Dear Sir or Madam,

Please detail total expenditure by the Learning and Skills Council
on Common Purpose courses for each of the following years: 1997,
1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008
to date.

Please also supply a copy of the invoice for each Common Purpose
course paid for by this organisation.

By "Common Purpose", I mean the training organisation of that name:
http://www.commonpurpose.org/home.aspx

Yours faithfully,

Robert MacLean

Dear Mr Maclean

Thank you for your request for information about Common Purpose. Your
request was received 20 June 2008 and we are dealing with it under the
terms of the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

Yours sincerely

Information Rights Manager

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Dear Robert

Please see attached letter of response.

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Dear Sir or madam,

Thank you for your prompt response. I appreciate that in view of
the substantial number of invoices it would be costly to provide
copies of each one. Please, therefore, provide a list of names and
job titles of those who have attended the Common Purpose training
for which the expenditure you have summarised relates.

Yours faithfully,

Robert MacLean

Please see attached response.

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Dear Compliance Manager,

I am dissatified with your handling of my request and am therefore
making a formal complaint, in the first case to the Council
Solicitor. The following is a copy of my complaint:-

"I recently made a Freedom of Information Act request under the
above reference requesting details of expenditure on training
courses from Common Purpose.

I have been advised that over £750k has been spent on such training
since 2001 - 2002, but that the cost of obtaining copy invoices or
even providing a list of course attendees would exceed the £450
cost limit.

I find it almost impossible to believe that the LSC has spent such
a huge sum on Common Purpose Training but cannot readily name those
who benefitted from the expenditure.

I am now, therefore, making a formal complaint and should be
obliged if my request can be revisited.

Robert MacLean."

Dear Robert MacLean

I write further to your email dated 10 July to the LSC Compliance
Manager.

Thank you for advising us that you propose to complain to the LSC
Council Solicitor. As previously advised, you should write detailing the
basis for any complaint you might have to the Council Solicitor at the
address detailed in the LSC complaint procedure information supplied if
you wish the LSC to take forward an internal review. The Council's
Solicitor Office will then take this forward in accordance with the
procedure.

LSC Head of Records and Rights
Learning and Skills Council
Knowledge and information Services
Cheylesmore House
Quinton Road
Coventry
CV1 2WT

www.lsc.gov.uk

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My email dated 10 July set out the basis for my complaint. Please
pass it to the LSC Council Solicitor. I don't understand why you
also want me to write direct to him/her.

Thank you for your response.

I will send your previous email to the Council Solicitor and treat this
as the original complaint as opposed to a copy as described in your
email.

The Council Solicitor will contact you in accordance with the procedure.

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Dear Mr MacLean

I am writing further to your email to the Freedom of Information (FOI)
Compliance Manager dated 10 July 2008 in which you advise that you wish
to make a formal complaint about the Learning and Skills Council (LSC)
in relation to your request under FOI.

I believe you are already in possession of a copy of the Procedure for
dealing with complaints about the LSC. However, please find attached a
further copy for your reference. As you will see from the procedure,
the first stage before an investigation can commence is to agree a
summary of complaint. Please see below what I believe is an accurate
summary of your complaint about the LSC. If you agree, please advise me
by return or alternatively please make any amendments you feel
necessary:

"I find it impossible to believe that the LSC has spent such a huge sum
on Common Purpose Training but cannot readily name those who benefited
from the expenditure."

Regards

LSC Complaints Co-Ordinator

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You have made an accurate summary of my complaint. To expand it
slightly I believe that the Human Resources Department of most
large organisations would keep a record of which employees had
attended which courses. It seems inconceivable that within the
Learning & Skills Council such a system does not exist.

Dear Mr MacLean

Thank you for your email.

I can confirm that your additional wording is acceptable and therefore
an investigation into your complaint about the Learning and Skills
Council (LSC) will now commence.

In accordance with the procedure for dealing with complaints about the
LSC, you should receive final conclusions no later than 15 August 2008.
If for any reason there will be a delay, I will advise you accordingly.

Regards

LSC Complaints Co-ordinator

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Dear Mr MacLean

Please find attached final conclusions in relation to your complaint
about the Learning and Skills Council.

Regards

Complaints Co-ordinator

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