iPods bought by the department since 2001

BIS ref: 10/0154

Dear Mr Singh,

Thank you for your request for information which we have received in the
Department of Business, Innovation and Skills. Your request has been
passed on to the appropriate official to deal with.

Best wishes,
Kay

Kay Wilson | Freedom of Information Advisor | Information Rights Unit |
Department for Business, Innovation & Skills | Bay 351, 66-74 Victoria
Street, London, SW1E 6SW | [1]www.bis.gov.uk

The Department for Business, Innovation & Skills (BIS) is building a
dynamic and competitive UK economy by creating the conditions for business
success; promoting innovation, enterprise and science; and giving everyone
the skills and opportunities to succeed. To achieve this we will foster
world-class universities and promote an open global economy. BIS -
Investing in our future

show quoted sections

Ref No: 10/0154

Friday, 12 February 2010

Dear Mr Singh,

Thank you for your email of 29 January 2010 where you requested
information about iPods purchased by DIUS.

Please note that on 5th June 2009, the Department for Business, Enterprise
and Regulatory Reform (BERR) was merged with the Department for
Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) creating the Department for
Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS).

This information you requested is not held centrally. To provide you with
all the information falling within the scope of your request, it would be
necessary to manually search the recorded spending of each directorate
within the department individually, to establish whether an iPod had been
purchased. In addition, the level of detail you have requested may not be
held, for example, if an *mp3 player* had been purchased, it may or may
not be referring to an iPod. Indeed, an iPod may have been purchased but
it might be listed under its reason for purchase, for example *audio
equipment for staff training*.

From our preliminary assessment, we estimate that complying with your
request would exceed the cost limit of £600 provided under Section 12 of
the Freedom of Information Act. This represents the estimated cost of
spending 3.5 working days: (i) determining whether the department holds
the information, and (ii) locating, retrieving and extracting the
information. The Act provides that we are not obliged to comply with
requests where the estimated cost of complying would exceed this limit.

It would be helpful if you could refine your request by providing details
as to the information you particularly wish to obtain. This might include
narrowing your timeframe. It may help if you specify a supplier, as our
accounts system records payments made to a certain company. We would be
happy to consider whether any revised request could be dealt with within
the cost limit.

If you are dissatisfied with the handling of your request, you have the
right to ask for an internal review. Internal review requests should be
submitted within two months of the date of receipt of the response to your
original letter and should be addressed to me.

If you are not content with the outcome of the internal review, you have
the right to apply directly to the Information Commissioner for a
decision. The Information Commissioner can be contacted at: Information
Commissioner*s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9
5AF

Please remember to quote the reference number above in any future
communications.

Yours sincerely,

Kay Wilson

Kay Wilson | Freedom of Information Advisor | Information Rights Unit |
Department for Business, Innovation & Skills | Bay 351, 66-74 Victoria
Street, London, SW1E 6SW | [1]www.bis.gov.uk

The Department for Business, Innovation & Skills (BIS) is building a
dynamic and competitive UK economy by creating the conditions for business
success; promoting innovation, enterprise and science; and giving everyone
the skills and opportunities to succeed. To achieve this we will foster
world-class universities and promote an open global economy. BIS -
Investing in our future

show quoted sections