Tobacco investments held by local authority pension fund

Lewes District Council did not have the information requested.

Dear Lewes District Council,

I am seeking information about the value of the local authority pension fund’s investment in tobacco shares and bonds, as well as the income from those investments. Please provide whatever answers you can to the following.

1. What is the most recent available value of the local authority's pension fund?

2. What is the value of the fund’s directly-held investment in shares or bonds of the following companies: British American Tobacco, Imperial Brands, Japan Tobacco International, Altria Group Inc, Philip Morris International, Universal Corp, Alliance One International?

3. What is the total combined value of the fund’s directly-held investments in the companies named above?

4. What income did the fund receive from these investments in the last 12-month period for which records are available?

5. Does the fund have any other investments in tobacco via pooled investments? What is the value of these?

6. What is the local authority’s annual spend on smoking-related illness?

7. Please supply the number of deaths attributable to smoking in the local authority areas covered by your pension fund. Your Director of Public Health or equivalent should be able to supply this figure.

If you require clarification on any of the above questions, please get in touch on 0203 353 3616, or 07415154041 or email me at [email address]

Yours faithfully,

Rob Davies

foi, Lewes District Council

Thank you for your information request received today.

 

I am currently reviewing your request and investigating whether there is
any information available for disclosure.  The council, in accordance with
Section 10 of the Freedom of Information Act (2000), will reply to your
request promptly and in any event not later than the twentieth working day
following the date of receipt.

 

Please contact me again if you require any assistance with your request
and I will do my best to provide the relevant help and advice.

 

Kind Regards

 

 

Information Governance Officer

Lewes District Council and Eastbourne Borough Council

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foi, Lewes District Council

1 Attachment

Dear Mr Davies

 

I refer to your information request dated 17 April 2018, received in our
office on the same day.

 

I have reviewed your request and investigated whether there is any
information which can be disclosed to you and have found that Lewes
District Council does not hold the information you have requested.

 

The pension scheme for Lewes District Council employees is run by East
Sussex County Council. They should also be able to respond to questions 6
and 7, although this information may be held by the local NHS Trust. I
provide contact details below.

 

Freedom of Information Office

East Sussex County Council

Room C6F, County Hall

St Anne’s Crescent

Lewes

BN7 1UE

 

Tel: 01273 482913

Email: [1][email address]

 

We suggest that you contact this organization directly to further your
request, however if you would like the council to transfer your request to
this organization on your behalf we will be happy to do this. In order to
transfer your request we will require you to give us your explicit
consent.

 

May I take this opportunity to inform you that by transferring your
request to another public organization the 20 working day response
timeframe is ‘reset’ and the organisation that receives your request will
have 20 working days from the time they receive your request to respond to
you.

 

All applicants have a 'right of appeal'. An appeal should be focused on
the original request and should identify how the council’s response failed
to answer your information request. Appeals must be made in writing (or
e-mail) within 40 working days of receipt of this response and addressed
to the Information Governance Appeals Officer, to the address below.

 

Information Governance Appeals Officer

Lewes District Council and Eastbourne Borough Council

1 Grove Road

EASTBOURNE

BN21 4TW

 

Email: [2][email address]

 

Please contact me again, quoting your reference number, if you require any
further assistance with your current request and I will do my best to
provide the relevant help and advice.

 

Yours sincerely

 

 

Kevin Rance
Information Governance Officer

 

Lewes and Eastbourne Legal Services acting on behalf of Lewes District
Council and Eastbourne Borough Council

 

Lewes District Council: Southover House, Southover Road, Lewes BN7 1AB
[3]www.lewes.gov.uk. Minicom 01273 484488

Eastbourne Borough Council: 1 Grove Road, Eastbourne BN21 4TW
[4]www.lewes-eastbourne.gov.uk. Text Relay 18001 01323 410000

 

[5]cid:image003.jpg@01D1E9A6.A42E8490

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