R Soles [[FOI #9154 email]]

23 July 2009

Dear Mr Soles

FoI Act - Request for Information (Ref 429/1009)

I am writing in connection with your request for information of 9 March 2009 under the Freedom of Information Act. I apologise for the delay in replying. In that request you ask for:

On a yearly basis from 2000 onwards, unless of course money was paid to Common Purpose from an earlier period, in which case please, include information from the earlier period.

1. Name all employees who have attended a Common Purpose course?

2. How much money has been paid to this organisation?

3. Please provide copies of invoices/receipts.

The table below gives the information we hold for the total expenditure by the Department on Common Purpose training programmes for the last four years for which figures are available:

Table 1

Unfortunately, I am unable to provide any further breakdown to the information provided in Table 1. I estimate that the cost of complying with this aspect of your request would exceed the appropriate limit of £600. The appropriate limit has been specified in regulations and for central Government it is set at £600. This represents the estimated cost of one person spending 3½ working days in determining whether the Department holds the information, and locating, retrieving and extracting the information. Under section 12 of the Freedom of Information Act the Department is not obliged to comply with your request and we will not be processing your request further.

If you are not satisfied with my handling of your request please tell me why within two calendar months of the date of this letter. I will then arrange for someone to conduct an internal review of your request and the handling of it. The review will be conducted by another officer, usually of a more senior grade to me. This person will have taken no part in the original handling of your request. You will be advised you of the reviewing officer's decision in writing.

If you are not content with the outcome of the internal review you have the right to apply directly to the Information Commissioner to look into the way your request has been handled. Please note that generally the Commissioner cannot make a decision unless you have first exhausted DWP's own complaints procedure. The Commissioner can be contacted at:

FoI Complaints Resolution

Information Commissioner's Office

Wycliffe House

Water Lane

Wilmslow

Cheshire

SK9 5AF

Fax: 01625 524 510

Email: [email address]

If you have any queries about this letter, please contact me. Please remember to quote the reference number above in any future communications.

Yours sincerely

Central FoI Team