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Information Acceess Team

Shared Services Directorate

2 Marsham Street, London SW1P 4DF

Switchboard 020 7035 4848 Fax: 020 7035 4745 Textphone: 020 7035 xxxx

E-mail: Info.Access@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk Website: www.homeoffice.gov.uk

Mr John Reith

[FOI #8555 email] Ref CR 11792

May 27, 2009

Dear Mr Reith

I am writing further to my previous correspondence about a complaint you raised about the time being taken by the Home Office to issue a response to your Freedom of Information ([Author ID1: at Tue May 19 14:48:00 2009 ]FOI)[Author ID1: at Tue May 19 14:48:00 2009 ] request concerning the suspension of the former Deputy Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police John Stalker from duty in 1986 and his removal from what was commonly known as the "shoot to kill" inquiry in Northern Ireland.

Your original request was received by the department on 2^nd March 2009. In order to comply with section 10(1) of the FOI [Author ID1: at Tue May 19 14:48:00 2009 ]Act, you should have received a final response to this request by 30^th March that being the 20th working day following receipt of the request. Although the FOI Act does allow the deadline to be extended (under section 10(3)) where nece[Author ID1: at Tue May 19 14:44:00 2009 ]ssary to allow for [Author ID1: at Tue May 19 14:45:00 2009 ]consideration[Author ID1: at Tue May 19 14:45:00 2009 ] of the public interest test in relation to qualified exemptions, you must be informed of this [Author ID1: at Tue May 19 14:45:00 2009 ]within[Author ID1: at Tue May 19 14:45:00 2009 ] the [Author ID1: at Tue May 19 14:45:00 2009 ]original[Author ID1: at Tue May 19 14:45:00 2009 ] 20 working days. No such letter was sent and [Author ID1: at Tue May 19 14:45:00 2009 ]section 10(1) is therefore breached.[Author ID1: at Tue May 19 14:46:00 2009 ] [Author ID1: at Tue May 19 14:45:00 2009 ]

I am aware of the fact that you have still not received a response to your request. I offer my sincere apologies for this. However, I understand that an apology was issued on 8^th May, and action is now being taken to ensure that the request is dealt with as a matter of urgency.

Should you be dissatisfied with my comments above, about the length of time taken to answer your request, you have a further right of complaint to the Information Commissioner (address at Annex A). If you are dissatisfied with the final response once it is sent to you, you may request an internal review of its content by writing to the address that will be [Author ID1: at Tue May 19 14:46:00 2009 ]provided in that letter[Author ID1: at Tue May 19 14:46:00 2009 ].

Yours sincerely

Diana Pottinger

Annex A

Should you remain dissatisfied with the outcome of this case following this internal review you have a further right of complaint to the Information Commissioner. The Commissioner can be contacted at:

Information Commissioner's Office

Wycliffe House

Water Lane

Wilmore

Cheshire

SK9 5AF