Dear Sir or Madam, Please provide details and names of all Council
Tax Payers and non Council Tax Payers who are and have been
exempted from paying Council Tax since 1997 to date, this includes
Elected Members and Employees of Portsmouth City Council. This FOI
request does not include those exempted because they have fulfilled
the requirements of non payment as a result of being on qualifying
state benefits, except for Elected Members and Employees of
Portsmouth City Council.

Yours faithfully, Keith Edmunds

FOI D & CE DEPARTMENT

Civic Offices, Guildhall Square, Portsmouth, PO1 2BQ

Telephone: 023 9268 8482

Fax: 023 9284 1327

Reference: FOI2008380

Dear Mr Keith Edmunds,

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT 2000 - INFORMATION REQUEST

Thank you for your request for information received on 29/08/08.

Your request is being considered and, subject to the points made below,
you will receive the information requested as promptly as possible
within the statutory timescale of 20 working days as defined by the
Freedom of Information Act 2000.

If we need to obtain more information from you in order to understand
what information you require, we will contact you. If this is the case,
the 20 days time limit will not commence until your request has been
clarified.

The Act defines a number of exemptions that may prevent release of
certain information. The City Council will consider whether any of
these exemptions apply and, where required by the Act, whether it is in
the public interest to release the information. If we have to make a
public interest test, the 20 day time limit might be extended. We will
inform you if the time scale has to be extended and if any information
is withheld and of your rights of appeal.

The City Council would like to make you aware that disclosure of
information obtained through FOIA is a disclosure into the public
domain.

The City Council's standard approach is to provide the information in
the form in which we hold it. If you require alternative formats, e.g.
audio, large print, etc. or a different language, please let me know and
we will provide it if reasonably practicable to do so. If your request
is a question and we do not hold the answer in recorded form we will try
and provide an answer where we are able.

There may be a fee payable for this information request and we will send
you a Fees Notice if this is the case. Any fee must be paid before the
request is provided. The time between the issue of the Fees Notice and
receipt of payment is excluded from the calculation of the 20 working
day time limit.

Any personal information you provide in relation to this request will
only be used for the purposes of processing your request for
information.

If you have any queries or concerns then please contact the Corporate
Information Governance Officer at Portsmouth City Council, Civic
Offices, Guildhall Square, Portsmouth, Hampshire, PO1 2GB, telephone 023
9268 8482, e-mail [email address].

Yours sincerely

Peter Harding

Corporate Information Governance Officer.

Did you know?
We’ve delivered 80,000 meals on wheels in the past year.

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Dear FoI (ITS),

Thank you for your email. If there are any charges for the
information, please let me know.

Yours sincerely,

Keith Edmunds

<<Picture (Device Independent Bitmap)>> FOI D & CE DEPARTMENT

Civic Offices, Guildhall Square, Portsmouth, PO1 2BQ
Telephone: 023 9268 8482
Fax: 023 9284 1327

Date: 16th September 2008

Reference: FOI2008380
Your ref: Keith edmunds [[FOI #2763 email]]

Dear Mr Edmunds,

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT 2000 - INFORMATION REQUEST - Exemption from
Council Tax

Your request for information dated 29th August 2008 has now been
considered and we regret to inform you that it is not possible to supply
the information you have requested.

However, we are able to confirm that Portsmouth City Council does hold
the information requested.

In accordance with the Freedom of Information Act 2000 this letter acts
as a Refusal Notice.

Portsmouth City Council has engaged FOI exemption S40(2) Personal Data
relating to third parties. PCC believes that to disclose would cause it
to breach Principles 1 & 2 of the Data Protection Act 1984. The
information you have requested is personal data collected and processed
by Portsmouth City Council for the purposes of administering council tax
to its citizens, particularly in this case those that may be exempt from
this tax. It is not collected for onward processing to any third party
beyond those declared in PCC's Data Protection Notification (Purpose 7
Assessment and Collection of Taxes and other Revenues).

Details of the PCC Notification can be found at:

http://www.ico.gov.uk/tools_and_resource...
spx

http://www.ico.gov.uk/ESDWebPages/search...

The criterion applied for determining exemption from Council Tax is
found on the following PCC Webpages:

http://www.portsmouth.gov.uk/living/9185...

We apologise that your request will not be met but if you have any
further information needs in the future then please contact us.

You have the right to appeal against this decision or to complain about
our treatment of your request. If you wish to do so, please set out in
writing your grounds of complaint and send to the Corporate Information
Governance Officer at Portsmouth City Council, Civic Offices, Guildhall
Square, Portsmouth, Hampshire, PO1 2GB, telephone 023 9268 8482, e-mail
[email address].

Should you be dissatisfied with the outcome of the complaints decision
you may wish to follow the Portsmouth City Council's Compliments and
Complaints procedure which can be found on the Portsmouth City Council
website or by contacting the Civic Offices.

Once these processes have been exhausted you have a further right of
appeal to the Information Commissioner at
Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
Telephone: 01625 545 700
www.informationcommissioner.gov.uk
<http://www.informationcommissioner.gov.uk/>

Yours sincerely

Peter Harding
Corporate Information Governance Officer.

Did you know?
We’ve delivered 80,000 meals on wheels in the past year.

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Dear Mr Harding,

Reference: FOI2008380

Thank you for your reply of 16 September 2008. I would now ask you
to carry out an internal review of your refusal of my Freedom of
Information request.

Yours sincerely,

Keith Edmunds

Dear Mr Edmunds,

This is to acknowledge your request for a review of the decision by Portsmouth City Council to refuse to provide personal information of third parties as a response to your Freedom of Information request.

Exceptionally, as the refusal was made under FOI engaging the Data Protection Act exemption, PCC will not consider your appeal or revise our response.
PCC retains its position that it will not disclose personal details (names & addresses of third parties) receiving council tax exemption to you.
My recommendation is that if you wish to pursue your appeal then this is done directly to the Information Commissioner's Office.

Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
Telephone: 01625 545 700
www.informationcommissioner.gov.uk

Peter Harding
Corporate Information Governance Officer
(please note my working days are Monday to Thursday inclusive)
Portsmouth City Council
Civic Offices
Guildhall Square
Portsmouth PO1 2BQ
023 9268 8482
Email: [Portsmouth City Council request email]
Website: www.portsmouth.gov.uk
If you are submitting a request for information under the Freedom of Information Act, please send it to the FoI team at <mailto:[email address]>

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