Dear Sir or Madam,

Firstly, I would like to quote part of a newspaper report in order
to provide you with the source of my personal concerns about the
matter I have referred to in the Summary box you provide regarding
this FOI request by myself.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-...

"The Foreign Office was alerted to fears over Gerry and Kate McCann
by a British diplomat in Portugal just days after their daughter
Madeleine went missing. The diplomat was sent to the holiday resort
of Praia da Luz in the days following the four-year-old's
disappearance and soon became concerned over "inconsistencies" in
the testimonies by her parents and their friends. After visiting
the McCanns, the unnamed diplomat sent a report to the Foreign
Office in London, admitting his worries about "confused
declarations" of the McCanns' movements on the night of May 3.

He also noted the couple's "lack of co-operation" with the
Portuguese police. The diplomat's concerns were made over four
months before Gerry and Kate were named arguidos (suspects) on
September 7. Contents of the letter were leaked to Belgian
newspaper La Dernière Heure over the weekend. The diplomat
expressed his fears after receiving instruction from the Foreign
Office to provide "all possible assistance to the McCann couple".
The French-language paper printed excerpts of the letter, quoting
the diplomat as saying: "With the greatest respect, I would like to
make you aware of the risks and implications to our relationship
with the Portuguese authorities, if you consider the possible
involvement of the couple. "Please confirm to me, in the light of
these concerns, that we want to continue to be closely involved in
the case as was requested in your previous ­message." Although the
Government was quick to assist the McCanns in the days following
Madeleine's disappearance, direct contact with the couple ceased
when they were named as suspects. La Dernière Heure pointed out
that a majority of the diplomats originally involved in the case
have now been taken off it. The then-Prime Minister Tony Blair sent
special envoy Sheree Dodd to act as a "media liaison officer" for
the pair soon after Madeleine vanished. Ms Dodd has since resigned
from the Foreign Office, while the British consul in the Algarve,
Bill Henderson, has retired. John Buck, the British ambassador in
Portugal, no longer works in the country."

Furthermore : BRITISH CONSUL Celia Edwards, who replaced Bill
Henderson upon his retirement, resigned from her post on July 1st
2008, after one year's tenure.

My questions which I request an answer to via the FOI facility are
:

A : Was such a report forwarded to the Foreign Office in early May
2007 ?

B : If so, who was the British Diplomat who forwarded this report ?

C : What was the reply/response from the Foreign Office to this
British Diplomat's report about such concerns ?

D : Why did the Foreign Office provide such an unusual amount of
Diplomatic and Government assistance to the McCann's ?

E : Who was the person, or person's, within the Foreign Office who
seemingly overruled the British Diplomat's concerns ?

I hope that clear and unequivocal answers to my questions about
these matters can be provided via your FOI facility.

Yours faithfully,

A concerned UK taxpayer and voter.

Dear Sir/Madam

Thank you for your request, which we received on the 3rd October 2008.

Section 8(1) of the Freedom of Information Act reads:

In the Act any reference to a "request for information" is a reference to such a request which

(a) is in writing,
(b) states the name of the applicant and an address for correspondance, and
(c) describes the information requested

Therefore, we will be unable to process your request until we receive your contact details.

We can use this e-mail address for further correspondance. However, I would be grateful if you can confirm your name.

Many Thanks

Henry Leitch

Information Rights Group
Information Management Group

show quoted sections

Dear Leitch,

With reference to your query regarding my FOI request to the
Foreign Office of 3rd Oct 2008, I am forwarding my e-mail and name
to you as you request.

Yours sincerely,

Mr M A Dillon. mdillon101@hotmail.com A concerned UK taxpayer and
voter

Dear Mr Leitch,

Please forgive my previous response to your query.

I inadvertently omitted the "Mr" in my response letter.

Yours sincerely,

Mr M A Dillon. A concerned UK taxpayer and voter

Information Handling Manager
Strategy, Communications & Training Group
Consular Directorate
Old Admiralty Building
London
SW1A 2AH
Tel: +44 (0)20 7008 0123
E-mail: [FCO request email]

<<UBS Letter to Mr Dillon.pdf>>

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