Direct Communications Unit

2 Marsham Street, London SW1P 4DF

Switchboard 020 7035 4848 Fax: 020 7035 4745 Textphone: 020 7035 4742

E-mail: [Home Office request email] Website: www.homeoffice.gov.uk

[FOI #9214 email]

Mr Ganesh Sittampalam

Mr Ganesh Sittampala

Reference T4498/9

24 April 2009

Dear Mr Sittampala

Thank you for your email dated 10 March 2009 in which you ask for details of ACPO funding. Your request has been handled in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act 2000 as a request for information.

We believe some of the information you have asked for is already reasonably accessible to you. It can be accessed via the following link -

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200809/cmhansrd/cm090420/text/90420w0033.htm#090421105000011

Section 21 of the Freedom of Information Act exempts the Home Office from complying with the duty to supply you with this information on the grounds that it is already in the public domain. Should you have difficulties in accessing this information by the means listed above please do not hesitate to contact me again.

We hold the information about the associated contracts and other documents detailing what the funding is for which you have requested, but have estimated that the cost of answering your request would exceed the £600 limit and we are therefore unable to comply with it under section 12 of the Act. Although your request would at present be too costly to answer, if you refine it so that it falls under the cost limit we will consider it further. You should be aware that if you break your request down into a series of smaller requests, we might, depending on the circumstances of the case, decline to answer if the aggregated cost of complying exceeds £600, as permitted by the Fees Regulations.

The £600 limit applies to all central government departments and is based on work being carried out at a rate of £25 per hour, which equates to 3½ days work per request. Prescribed costs include those which cover the cost of locating and retrieving information, and preparing our response to you. They do not include considering whether any information is exempt from disclosure, overheads such as heating or lighting, or disbursements such as photocopying or postage.

If you are dissatisfied with this response you may request an independent internal review of our handling of your request by submitting your complaint within two months to the below address quoting reference 11435.

Information and Record Management Service

Home Office

4^th 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.

Yours sincerely

Duncan Mitchell