Treatment of Freedom of Information Requests - Subjects - Outcomes - Time to Respond

Dear Marlon Campbell,

Please find attached our acknowledgement to your information request.

Kind regards

Margi Singh
Acting Customer Services Officer
Corporate Services
Merton Council
020 8545 3595
[1]www.merton.gov.uk

'Merton Council - Putting You First'

^**********************************************************************^
Reduce waste - please do not print this message unless you need to. This
email and any files transmitted with it are intended solely for the use of
the individual or entity to whom they are addressed. This email may
contain information that is confidential and may contain sensitive or
protectively marked information up to RESTRICTED and should be handled
accordingly. This communication may be subject to recording and/or
monitoring in accordance with relevant legislation. If you have received
this email in error you must not copy, disclose or make any further use of
the information contained within it. Instead we request that you notify
the system manager. [email address] http://www.merton.gov.uk
**********************************************************************

References

Visible links
1. http://www.merton.gov.uk/

Dear Marlon Campbell,

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT 2000 - INFORMATION REQUEST

Your request for information has now been considered as set out below. 
You asked:

     For the 100 most recent FOI requests which the council considers

     closed, be that because the request was rejected, met, or
declared

     "not held", please provide the following information:

    

     (1) The date the request was received by the council.

    

     (2) The summary subject of the request - in less than 20 words

    

     (3) The date the request was acknowledged.

    

     (4) The date the initial final response was given

    

     (5) The status of this response, ie met, not held, rejected

    

     (6) Whether an Internal Review was requested, and if so the date
on

     which this was completed and the outcome status

    

     (7) Whether the FOI Request to the council's knowledge was
referred

     to the ICO.

    

     (8) Whether the ICO issued any guidance or instruction to the

     council following this referral.

    

     (9) The final outcome after the ICO referral.

    

     It is understood that a case may be referred to the ICO after the

     council regards it a closed, and so this list request may not be

     final and definitive, but at any given time, a FOI Request must
be

     either open or closed as far as the council, is considered.

    

     This FOI Request is asking about the situation when it is

     processed, and a snapshot should be taken, with the date of this

     recorded in the reply.

The information requested in 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 above is provided
in the spreadsheet attached.  The snapshot provided is dated 15 February
2010.

The information requested in 3 above will not be provided, because FOI
requests are acknowledged within 3 days of receipt by the answering
department, but the date the acknowledgement is sent out is not recorded
centrally.  To obtain the date that each acknowledgement was sent out
would therefore involve contacting the answering department involved in
each case and requiring them to search their records for the date.  Due
to the number of records involved, this exercise would exceed the
appropriate limit, which is 18 hours (or £450) as stated in the Freedom
of Information (Fees and Appropriate Limit) Regulations 2004.   In
accordance with the Freedom of Information Act 2000 this is a Refusal
Notice in respect of 3 above.   The information requested is exempt
under Section 12 of the Act, which is that the cost of compliance exceeds
the appropriate limit.

You may wish to refine and resubmit this aspect of your request so that it
reduces the cost to within the "appropriate limit". Please contact me if
you would like to discuss refining your request.

If you wish to appeal against this decision please set out in writing your
grounds of appeal and send to the Information Governance Manager at The
London Borough of Merton, Civic Centre, London Road, Morden SM4 5DX or
e-mail [Merton Borough Council request email]

You can also complain to the Information Commissioner at:

Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
Telephone: 01625 545 745
[1]www.ico.gov.uk

Yours sincerely,

Rosalind Girdlestone

Access to Information Officer
Merton Council
Tel: 020 8545 4634
www.merton.gov.uk

^**********************************************************************^
Reduce waste - please do not print this message unless you need to. This
email and any files transmitted with it are intended solely for the use of
the individual or entity to whom they are addressed. This email may
contain information that is confidential and may contain sensitive or
protectively marked information up to RESTRICTED and should be handled
accordingly. This communication may be subject to recording and/or
monitoring in accordance with relevant legislation. If you have received
this email in error you must not copy, disclose or make any further use of
the information contained within it. Instead we request that you notify
the system manager. [email address] http://www.merton.gov.uk
**********************************************************************

References

Visible links
1. http://www.ico.gov.uk/