policy?

for the attention of Sharon George

With reference to your email request dated 19th May, please find below the
responses (in blue) from the Team Leader of the Visiting & Investigations
Team to your queries:

Could you please outline policy and procedures of Wycombe district
council, in regards to investigations re overpayments etc etc.

What is the expected time frame, after attending an interview under
caution, that the council contacts the interviewee to let them know
what is happening with their investigation?.

A1: There is no set time frame, as we normally have to get the
claim for benefit reassessed by the Benefit Section, including
discussions with Legal, so the time takenis heavily dependent on that
process. We would hope to be contacting people within a month,
but this is not always possible. However, they get a letter from me (Team
Leader) as soon as I can.
Could you also include the Code of Conduct the council abide by
during these investigations?
A2. Please find attached the Investigation Procedure and Staff Code
of Conduct letter (signed by Visiting & Investigation
Team staff annually).

Could you also tell me what is policy in regard to replying to
correspondence, related to an investigation?

A3. There are no special procedures; correspondence is replied to
as soon as possible under Council guidelines for replying to
post/emails, etc., usually within ten working days.

What is Wycombe district councils policy in regard to the human
rights act?

A4. We abide by this in investigations (see procedures attached).
If a situation arises where we think a breach of someone's Human
Rights is necessary via surveillance, we abide by the RIPA Code of
Practice (attached).

What is Wycombe district councils policy in regard to direct
debits?, do they follow the direct debit guarantee?

A5. Wycombe District Council do follow the direct debit guarantee.

I have heard from various sources that you the council make many of
these people wait months before any correspondence is sent to the
interviewee. Is this correct that you make these people wait so
long whether they are guilty or innocent?. Surely this would be a
breach of their human rights?, as months is not considered
reasonable time to reply and it also sounds unprofessional for a
public body.

A6. Some people have waited to be contacted due to the length of
time taken by procedures outlined in point 1. The Visiting &
Investigations Team does not make them wait, and does not pronounce
guilt or innocence. We tell them whether we feel that
there is a case to answer or not. In the investigations where we feel
there is a case to answer, we inform them of what further
action is intended.

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If you have any queries about this letter, please contact me. Please
remember to quote the reference number above in any future communications.

If you are unhappy with the service you have received in relation to your
request and wish to make a complaint or request an review of our decision,
you should write to the Complaints Co-ordinator, Wycombe District Council,
Queen Victoria Road, High Wycombe, HP11 1BB.

Dani Goodman (Mrs.)
PA to Martin Henwood
Head of Financial Services
Wycombe District Council

Tel: 01494 421596

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Good afternoon Ms. George

With reference to your email dated 10th June, I have spoken with both our
Visiting & Investigations and Legal departments regarding the Human Rights
Act in relation to your query.

The Human Rights Act is not normally applicable to delays in notifying
persons being investigated. However, if you could let us know what part
of the Human Rights Act you think is being breached, related to a specific
instance (date/time/person), we would be interested to know.

Thank you.

Dani Goodman (Mrs.)
PA to Martin Henwood
Head of Financial Services
Wycombe District Council

Tel: 01494 421596

****** HELP US TO REDUCE PAPER USE ******
****** DO NOT PRINT THIS EMAIL UNLESS ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY ******
****** DISCLAIMER *****

Any opinions expressed in this email are those of the individual and are not
necessarily those of Wycombe District Council.
This email and any files transmitted within it are strictly confidential and
intended solely for the use of the individual or
entity to which it is addressed. If you are not the intended recipient of this
email you must not copy, distribute or use the
communication in any other way. If you do receive this email in error please
contact the sender as soon as possible and
delete the email and any attachments. Wycombe District Council may monitor the
contents of email sent and received
via its network for the purposes of ensuring compliance with its policies and
procedures.

Wycombe District Council has scanned this email and attachments for viruses but
does not accept any responsibilities
for viruses once this email has been transmitted. The recipient is responsible
for scanning emails and any attachments for viruses themselves.

This message has been scanned for viruses by [1]MailControl, a service from
[2]BlackSpider Technologies.

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