Board Pay

Dear B Spreadbury
Thank you for your Freedom of Information request dated 26 October 2009 in which you asked for information regarding any pay settlement for Board members
The information you requested is being withheld under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA 2000). The Pay Committee has met and has made provisional decisions regarding Senior Civil Service (SCS) pay. These decisions have not yet been communicated to individual SCS members of staff. It is unclear at this time when the pay award will be implemented and subsequently when this information will be available.
The exemption that applies to this information is section 22 of the FOIA 2000. This states:- Information is exempt information if—
(a) the information is held by the public authority with a view to its publication, by the authority or any other person, at some future date (whether determined or not),
(b) the information was already held with a view to such publication at the time when the request for information was made, and
(c) it is reasonable in all the circumstances that the information should be withheld from disclosure until the date referred to in paragraph (a).
The FOIA 2000 provides that, in the case of non-absolute exemptions, a public authority has to decide: whether the public interest in refusing the request outweighs the public interest in releasing the information requested. The “Public interest test” was applied to your request and Land Registry has reached the conclusion that the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosure as the decision has not been communicated to individual members.
If you have any queries about this letter, please contact me.
If you are dissatisfied with this response to your request, you may seek an internal review by writing to:
Mike Westcott-Rudd
Head of Corporate Legal Services
Land Registry Head office
Lincoln’s Inn Fields
London
WC2A 3PH
Email: [email address]
If you are not content with the outcome of the internal review, you have the right to apply directly to the Information Commissioner (ICO) for a decision. Generally, the ICO cannot make a decision unless you have exhausted the complaints procedure provided by Land Registry. The Information Commissioner can be contacted at: The Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF.
Yours sincerely
Freedom of information Officer

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Dear B Spreadbury
Thank you for your follow up questions in your email of 5 November 2009.

In relation to your question concerning the two pay committees, I have been informed that there is now only one pay committee for Land Registry Senior Civil Service (SCS) staff. Please note that the Ministry of Justice considers the Chief Land Registrar and Chief Executive’s pay.

In reply to your three questions:-
(a) The pay year for SCS staff runs from 1 April to 31 March.
(b) I am informed that the recommendations were considered at the pay committee meeting on 18 September 2009
(c) The outcome of the Pay committees’ considerations will be made known to SCS staff once the pay award for other Land Registry staff has been finalised (no date at present).

The Annual Report publishes the salary bands for each Board Member. The Annual Report is available from our website, www.landregistry.gov.uk. Please note that under section 21 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, we are not required to provide information in response to a request if it is already reasonably accessible to you.

If you have any queries about this email, please contact me.

If you are dissatisfied with this response to your request, you may seek an internal review by writing to:
Mike Westcott-Rudd
Head of Corporate Legal Services
Land Registry Head office
Lincoln’s Inn Fields
London
WC2A 3PH
Email: [email address]

If you are not content with the outcome of the internal review, you have the right to apply directly to the Information Commissioner (ICO) for a decision. Generally, the ICO cannot make a decision unless you have exhausted the complaints procedure provided by Land Registry. The Information Commissioner can be contacted at: The Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF.
Yours sincerely

Freedom of Information Officer

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Dear B Spreadbury

I am sorry I have not been able to present you with the information you have requested.
The only publication in relation to Senior Civil Servant (SCS) pay is in the annual report. This sets out the remuneration policy for the SCS, the pay committee structure (changed this year to one pay committee) and the remuneration for Board members.
A Board member's individual pay is exempt under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. The exemption that applies is section 40. This states:-

Any information to which a request for information relates is exempt information if it constitutes personal data of which the applicant is the data subject.

Release of the information would breach the terms of the Data Protection Act 1998.

If you have any queries about this letter, please contact me.

If you are dissatisfied with this response to your request, you may seek an internal review by writing to:
Mike Westcott-Rudd Head of Corporate Legal Services
Land Registry Head office
Lincoln’s Inn Fields
London
WC2A 3PH
Email: [email address]

If you are not content with the outcome of the internal review, you have the right to apply directly to the Information Commissioner (ICO) for a decision. Generally, the ICO cannot make a decision unless you have exhausted the complaints procedure provided by Land Registry. The Information Commissioner can be contacted at: The Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF.

Yours sincerely

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