Sir or Madam,

Email: [email address]

Our reference: FOICR 9115/08

14 April 2008

Dear Sir or Madam,

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION REQUEST

Thank you for your email of 14 March to the Home Office concerning an article in Marketing Week which indicated that the Home Office was seeking a marketing agency to promote the National Identity Scheme. You have asked for information on the total anticipated budget for the campaign. Your email was sent to us for to reply.

After a thorough search, I regret to inform you that the Identity and Passport Service (IPS) does not hold the information that you have requested. The Marketing Week article was based on assumption rather than fact. It was premature in its assumption, in that no approach to any marketing agency has yet been made to promote the National Identity Scheme and no firm budget has yet been allocated for such work.

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 below address quoting reference FOICR 9115/08:

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 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.

I realise that this response may be a disappointment to you. However I would like to assure you that a thorough search was conducted and that I am confident that we do not hold the information that you asked for.

Yours faithfully,

On behalf of the Identity and Passport Service

For advice on how and where to obtain a passport,

call the Passport Adviceline on 0870 521 0410

(24 hours a day, 7 days a week).

You can also email [email address]

or visit www.ips.gov.uk

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