Behavioural Information and the Welfare to work programme

This is an automated confirmation that your request for information has
been received at the DWP Central FoI Team.

We will forward your request to the relevant information owner within the
Department who will respond to you direct.

Should you also have any further queries in connection with this request
do please contact us.

For further information on the Freedom of Information Act within DWP
please click on the link below.

[1]http://www.dwp.gov.uk/freedom-of-informa...

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Dear Mr Thornton

Please see attached response to your FoI request.

Kind regards

DWP Central FoI Team

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This is an automated confirmation that your request for information has
been received at the DWP Central FoI Team.

We will forward your request to the relevant information owner within the
Department who will respond to you direct.

Should you also have any further queries in connection with this request
do please contact us.

For further information on the Freedom of Information Act within DWP
please click on the link below.

[1]http://www.dwp.gov.uk/freedom-of-informa...

show quoted sections

References

Visible links
1. http://www.dwp.gov.uk/freedom-of-informa...

Dear Mr Thornton

Freedom of Information Act - Request for Internal Review
Our Reference: FOI 157/2243

Thank you for your email requesting a review of the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) handling of your previous Freedom of Information request around Work Programme providers.

Please be assured that your request has been given our full consideration and that all aspects of your review were taken fully into account.

The review was conducted by an independent official of the Department, of the relevant grade and authority to carry out such requests. The case has been examined afresh, and guidance has been sought from domain experts to ensure all factors were taken fully into account.

After consideration, the internal review has upheld its original decision as your request was answered and you were provided with the information requested.

In your original request you asked specifically for any information on why the Agencies running the present Work Programme as part of the Welfare to Work system are allowed to prepare "Behavioural" Reports on the Unemployed. What Information is kept, why is it kept and who has access to it.

You also asked for any information on who designed the New Deal Programme and which University Heads acted as Advisors. Where effectively did the Government get their information from in relation to the Unemployed?

In our response of 17 August 2011 we explained that the Department does not require providers to prepare such reports. We provided you with a link to the Work programme guidance (included here again for ease) WP provider guidance and stated that this guidance explained that providers have the freedom to decide how they record activities undertaken with participants, provided they adhere to relevant legislation such as the Data Protection Act. One exception is the Exit Report. If a participant is coming to the end of the Work Programme and they continue with their benefit claim, providers are asked to complete an exit report. In this response we also provided you some information regarding the design of unemployment programmes.

In your review request dated 18 August 2011 you stated specifically that;

You have received a leaflet from my provider which states they can and will compile Behavioural information on the person.

I also asked for information on the names of the Companies to which the unemployed are sent on placements. I can obtain the service providers names, but which companies are using the unemployed on this scheme.

I have not received any information and would like a list from each area. I.e. Tescos have how many? B&Q have how many? How many people do they take on etc.

As previously explained, the behavioural report is not a term that the Department is familiar with. If you can supply us with the name of the Provider that has suggested they will compile a behavioural report, then the Department may be able to provide further information.

Secondly in your review request you state that you asked for information on the names of the companies to which the unemployed are sent on placements. You did not ask for this information in your original request.
We did however consider this as a new request but we estimate that the cost of complying with 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 were to make a new request for a narrower category of information, for example by specifying which Welfare to Work provider or area you require the information for then it may be that we could comply with that request within the appropriate limit , although I cannot guarantee that this will be the case.

Yours sincerely,

Central FoI team

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