlier, made following Ministerial approval on the 1^st July 2009.

Thirdly you asked IPS to confirm or deny whether IPS holds a draft of its summary of the Thales contract.

IPS does not hold a draft summary of the Thales contract. Work has already been commissioned to produce the summaries and this work continues.

If you are dissatisfied with this response you may request an independent internal review of our handling of your request by submitting your complaint to the address below quoting reference FOICR 12395/08.

Information Rights Team
Information and Record Management Service
Home Office
4th Floor, Seacole Building
2 Marsham Street
London
SW1P 4DF

Email: [email address]

During the independent review the department's handling of your information request will be reassessed by members of staff who were not involved in providing you with this response. Should you remain dissatisfied after this internal review, you will have a right of complaint to the Information Commissioner as established by section 50 of the Freedom of Information Act.

Yours faithfully

On behalf of James Hall

Chief Executive & Registrar General

Passport Adviceline: 0300 222 0000 (24 hours a day, seven days a week).

Email us at [Identity & Passport Service request email]. Visit our website at www.ips.gov.uk.

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Headquarters

Parliamentary & Correspondence Management Team

8^th Floor, Globe House

89 Eccleston Square

London

SW1V 1PN

Tel (0300) 222 0000

Fax (0870) 336 9175

Email [Identity & Passport Service request email]

Web www.ips.gov.uk